Braw

This site sits just off the 73-mile-long Great Glen Way, which you can journey along by boat, foot or bike to Banavie (30-minute drive) – one of the nearest villages to mighty mountain Ben Nevis – or to Fort Augustus (20 minutes by car) sitting at the south west end of Loch Ness. Once you’re at the lake and have tired of looking out for the famed monster, take a boat trip or drop by the ruins of Urquhart Castle for a rather grand view. Another stately structure worth visiting is Invergarry Castle (15 minutes), while yet more spectacular bodies of water – like Loch Oich, also 15 minutes away – can easily be visited too. One of the best known sights near this park is Neptune’s Staircase locks (35 minutes), a popular place to watch the boats navigate through the smart system set up by 19th-century Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford. Also 35 minutes away is the Glen Roy National Nature Reserve if wilder activities are what you’re after – set off from here on hikes to the scenic Charles Darwin glacier.