Loch of Easter Head

The Loch of Easter Head sits just inland from Thurso, a proper windswept body of water that rewards the effort it takes to reach it. There's no visitor centre, no café, no grand facilities - just you, the water, and the Caithness moorland stretching endlessly around you. On a clear day the light hits the loch in ways that make you understand why people live up here despite the weather.

It's a walker's destination, genuinely. The loch itself is small enough that you can get round it in an afternoon without breaking a sweat, though the terrain is boggy and demands decent boots. Birdwatchers turn up regularly - red-throated divers nest here in summer, and you'll see greylag geese year-round. Fishing folk come too, though you'd need to check locally about permits and what's biting.

Families with older kids who don't need constant entertainment will find it fine. Younger ones might get restless without something to do besides walk and look at water. The drive from Thurso takes about twenty minutes through real Scottish emptiness - no queues, no crowds, just silence that feels earned.

If you're based at Little Croft Highlands campsite nearby, this works as a half-day excursion to break up your stay. Pair it with a walk along the Flow Country peatlands, which border the loch's eastern side. Go in May or June when the weather's least likely to turn vile, though expect wind any month of the year.