Craig Lochie

Craig Lochie rises above Pitlochry like a proper Highland sentinel - nothing fancy, just a straightforward hill walk that rewards you with views that frankly put some of the bigger peaks to shame. It's a relatively short ascent from the town itself, the kind of outing you can knock out in a couple of hours without needing your full fell-walking kit.

The walk suits families who've got confident young walkers, or anyone after a proper leg-stretch without committing to an all-day mountain expedition. Midges can be murder in summer, so dawn or blustery days are your friends here. The summit views sweep across Tay Valley and towards the Grampians - properly wild country when the light's right.

Pitlochry itself is the obvious base camp. It's rammed with tourists and has that twee Highland town vibe, but the advantage is infrastructure - decent cafes, a few hotels, and the train station if you're not driving. If you're camping through the area, Grandtully Station Campsite sits just down the road and offers decent access to this and better walks beyond. Pitilie Pods and the various caravan parks around Aberfeldy are all within reasonable striking distance too.

Go early in the day if possible. The path can get boggy lower down, and there's nothing here worth doing in poor visibility - you lose the whole point of the climb. It's not revolutionary, but it's a solid half-day adventure that slots neatly into a wider Perthshire trip.