Hill of Dun

The walk up Hill of Dun rewards you with views across the Clyde Valley that make the climb worthwhile, especially on a clear day when you can see right across to the Campsies. It's a proper little peak - nothing mountaineering about it, but steep enough to get the heart going if you're not used to hills. The summit itself is fairly modest, a grassy outcrop rather than dramatic rock formations, but that's rather the point. You're not here for theatrical scenery; you're here for the genuine Highland edge that creeps up on the lowlands around Glasgow.

Walkers will find this a solid morning outing, doable in under two hours from Glasgow city centre. The approach is straightforward enough, though it does get boggy after rain - decent boots aren't optional. There's nothing fancy at the top - no café, no visitor centre - which keeps the place refreshingly free of crowds. You get what you came for: air, effort, and a landscape that reminds you why people live in Scotland despite the weather.

If you're based at Loch Lomond Retreat or Lomond Woods Holiday Park just down the road, Hill of Dun makes a cracking half-day walk without requiring a full expedition. It's the sort of thing that fills a gap between lazy mornings and bigger hill days elsewhere. Families with older kids who can manage slopes will enjoy it; younger ones might find the trudge tedious. Free to visit, open year-round - though winter can make it slippery, so spring through early autumn is the obvious choice.