Solar System Walk on the Speyside Way

The Solar System Walk along the Speyside Way is a bonkers bit of Aberdeenshire that somehow works. You're walking a proper long-distance trail through the Scottish Highlands, and scattered along the route are scale models of the planets - starting with a tiny Mercury near Keith and stretching out across miles until you reach a Neptune the size of a football. It's the sort of thing that sounds daft in theory but actually gets you thinking about distances and scale in a way textbooks never quite manage.

Walkers and families with keen kids will get the most from this. You don't need to trek the entire 65-mile Speyside Way to enjoy it - pick a section and work out which planets you fancy visiting. The whole solar system runs from Keith down to Aviemore, so you can be selective. Free to access, naturally, since you're just walking past things on a public trail. Allow two to three hours if you're doing a decent stretch and actually want to read the information boards without rushing.

Timing matters. Summer's ideal for the light and the walks themselves. Winter? Fine if you're properly geared up, but you'll miss the detail on the smaller planets in the gloom.

If you're basing yourself at Hillside Havens near Keith, this is genuinely worth the leg work. Combines exercise with a bit of cosmic education without any of the pretension. The Speyside Way itself is lovely - distilleries, riverside sections, proper Highland scenery. The solar system just adds a slightly odd but oddly educational layer to the whole thing.