Tralee Beach

Tralee Beach curves round the head of Ardmucknish Bay just outside Benderloch, a 15-minute drive north of Oban over the Connel Bridge. It's the better family beach in the area by a distance. The bay faces west towards Lismore and the hills of Morvern and Mull, the water shelves gently over a shallow shelf, and the whole sweep is well protected from the open sea, so it stays usable on days when more exposed stretches of coast are getting battered. The character changes along its length. There's shingle and seaweed at the Benderloch end, then it improves as you go, finishing in sand and a run of dunes at the western end near South Shian.

Getting on it is simple enough. A signposted footpath leads from Benderloch village, where there's a car park, and a second car park sits at the west end of the beach off the South Shian road. The Tralee Bay holiday park occupies the woodland directly behind, which brings one large practical advantage for day visitors: its chip shop, Tralee Bay Fish and Chips, has won awards and does a roaring trade in summer. There's a slipway there for launching dinghies too, and the sheltered bay gets steady use from kayaks and paddleboards when the weather behaves. Benderloch itself, a short stroll away, has Campbells village shop and the Ben Lora Café, whose home baking has a following well beyond the village.

For a leg stretch beyond the sand, Beinn Lora rises directly behind Benderloch, a 308-metre hill with waymarked forestry paths to a viewpoint taking in the whole bay, Lismore and the mouth of Loch Etive. An hour and a half up and down, give or take. Sunsets from the beach itself are the other thing people come for, the light dropping behind Morvern with the bay flat calm in front. Bring the chips down for that bit.