Lusylaw Wood

The woodland around Lusylaw, just inland from Banff, is proper good walking territory if you know where to go. This isn't a manicured visitor attraction with signboards and a gift shop - it's genuine forest where locals take their dogs and where the smell of pine actually means something. The terrain is mixed, with open glades breaking up the conifers, and on a clear day you get decent views north towards the coast.

It works best for walkers who don't mind a bit of muddy underfoot and aren't after a dramatic summit or waterfall. Families will find enough space for the kids to run about without completely losing them, though the paths can be unclear in places so proper footwear matters. You're looking at forty minutes to an hour for a decent loop, depending on fitness.

What makes Lusylaw genuinely useful is its proximity to Banff itself - a proper working fishing town with actual character. If you're basing yourself at Portsoy Links Caravan Park five miles away, this wood is an easy morning outing before heading into town for lunch or to the coast. The Deveron River runs through this area too, so there's water interest even if the forest itself feels fairly standard for the northeast Highlands.

Go early in the day if possible. The car park situation isn't brilliant, and frankly it fills up fast at weekends. Autumn's decent here - the larch turns golden and the paths dry out a bit.