Scolty Hill

The walk up Scolty Hill takes about 45 minutes from the car park near Banchory, and it's genuinely one of those climbs that rewards the effort without punishing your knees on the way down. You're looking at roughly 300 metres of ascent through mixed woodland, then open moorland as you get higher - the path is well-trodden and manageable for anyone with reasonable fitness. At the top sits a granite cairn and a trig point, both excellent for photos, though the real payoff is the view across Deeside towards Braemar and the Cairngorms beyond. On a clear day, it's proper impressive.

Walkers will love this one. It's not a slog, not a scramble, just a straightforward hill that gives you something real to show for your effort. Families with older kids manage it fine, though the under-tens might find the final push tedious. History types get less here - it's more about the landscape than any specific story, though the cairn itself is ancient.

The climb is free, naturally, and you can do it in a couple of hours start to finish if you're not dawdling for views. Go in decent weather; in mist or drizzle it's just a damp trudge through trees. If you're based at Banchory Lodge Caravan Park or Feughside just down the road, it makes a perfect morning outing before lunch. Combine it with a walk along the River Dee itself for a proper day out - you'll use the time well.