Hill Rig

The walk up Hill Rig from Lanark isn't long, but it's steep enough to make your legs remember it. You're rewarded with proper views across the Lowlands - nothing dramatic, but the kind of rolling landscape that makes you understand why people settle in these parts rather than rush through them.

It's a peaky sort of hill, the sort where you reach the top and think "well, that's done" in about 45 minutes. The path is well-trodden but boggy in places, so decent boots matter. On a clear day you can pick out Tinto and other peaks to the south. Misty days are less kind, but oddly atmospheric.

Walkers will get the most from this one. It's not tough enough to be properly exhilarating, but it's exactly the right length for a morning sortie if you're based near Lanark. Kids won't find it tedious - they'll be at the summit before they've time to complain. The views aren't cinema-screen spectacular, just honest and open.

Free to access, obviously. Allow an hour and a half if you're not moving at pace. Best in late spring or early autumn when the boggy bits aren't absolutely sodden and the midges have either arrived or cleared off.

If you're staying at Ecosse Glamping a few miles away, this makes a sensible morning walk before heading elsewhere in South Lanarkshire. Not a reason to visit Lanark on its own, but a solid addition to a weekend that includes the falls and the town itself.