Great Hill

The walk up Great Hill from Biggar isn't long, but it's steep enough that you'll feel it in your legs. The reward is a proper panoramic view across the Scottish Lowlands - on a clear day you can see for miles, which makes the twenty-minute slog worthwhile. It's a moorland peak rather than anything dramatic, but that's partly the appeal. No crowds, no visitor centre, just open hillside and genuine quiet.

Families with reasonably fit kids will manage it fine. Older children who enjoy rambling will appreciate the views more than toddlers will, if I'm honest. The path is straightforward enough that you won't need navigation skills, though waterproofs are a sensible idea - this is Scotland, after all. Allow an hour return trip if you're taking it easy.

What works well is combining this with Mount View Caravan Park just five miles away. Use it as a half-morning walk before heading back for lunch, or tackle it on an afternoon when the light's better for photographs. It fits naturally into a broader Lowlands park holiday - close enough to Biggar for supplies and a café, but far enough from the town itself that you feel properly away from things.

There's no admission charge and no facilities at the top, so bring water. Best visited between spring and autumn when the weather's more cooperative, though winter walkers won't find it particularly challenging either. It's the kind of place you come for the walk itself rather than a destination attraction, which is exactly why it works.