Portnellan

The quiet creak of a chalet door opening onto Loch Fyne, the slap of water against the pier, the smell of salt and seaweed drifting up from the shore below.

This is one for couples after a proper retreat and families wanting four walls and proper beds without losing that waterside escape feeling. The chalets and pods sit right on the Argyll coast — this is Cowal Peninsula country, all sea lochs and forest tracks, where you're more likely to spot an otter than another camper. With WiFi onsite, you can stay connected if you need to, but the view does most of the persuading to switch off. Dog owners should ask ahead about bringing their hound along.

Expect timber lodges with a bit more comfort than canvas, the kind of place where you boil the kettle looking out at the loch. Check the campfire policy when you arrive if you're planning to sit out after dark with something crackling. It's quiet here, properly so — the kind of spot where the loudest thing all evening might be a heron lifting off the water.