Cruach Ruadh

The walk up Cruach Ruadh from Campbeltown is a proper leg-burner, but you've got to give it credit - the views across the Mull of Kintyre and over to Arran make the effort worthwhile. It's not a mountain that commands immediate respect from the road, but once you're climbing, the landscape opens up dramatically. Most of the ascent is straightforward hill-walking rather than scrambling, though the upper sections can be boggy in wet weather, so decent boots matter.

You're looking at a good two to three hours there and back depending on fitness. The peak itself is broad and rounded - don't expect dramatic summit views, but the panorama of Kintyre spread out below you is genuinely striking, especially on clear days. It's the sort of walk that appeals to experienced hill-walkers and families with older kids who don't mind a steady slog. Younger children will likely find it dull after the novelty of the first ten minutes wears off.

If you're based at Carradale Bay Holiday Park - just under five miles north - this makes a proper day out without the need to drive far. Start early to beat the weather, which can roll in quickly around these parts. There's no charge for the walk itself, just parking near the start point, and the best going is April through October when the ground's drier. It's honest, unglamorous hill-walking rather than Instagram territory, but that's rather the point.