Hill of Bainshole

The walk up to Hill of Bainshole demands proper legs and decent shoes - it's a genuine climb rather than a gentle stroll, and you'll feel it in your thighs by the top. But that's rather the point. Once you've made the effort from Leslie, the views across Aberdeenshire open up properly, and on a clear day you can see why folk bothered walking up here for centuries.

It's not a tourist trap with facilities or marked trails in the traditional sense. You're looking at moorland, heather when it's in bloom, and the kind of Scottish Highland landscape that doesn't try to be anything other than what it is. Walkers will get genuine satisfaction from this one - it's a proper hill walk, not a celebrity Instagram spot. Families with younger children might find the ascent tedious without the payoff being dramatic enough to justify the effort.

Time it for late summer when the heather's out, and bring a windproof because it gets exposed up there. The climb takes a couple of hours depending on your fitness and route choice. No facilities at the summit, so sort yourself before you go.

If you're based at Huntly Castle Holiday Park six miles away, this makes a solid half-day excursion - close enough not to chew up precious holiday time driving, but far enough away to feel like proper countryside. Worth the walk if you're after genuine Highlands rather than genteel tourism.