East Walk Plantation

A sprawling Scots pine plantation that sits inland from Montrose, East Walk Plantation offers proper woodland walking without the heather-covered moorland fanfare of higher-altitude sites. It's dense forest - the kind where you lose phone signal and remember why people actually enjoy being outside.

The main appeal here is straightforward: if you want to walk among tall conifers without climbing, this delivers. The paths wind through established woodland, and on a clear day you can spot across the Aberdeenshire countryside. It's not dramatic - don't expect alpine views or windswept vistas. But for anyone basing themselves at somewhere like St Cyrus Holiday Park down the road, it's a solid afternoon detour.

Walking types will get the most from this. It's peaceful, which means you actually hear birdsong rather than other visitors. Families with young children might find an hour enough before the sameness of trees wears thin, though older kids who like building dens and spotting wildlife will happily spend half a day here.

The plantation doesn't demand much logistically - turn up, pick a path, walk. No visitor centre, no admission charge as far as anyone can tell, no faffing about with tickets. Allow two to three hours if you're not rushing. Winter's actually decent if the ground's dry, and you'll barely see another soul. Spring brings decent wildflowers along the verges.

Worth the drive from Montrose? Only if you've got time to kill or you're genuinely keen on conifer forests. Don't go expecting drama.