Creag Beithe Mhor

The walk up Creag Beithe Mhor rewards you with views across the Cairngorms that make the climb entirely worthwhile. It's not a monster peak - roughly 650 metres - but the approach from Grantown-on-Spey is proper moorland walking, open and exposed with that particular Scottish Highland light that changes everything depending on the weather.

Expect to be out for two to three hours, depending on your fitness and how often you stop to stare at the view. The terrain is typical of this area: heather, bog in places, and rocky sections that keep you alert rather than bored. On a clear day you're scanning across to Ben Rinnes and the wider Cairngorms landscape. On a grey one, you're mostly focused on not turning your ankle.

This is walker's territory, not a family outing with young kids, though reasonably fit teenagers would manage it. History types will appreciate that you're moving through land shaped by centuries of highland life - sheep farming, stalking, the whole apparatus of Scottish rural heritage - but the peak itself isn't marked by any major structures or remains.

Free to access. Start early if you can, particularly in winter when the light goes quickly. Grantown-on-Spey Caravan Park sits just 1.6 miles away, making this a natural choice if you're based there for a week. It slots well into a broader Cairngorms walking holiday rather than standing alone as a destination - part of the appeal of the whole region, really.