Bellybought Hill

The walk up Bellybought Hill takes about forty minutes from Thornhill, and once you're at the top you understand why locals bother. It's not a mountain - don't expect Alpine drama - but the view across Dumfries and Galloway spreads out properly from up here, rolling farmland and distant hills doing their thing against the sky. On a clear day you can see properly far.

You'll find yourself among walkers mostly, the sort who know the Southern Uplands aren't about summiting for ego. Families with decent boots manage it fine; the path is straightforward enough, though the last stretch does pitch up a bit. Allow an hour and a half there and back if you're not rushing, which you shouldn't.

The real appeal is the walk itself rather than some dramatic payoff at the summit. Dumfries and Galloway rewards this kind of low-key exploring - you're moving through proper working landscape, not theme-park countryside. It's the sort of outing that makes sense when you're based at Penpont Holiday Park nearby, a gentle afternoon that fills the time between breakfast and dinner without demanding much planning.

Go in autumn if you can. The light's different then, and you won't be battling with school holidays crowds. Spring works too, though Scottish weather being Scottish weather, it could go either way weather-wise. Free to visit, naturally - it's a hill.