Camustane Hill

The walk up Camustane Hill rewards you with views across the Mearns that stretch for miles on a clear day. It's not a dramatic peak - you're looking at moorland and rolling farmland rather than jagged ridges - but that's rather the point. The climb takes about an hour from the car park near Forfar, and the path is well-trodden without being overcrowded.

This is proper hill-walking country, the kind of place where locals come to clear their heads rather than tick off a munro. The summit itself is modest, but the sense of space up there is genuine. On a grey day it feels wild and exposed. On a sunny afternoon, it's almost meditative.

Historywalking types might enjoy knowing this area sits on the edge of Aberdeenshire's ancient routes and settlements, though there's nothing dramatic to see once you're up there - it's the landscape that speaks.

Families with decent walkers (say, ages eight and up) will manage it fine, though there's not a massive payoff for the effort if your kids are hoping for a castle or a cafe at the top. Go for the fresh air and the quiet, not the destination itself.

If you're based at Greenhillock Glamping nearby, this makes a cracking half-day outing. The hill works best in spring or autumn when the weather's less temperamental. Allow two to three hours if you want to potter about at the top and soak in the views.