Butt Hill

The walk up Butt Hill from Sanquhar takes about forty minutes if you're moving at a decent pace, and the effort pays off with proper views across the Lowlands. It's not a serious mountain - more of a high hill really - but that's precisely why it works as a quick detour if you're staying in the area. The summit gives you sight lines towards the Southern Uplands, and on a clear day you can pick out valleys and moorland stretching away in all directions.

This is walker territory, not a tourist attraction with facilities or visitor centres. Bring decent boots because the ground gets boggy in places, and allow a bit longer if you're not accustomed to Scottish hill walking. The reward is solitude and that satisfying feeling of having earned the view rather than simply driven to a car park.

If you're based at Sunnyside Lodges just outside Sanquhar, Butt Hill makes a morning activity before heading elsewhere. It won't consume your day - you could tackle it and still have the afternoon free for exploring the broader Dumfries & Galloway region. Families with older children will manage it fine; very young ones might find the ascent tedious. History buffs won't find much up top, but the walk itself through rural Lowland landscape has a particular appeal if you're interested in seeing how the region actually sits in the terrain. Weather matters here - I'd avoid it in mist when the views become irrelevant.