Wondering where to go to take some fresh air? Reaching the lake will take you good half an hour…read morestroll from the main gates on Holyrood Park Road. Follow the small path walk between the Craigs and Arthur's seat. Be ready to meet dogs and their owners on the way as it is a favourite path. You won't be able to see the lake from a distance as it is located at the foot of a small hill. Near the lake there are remnants from a chapel which could serve you as a sign for the right direction. It is a beautiful and quiet place. There are benches to sit around the lake and feed the geese if you want. Usually, there aren't many visitors, so on a good sunny day it could be the perfect place for a picnic.

Dunsapie Loch is a small artificial loch nestling between Dunsapie Hill and Arthur's Seat in…read moreEdinburgh's Holyrood Park. It was formed during the construction of Queen's Drive through the park, and owes its origin to Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, who oversaw its creation in 1844. The loch is home to a variety of wildfowl, including greylag geese, mallards, tufted ducks, coots, moorhens, pochards and mute swans. These are always appreciative of scraps of bread. The grassy slopes around Arthur's Seat are excellent playing areas, and when the wind gets up you may well see the odd kite battling against the air currents. The loch is accessible via the park's east entrance, at the Meadowbank end, where a winding road leads gradually up towards around 110 metres (361 feet) above sea-level. The road is one-way, making for a hassle-free drive around the park (apart from Sundays when the roads are closed to traffic). A path runs parallel to the road, popular with everyone from gentle strollers and hillwalkers to the more intrepid joggers. Parking locations en route make excellent picnic spots, offering wonderful views out over the city's eastern suburbs, towards Berwick Law. One reason why I am drawn to Dunsapie Loch is that it offers by far the easiest route to the summit of Arthur's Seat. After parking by the loch, or strolling up from ground level, you can march up towards a path leading straight to the peak. From here you can enjoy panoramic views around 360 degrees. If you feel that Arthur's Seat is a bit daunting, then a good warm-up would be Dunsapie Hill. This overlooks the loch, and contains the remains of a 2,000-year-old fort and farmstead. What I particularly like about Dunsapie Loch, is that more than the other 2 lochs in Holyrood Park, St Margaret's and Duddingston, visiting here makes you feel as if you have escaped from a city with a population nearing half a million. It is tucked away, teeming with wildfowl, and yet a matter of minutes from 'civilization'. And on a Sunday, you can enjoy the whole experience without being bothered with cars.

The Dunsapie Loch is one of Edinburgh's most beautiful, most often overlooked attractions. At a…read moreheight of about 110 meters above sea level, this manmade reservoir looks and feels the part of Scottish Loch in the hills. In order to get to this beautiful lake, you need to follow Queens Drive up the side of, and around Arthur's Seat, until it wedges itself between Dunsapie Hill and Arthur's Seat itself. At first, you can easily miss the hidden gem, since a relatively thick growth of trees hides the Loch from view from the road, but the car park on your left gives it away. Walk into the carpark, and, voila, curving around the wee hill lies Dunsapie Loch. This lake is host to a wild variety of species, both bird and fish, including, but not limited to crane's, ducks and swans. Sometimes, it gets very misty, and the view from Dunsapie Hill (maybe a 5 minute walk and climb from the loch) offers a great, vantage point to see the city shrouded in an exceptionally thick fog, only the lights shining through as beacons. And even if does not get foggy, the view is still breath - taking, and an alternative to the oft overdone look off the top of Arthur's Seat

A hidden gem which your Julia Donaldson loving little ones will love to visit!…read moreWe call this Gruffalo Wood because of the Gruffalo-themed carvings dotted near the entrance of the Loch. The Loch itself is fairly small, taking only 15-20 mins to walk around. There is lots of nature and wildlife to explore here from toadstools to frogs to wild raspberries to dragonflies... We met a particularly large, and bold, swan today whilst feeding the ducks! On our last visit we stumbled across hundreds and hundreds of baby frogs migrating across the pathway to the Loch. This has become a regular location for us to visit with our little Julia Donaldson fan. There is a play park at the far end of the Loch from the little car park off Kilmardinny Avenue and if you need something to eat or liquid refreshments after your walk there is a recently opened Waitrose with a lovely cafe minutes away by car or foot!

We visited here after discovering Gruffalo Wood through Ali's review :)…read more My friend was visiting with her 6 and 3yr old girls and we took A in his pram. We really enjoyed walking round the loch in the sunshine, the path is pretty easy going for littles and the pram alike, and there are a few places to stop along the way and see the ducks or discover the awesome carvings. We couldn't find the play park, perhaps a little sign would help, but we asked someone and soon found the little path leading up to it. There were some different play areas to explore including an awesome rope swing that the adults enjoyed too! We had a great, free day out and it worked well to tire out the kids. Would highly recommend.

Take the ferry to Inchimahome Priory. This priory is part of Historic Scotland. Ferry sits 12…read morepeople. Get there early as the last ferry is 4:15pm. The Priory is good. Read the signs and see the Abbey and ruins. Take a walk around the island. Last ferry leaves island at 5pm. Enjoy it!

Beautiful lake in the Trossachs area of the Highlands. We came on an extremely cold day or we would…read morehave taken a boat tour. Pretty area to hike or bike around. The tiny gift shop has hot tea served by a friendly staff.

If ever I needed encouragement at the mid-point of a challenging, torturously hilly 32 mile cycle,…read morethen catching sight of Loch Katrine was it. The Aberfoyle/Dukes Pass/Loch Katrine loop we tackled was a beautiful, scenic route and any difficult climbs paid off in the abundance of awe-inducing views as we came soaring back down. Loch Katrine was a definite highlight for me. She's a beauty and well-worth the visit whether you're planning on biking, walking or taking a trip on the flagship Sir Walter Scott steamship which we were lucky enough to catch sight of. Cyclists, this whole area in general is just great and this route has been my favourite so far. The hills are tough but coming down them is genuinely breath-taking. I definitely want to return to Aberfoyle again and do all kinds of lovely touristy things. Visiting Loch Katrine will definitely be one of them.

We loved the convenience of beach-front rental and the thorough guidance they provided for…read morenavigating the loch. Luss is an adorable town and exploring Loch Lomond by kayak made the whole experience all the better. Reasonable prices too!

On our drive to Ben Nevis and the Isle of Skye, we stopped here for a few minutes to stretch our…read morelegs. I should have worn my jacket. It may be summer to the Scottish folks, but to this Florida girl, my teeth were chattering. That breeze off the loch was numbingly cold. We walked around for a good bit, reaching the waters edge, to touch the coolness and watch the bots on the waves. It was a peaceful time of day. Not too many folks out yet, but you could tell (it was a holiday weekend) that they'd be out in force soon. Kayaks and boats, water sports equipment is all for hire, this place is absolutely gorgeous.

It might be a mystery but Castle Semple does not really have a castle. So don't be disappointed if…read morea visible castle is not apparent. If you walk about a mile north on the shared path, you will come to the Collegiate Church that is worth seeing. Close by are "The Cascades". Still don't know why that is their name but it is a really interesting diversion. Then back through Parkhill Woods with the Totem Pole and a wee bit of deviation, the rhododendron maze. A wonderful day out. Just, please, don't ride bikes over the pedestrian pathways. They just churn the pathways to mud and kills accessibility for those in wheelchairs or those who find walking on loose surfaces difficult. Thank you for your attention.

Great for walking along the side of the loch from the visitor centre; very attractive with the loch…read moreon one side and fields full of cows on the other. The visitor centre is large, overlooking the water, and you can buy some gifts there. There are many snacks available in the cafe - we would wish for a bit more choice; I'm sure if they offered a full menu (including some vegetarian choices) they would get the custom. It always seems to be popular and quite busy (when we've gone there anyway).

The river Cart is actually very short coming in at just about three quarters of a mile long (about…read more1k). Despite, it's shortness, it manages to cover a lot of ground. As it goes from Busby to Clarkston, Netherlee, Linn Park, Cathcart, Langside, Pollokshaws, Pollok Country House Park, Crookston and finally joins the River Levern. Along the river, there's a nice, quiet and muddy pathway which goes from the more residential area of Langisde to the bustle of Shawlands. This makes for a lovely Sunday stroll, followed by a pub lunch in The Granary (see previous review). The Cart has lots of kernels of history attached to it, for instance it is mentioned in Robert Burns' poem The Gallant Weaver. However, not all the history surrounding the Cart is pleasant. As, Cathcart and other residential areas which sprang up around the Cart have had some flood damage at times. Which is why, there is now a major Glasgow City Council operation to build up flood defences along the length of the river.

Laura's message about the Wite Cart is interesting, but I wonder why she says it's only about 1km…read morein length. The Renfreshire Habitat Action Plan for Rivers and streams says "......the White Cart Water, which is 35km in length from its source south of Eaglesham to where it joins the Clyde Estuary at Renfrew". I wonder how many people also know that otters and kingfishers can be seen along most of its length, including the urban stretches.