Scotland
Loch Lomond
Thirty islands scatter across the loch where the Highlands begin and the Lowlands end.
The loch stretches from the Lowlands into the Highlands, its southern shores dotted with oak-covered islands and its northern reaches narrowing between mountains that rise straight from the waterline. Loch Lomond holds more fresh water than all the lakes of England and Wales combined, and on still mornings the surface mirrors the sky so precisely the islands appear to float in nothing.
Loch Lomond marks the geological boundary between the Scottish Highlands and the Lowlands — the Highland Boundary Fault runs directly beneath its waters. Thirty islands scatter across the loch, from Inchcailloch with its ruined nunnery and ancient oak forest to tiny Inchmurrin with its ruined castle. The West Highland Way follows the eastern shore through native woodland, and kayak hire from Balmaha opens the island-studded south to exploration. Ben Lomond, the most southerly Munro, rises from the eastern shore to a summit panorama that reaches from the Arrochar Alps to Stirling.
Couple
Luxury lodges on the western shore, boat trips to private islands, and waterfront dining at Duck Bay — the loch has a romantic register that ranges from wild to refined.
Family
Flat lochside paths, safe swimming beaches at Milarrochy Bay, and island-hopping ferries make the southern end accessible for families with children of any age.
Friends
Kayaking between islands, hiking Ben Lomond as a group, or cycling the loch loop gives a weekend's worth of shared outdoor activity within an hour of Glasgow.
- The loch contains more fresh water than all the lakes of England and Wales combined.
- Inchcailloch island holds the ruins of a 12th-century nunnery reachable by summer ferry.
- Kayak rentals launch from Balmaha into island-studded water ringed by oak forests.
- The West Highland Way runs along the eastern shore through ancient woodland paths.
Smoked trout from Loch Fyne served at the Lodge on Loch Lomond with views across the water.
Real ales and pub grub at the Drovers Inn in Inverarnan, unchanged since drovers last stamped mud from their boots.
To Sua Ocean Trench
Samoa
Turquoise water fills a thirty-metre chasm linked to the ocean through hidden lava tubes.
Jervis Bay
Australia
Sand so white it squeaks underfoot, backed by bushland where kangaroos graze at dusk.
Savaia Giant Clam Sanctuary
Samoa
Snorkel over giant Tridacna clams clustered on reef floor as parrotfish and sea turtles drift past.
Paracas
Peru
Red sand beaches meeting turquoise Pacific where Humboldt penguins waddle past the desert.
Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park
Scotland
Britain's first Dark Sky Park, where the Milky Way spills across the silence like luminous dust.
Cairngorms
Scotland
Britain's only free-ranging reindeer herd grazes a sub-arctic plateau where blizzards arrive in June.
Tobermory
Scotland
Crayon-bright houses line a harbour where fishing boats rock above sunken Spanish galleon gold.
Glenfinnan
Scotland
A railway viaduct arcs across a glen where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in 1745.