Area focus: Luss, Loch Lomond

It follows the Scary Faerie Trail from 9.30am to 4.30pm, suited to younger children who can meet faeries, trolls and animals, with dogs welcome also.

For such an enchanting experience, there is no place better than Luss, which is known by many as Scotland’s prettiest village and situated on the west banks of Loch Lomond in Argyll and Bute.

Its outstanding beauty is evident upon arrival – having wound along the A82 on the water’s edge from Tarbet, ten miles north, or Balloch, nine miles south, glimpses of the loch splinter through leafy trees nestled below the Luss Hills.

Such views will be familiar to fans of ITV’s soap opera Take the High Road which was filmed there.

It is a conservation area of traditional stone dwellings built in the early-1800s to house slate quarriers supplying tiles for the roofs of tenements in Glasgow.

It is understood there have been settlements in the Luss area since medieval times, with Irish missionary St Kessog bringing Christianity to the loch shores about 1,500 years ago.

There are various theories as to the origins of the village’s name, with some claiming the original title was Clachan dhu, or “Dark Village” in Gaelic, before St Kessog was martyred and embalmed with

herbs, providing the new name of Luss meaning “herb”.

Others state a local girl married a French officer in the 1300s but was returned and buried here when her husband laid Fleur de Lys, or irises, on her grave which then took root.

Whatever the truth, one thing that is certain is Luss’ popularity among visitors from far and wide as well as those closer to home.

In fact, the village’s Pier Road was named in the top ten of a survey to find the most Instagrammable streets in the UK. As its name suggests, the thoroughfare runs east-west to Luss Pier, which has spectacular panoramas across Loch Lomond to Ben Lomond.

There are about 20 B-listed traditional sandstone cottages there, which are valued at an average of £163,790, although the price tag can reach beyond £300,000 for a three-bedroom property, according to Zoopla.

The real estate portal suggests that demand for a home in Luss is increasing, with properties there valued on average at £329,815, an increase of nearly 6 per cent in the last 12 months.

Another popular – and just as quaint – address is Church Road, with distinctively attractive whitewashed stone cottages, which loops past the Parish Church, built in 1875. Properties there are valued in roughly the same price bracket as Pier Road.

Murray Place, in the north of the village, features newer-built terraced homes that have most recently sold for an average of £168,000.

Luss has a primary school and the catchment secondary is Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh, a 20-minute drive south.

The close community boasts a Village Shop, Luss General Store and Highlands Art Studios.

Balloch is a short drive south, at the mouth of Loch Lomond, and has more amenities such as a Co-op, Costcutter and Mace, as well as a variety of restaurants and takeaways.

Helensburgh is the same distance and has further shops, as well as a rail line to Glasgow, with the train there taking about 45 minutes.

The centre of Glasgow is just a 50-minute drive away, and Stirling is not much further.

Luss is well placed for homebuyers hoping to relocate to a serene lochside setting among the prettiest properties Scotland has to offer.

Average market value of a property in the area (Source: Zoopla)

Detached £557,689

Semi-detached £176,928

Terrace £275,225

Flat £309,337