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.

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.

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).

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!

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

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.

Rouken Glen is a lovely park and it's right on my doorstep! For the first few months of living…read morehere, I hadn't paid it a visit... but then the sun came out, and off we went with our sandwiches and newspapers. I really like the boating pond and the waterfall in the park - these are my two "must visit" places whenever we visit. Around this time last year, I visited here on a foraging expedition with Whole Foods in Giffnock and managed to collect masses of wild garlic in the area near the vet (entrance off Rouken Glen Road). Even on a sunny, summers day this park never really feels overly crowded and I put that down to the wide, open green spaces with nothing but grass and trees. I think that's what makes me love this park so much - it's not overdone. It's fab for a Saturday picnic reading the papers, as well as bike riding and possibly also roller skating (yet to try that one!). For the kids there's a skate park and playground. The garden centre nearby is also really lovely to pop into to go to the cafe. I know there was some controversy about the cafe near the boating pond, so I'm not 100% sure if that's still open. My favourite thing about this park though is that a scene from Trainspotting was filmed here. I'm still trying to work out the exact spot!

This is such a peaceful tranquil area, a beautiful quiet peaceful place where you will see people…read morefish in the reservoir, trails and rock pools. There are beautiful lush trees, fields and the larger Threipmuir reservoir nearby overlooking the black hills! This is also a great place for dog walkers on a lovely sunny day!

Harlaw reservoir is located within the Pentlands Hills Regional Park…read more Ample parking on site and free to the public. Very peaceful and serene, there is also another reservoir nearby and the trail walk takes just under one hour. Also has great views of the mountains and depending where you are, the forth bridge against the sky. It's also only about 30 minutes from the city centre but feels like you're somewhere else, a new favorite place for a relaxing Sunday morning walk.

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.

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.