Collie Hill

The walk up Collie Hill from Tullochvenus is straightforward enough, though the weather can turn on you faster than you'd expect in Aberdeenshire. It's not a major peak - more of a solid local hill than a proper mountain - but that's rather the point. You get proper views across the Don Valley without needing to spend half the day clambering uphill. Most people manage the ascent in under an hour, leaving you time to actually stand around at the top and appreciate why you bothered in the first place.

The terrain is what you'd expect from the area: moorland that gets boggy if it's been wet, some bracken in summer, the occasional rocky outcrop to keep things interesting. On a clear day the visibility is genuinely good - you can pick out landmarks for miles. Come up here midweek in autumn and you might have the whole place to yourself, which beats fighting crowds on the more famous Cairngorms routes.

It works well as part of a broader walking holiday. Haughton Holiday Park sits just 5.6 miles away and Aboyne Loch Caravan Park is marginally further at 5.7 miles, both decent bases if you're planning several days of exploring the area. Neither involves technical scrambling or real exposure, so families with older kids will manage fine. Younger children might find it a bit dull on a grey day - there's not much at the summit beyond the view. Time it right though, and you've got a proper gem that doesn't require booking accommodation months ahead or arriving at dawn to find a parking space.