Beinn Maol Chaluim

The walk up Beinn Maol Chaluim from Ballachulish is proper straightforward as Highland peaks go, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's a doddle. You're looking at decent views across Loch Leven and the surrounding glens, with the kind of air quality that makes your lungs feel like they've had a proper clean.

It's a hill that rewards effort without demanding a masochistic level of fitness. The route from the village is well-trodden enough that you won't spend all day route-finding, but steep enough in places to get your heart rate up. Most people allow around three to four hours for the round trip, depending on fitness and how many times you stop to catch your breath and admire the view.

Walkers should come here. Not family groups hoping for an easy afternoon ramble - this isn't a wheeled pushchair situation. But anyone who actually enjoys getting up a mountain without needing ropes and ice axes will get proper value from it. The peak itself isn't the prettiest, but the Loch Leven panorama on a clear day justifies the effort.

If you're camping at Red Squirrel or Invercoe, Beinn Maol Chaluim is a superb afternoon mission - close enough for a single-day outing, far enough that you feel like you've actually achieved something. Go in decent weather. Fog turns this into a very different proposition altogether.