Cowden Hill

The walk up Cowden Hill takes about forty minutes from the car park, and on a clear day it's genuinely worth the effort. You're rewarded with views across Kinross-shire and the Ochil Hills beyond - nothing dramatic, but proper satisfying when you've earned it on foot.

It's a straightforward ascent through farmland and moorland, well-trodden enough that you won't need a map. The height is only 522 metres, so it's manageable for most walkers, though the path gets steeper towards the summit and can be muddy after rain. Allow two hours there and back if you're not rushing, maybe longer if you're bringing children who want to explore.

Families with older kids will find this an honest little peak-bagging experience without requiring fell-walking experience. Younger children might lose interest halfway up, if I'm honest. Walkers keen on Perthshire hilltop routes will slot this in as a decent mid-week outing, though it doesn't have the drama of some of its bigger neighbours in the range.

There's no café at the top - just grass and views - so pack a flask. Being free and accessible from Kinross, it works brilliantly as a morning walk before heading to one of the caravan parks in the area. Meadow View and Fossoway both sit within five or six miles, making Cowden Hill a natural add-on to a park-based holiday rather than a destination in itself.