Meall Meadhonach

The walk up Meall Meadhonach rewards you with some of the most unobstructed views across the north coast of Scotland. It's not a dramatic peak - 603 metres hardly qualifies as mountaineering - but what it lacks in elevation it makes up for in breadth. On a clear day you're looking out toward Cape Wrath and the Atlantic beyond, with nothing between you and the horizon but moorland and the occasional eagle.

Durness sits just a few miles south, making this a natural afternoon sortie if you're staying in the area. The walk itself is fairly straightforward: rough ground but no scrambling required, taking roughly two hours up and down at an easy pace. The real test is the weather - these northern slopes catch whatever the Atlantic throws at them, so go when the wind isn't trying to knock you sideways.

It's the kind of walk that appeals to keen hill walkers more than casual ramblers. Young kids might find it a slog without much payoff at the summit - there's no café, no trig point, just space and silence. But if you're the sort who travels with boots already packed, this is absolutely worth the trip. Sango Sands Oasis, just three miles away, provides comfortable accommodation and sits near enough to make an early start painless. Visit between May and September when the weather's least likely to ruin your plans. The path can be boggy year-round, so proper boots aren't optional.