Deep, clear, and swimming with all sorts of marine life, from porpoises and dolphins to seals and flame shells, Loch Sunart draws a select crowd of kayakers, divers, and picnickers to its forest fringed shores. This long, twisting sea loch sits on Scotland’s rugged west coast, tucked between the Ardnamurchan and Morvern peninsulas, just a splash across the water from the Isle of Mull.

The Glass Barn is a café, shop, and working farm all rolled into one. Sit under trailing grapevines with sunlight streaming through the glass roof (or rain pattering down), and tuck into soups, toasties, and cakes made with homegrown or local produce. Be sure to peek at the cheese dairy next door, where Isle of Mull’s famous cheddar is crafted.

Arriving at Sanna, with its distinctive white sand and turquoise waters, is not how you would imagine the typical North sea. However, this most westerly point in mainland Britain is as beautiful as it gets. With views across to the Isle of Rum and Eigg, see if you can spot a dolphin or two in the distance. 

Incredibly remote, and all the better for it, Borradill takes its name from a legendary Viking warrior. The House sleeps up to six with Scandinavian-Hebridean style, oak floors, huge windows, and a master bedroom that’s difficult to leave (wake to Loch Sunart, and the isles of Mull and Morvern). Tucked higher up the hill, the Cottage sleeps four and has a wood-burning stove, monsoon shower, and a deck with more of those dreamy loch views. Outside, 25 acres of woodland (where some of Europe’s most intact tracts of Atlantic rainforest still sprawl), streams and ponds are full of owls, pine martens, eagles, wild blueberries, chanterelles, and secret forest camps for kids – or grown-ups who want to play, too.