Craigendinnie

The walk up Craigendinnie is a proper leg-stretcher, but nothing you can't manage in an afternoon from Aboyne. It's a modest Aberdeenshire hill that rewards you with solid views across the Dee Valley and, on a clear day, toward the broader Highlands. Most people tackle it in under two hours return, which means it fits well alongside other activities without eating your whole day.

This is walker territory, plain and simple. Families with reasonably fit kids will get on fine, but it's not a casual stroll - the climb is steady and the terrain can be boggy in wet weather. The view from the top justifies the effort though. Looking east towards Aboyne and west into the Grampians, you get a genuine sense of why people choose to base themselves in this part of Aberdeenshire.

If you're staying at Aboyne Loch Caravan Park or Firbank Park, both cracking spots just a few miles away, Craigendinnie works as a decent morning walk before you do something else - a pub lunch in Aboyne itself, perhaps, or a drive further into Deeside. It's the kind of hill that locals know and weekend walkers stumble upon. Not flashy, but solid. The access is straightforward and free, which is always a bonus.