Craig Hill

The walk up Craig Hill from Muir of Alford takes around ninety minutes and rewards you with a proper vantage point across Aberdeenshire's rolling farmland. It's not particularly high - you're looking at 370 metres or so - but the climb is steady rather than brutal, and the views across the Don Valley make the effort worthwhile.

You'll find a well-maintained path most of the way, though it can get boggy after rain. The summit itself is marked clearly enough, and on a clear day you can see right across to the Cairngorms. It's the sort of walk that appeals to confident walkers and families with older kids rather than casual strollers - the terrain demands proper boots and an hour or so of decent graft.

Timing matters. Early morning gets you there before the midges arrive, and weekday visits mean you'll likely have the place to yourself. The whole outing, including a breather at the top, takes a couple of hours maximum.

If you're based at Haughton Holiday Park just down the road, this makes an excellent half-day excursion that justifies the drive into Aberdeenshire. The landscape up here feels genuinely wild despite being accessible - not the dramatic scenery you'd get further north, but proper Scottish countryside nonetheless. Worth doing once you're in the area.