Fell Hill

The walk up Fell Hill from Dumfries is straightforward and rewarding if you're after a proper leg-stretcher without the scrambling. It's not high - 309 metres - but it rises steeply enough to feel like proper work, especially if you tackle it from the town centre rather than parking closer to the base.

You get views across the Lowlands that stretch for miles on a clear day. The Solway Firth appears in the distance, and you can pick out the Lake District hills beyond. The approach is moorland and grassland, nothing technical, though the ground can be boggy after rain so bring decent boots.

This is genuinely good for families with teenage kids or reasonably fit walkers who want an hour's graft without the drama of the higher peaks. The under-tens might find it a slog on the way up - there's not much to distract them. Allow roughly 90 minutes up and down at a steady pace.

It's free, naturally, and you can do it any time. Early morning when there's mist in the valley below is particularly atmospheric, though obviously visibility counts if you're relying on those views.

If you're staying at Brandedleys or one of the other caravan parks dotted around Dumfries, Fell Hill works well as a morning outing before heading out to explore the rest of Dumfries & Galloway. Close enough not to waste half a day travelling, far enough that you feel like you've actually got out into the countryside.