Kaimes Hill

The walk up Kaimes Hill from Newbridge is short, steep, and genuinely rewarding. You're looking at maybe twenty minutes of proper climbing through scrubby woodland before you break out onto the summit, where Edinburgh spreads across the horizon like someone's spilled a city across the Lowlands. It's not a dramatic peak - we're talking around 300 metres - but the views justify the leg work.

On a clear day, you can pick out the Castle, Arthur's Seat, and the Pentland Hills rolling away to the southwest. On a murky one, you get what amounts to a very pleasant woodland stomp with decent vistas at the top. Either way, it's the sort of walk that takes an hour total and leaves you feeling like you've actually done something.

Families with kids who can handle a bit of scramble will manage fine here. It's not a pushchair job and it's steep enough to make younger walkers work for it, but nothing technical. History buffs might appreciate that you're looking out over ground thick with Scottish heritage, though the hill itself doesn't come with plaques or interpretation.

Linwater Caravan Park sits just 2.5 miles away and makes a logical base for this sort of exploring - pop out for an hour, bag the summit, back for lunch. The walk is free, open year-round, and best tackled when the ground isn't waterlogged. Winter's fine if you've got decent boots.