A broad and lovely sea loch - about 5 miles long - in a very beautiful area - I drove along the…read morebanks a few weeks ago and stopped several times to take in the views. It's a remote region and the road is seldom clogged with cars - there were very few cars at all the afternoon I was there. It's a wonderful area for walking and cycling and - on the water itself - sailing and sea kayaking. The countryside around the loch is very pretty with fields of sheep and cows, forest plantations and many wild flowers. St Columba's Cave can be found on the north shore near Ellary (although I didn't have time to go there myself). It's said to have been used by the saint on his 6th Century crusade from Ireland.

16 miles south of Oban, this remote and beautiful sea loch is well worth a visit…read more It's a wonderful place for hill walking and cycling. There are peaceful beaches to stroll along too and a few restaurants, hotels and pubs not far away. This is an area of stunning natural beauty, teeming with wildlife sometimes you'll see otters, seals and porpoises swimming in the loch. Perfect for birdwatching too. There are wonderful views from the top of the surrounding hills over the Sound of Jura and many small islands. Highly recommended! From Oban you'll need the A816 south to Kilmelford. Then turn right to Degnish for nearly 2 miles. there are signs for Melfort Pier and Harbour.

Well it's easy for me to give this loch 5 stars because it is one of my very favourite places to…read morevisit! I've walked the paths and roads around here over many years and I learnt to drive on some of them too. This is the largest of a group of reservoirs in this area and named after the engineer Robert Thom (1774 - 1847). He designed the scheme to create this reservoir which has provided Greenock with water since 1827. A wonderful place to take a walk - you won't meet many people either. There are two nearby cafes and a large free car park. Video link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AGNIjq-60ns

I am jealous. I am jealous that there are people in this world who can get up every morning and go…read morehere, even if just for a quick morning walk. We visited Loch Lomond on New Year's Day and can I just say it made for the most magical start to a new year for me. I'm floored by its beauty and tranquility and if its the start of the Highlands, holy cow - or rather coo! My tour group couldn't get over how stunning the light, filtered through clouds touched upon the hillsides. The park was clean and everyone did their part to keep it that way. No one was too noisey either. Would love to come back and explore more!

Truly, a magnificent park and one a few untouched by development in Scotland. Jagged peaks and…read moresteep mountain tops punctuate the sky and mark some of the most prestige wilderness areas in the world. I wholeheartedly loved this park and my time exploring it. Going back, I would spend a weekend and camp here to really immerse myself (guess I have a good excuse).

An attractive small reservoir right beside the road between Largs and Loch Thom. You can park on…read morethe roadside or in the adjacent car park (just north of the reservoir). There is also a picnic area, and some moorland trails you can follow on foot. I'm told it's a good spot for birdwatching too but I only stopped to photograph the reservoir itself. You can only get here by car unless you are a very good walker. (The reservoir isn't shown on the Google map, unfortunately, but the arrow is in the right place because I put it there!)

Beautiful park. Very nature friendly…read more Love spending time here especially at the waterfalls and pond area. Very kid friendly and even has an outdoor free gym! Plenty history to be found in the visitors centre and even got a coffee shop just at the car park at the garden centre.

This beautiful park is a huge favourite with director Danny Boyle with scenes from "Shallow Grave"…read moreand "Trainspotting" filmed here. For me, Rouken Glen is also very special, it's where I used to feed the ducks when I was little, I learned how to ride my Bluebird bike here, I enjoyed eating ice-creams here with my family in summer and making a wish by throwing pennies into the waterfall with my dad. Rouken Glen is a beautiful park and there is so much to do here, especially if you have a young family. If you're a nature lover then it's great to come here for a walk and listen to the birds tweeting. When I came here last summer I was glad to see that it's still as popular as ever, we even took the paddle boats out and I enjoyed being captain for the day as G-Bot is useless at rowing. I also took a lot of flyers from the park rangers office, that encouraged people to be more environmental and bring out the hippie in you. This year I plan to take part in some of the activities in these flyers, such as going on an ancient tree hunt, joining the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, taking part in National Insect Week by going on a bug hunt, who knows I might even find Bugtropolis. What better place to do all of these things than at Rouken Glen? If all that nature tires you out then there's a little cafe beside the pond to sit and recharge your batteries.

Officially named as two reservoirs although one flows into the other. They are located east of Loch…read moreThom in Inverclyde in the hills above Greenock and one of my favourite places to visit. There is a rough track on the southern banks which you can drive along and there are a few parking bays overlooking the water. The views are beautiful of the reservoirs, the hills on the other side and the forest to the south. The nearest cafe and other facilities can be found at the Cornalees Bridge Centre on the other side of Loch Thom. A marvellous place for a walk and well worth a visit all year round.

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.

Fun for all ages! We took 4 kiddos, aged 2-14, and fun was had by all! We could have spent hours…read morethere. You are able to come and go as you please. There is a Park right outside where you could eat lunch by the lake and enjoy the ducks and wildlife. The surrounding area and the park amenities are enough to keep kiddos Happy for the entire day!

Am I taking crazy pills? Why am I the first person to review this fantastic National Trust…read moreproperty?! Well my friends, it's a bit of GBP investment but it's well worth it. You can easily spend the whole day here. Definitely bring a picnic and tootle on down to South Ayrshire for a lovely day out. The "castle" is really more of a mansion, richly detailed and a festival of information for architecture, history and art buffs. The grounds are expansive, great to explore on foot or with three separate parking lots (the castle, the walled garden and the swan pond). You can skip the castle and just explore the grounds and it will still be well worth the time (and slightly cheaper). This is a gorgeous showpiece of Scottish tourism, and only an hour from Glasgow. Go here!