Creag nam Bodach

The walk up Creag nam Bodach from Newtonmore is proper straightforward if you're after a peak without the commitment of a full Cairngorm slog. It's a relatively gentle climb for the Highlands - around 900 metres - and you'll bag a decent viewpoint without needing rock scrambling skills or six hours of your day.

The real appeal is the accessibility. Walkers of middling fitness find it manageable, which means you get actual views across the Monadhliath Mountains rather than clouds and your own heavy breathing. On a clear day there's proper range to it - you can see properly far across the glens. The path itself is well-used but doesn't feel overdone. It takes roughly an hour and a half up, maybe forty minutes down if you're keen.

Families with kids aged eight or so upwards will manage fine. Much younger and the distance becomes a bit of a drag. It's not a rock-hopping scramble, just relentless gradient through moorland and low scrub. Bring decent boots - it gets boggy lower down when wet.

If you're staying at Invernahavon Caravan Park just down the road, this makes a cracking morning or early afternoon outing. Newtonmore itself is a proper little highland town with shops and cafes for post-walk recovery. The summit won't take your breath away as a dramatic vista, but the walk itself is honest and the effort-to-reward ratio is genuinely good. Well worth the trip if you're in the area.