Meikle Carewe Hill

The walk up Meikle Carewe Hill from Cookney is proper straightforward but gives you far more reward than the modest height suggests. It's not a long haul - most people manage it in under two hours - but the views across Aberdeenshire from the top are genuinely worth the leg work, particularly on a clear day when you can pick out the Grampians in the distance.

This is walkers' territory. You won't find facilities or crowds; it's just you, the countryside, and the wind that tends to pick up at height. The path is well-defined enough if you know where you're going, though it's worth checking local advice in Cookney before you set off. Spring and early summer are the best times - fewer midges, better light, and the ground isn't boggy. Allow a good three hours if you're a family group with younger legs, or two hours if you're properly fit.

What works best is combining it with a stay at Stonehaven Queen Elizabeth Park or Deeside Holiday Park, both within spitting distance. Meikle Carewe slots perfectly into a longer ramble around Aberdeenshire - you could easily link it with other local peaks or make it a morning's work before heading down to Stonehaven's coast for lunch. It's not dramatic or technical, just a solid, satisfying hill walk that reminds you why Scotland's northeast gets overlooked by folk chasing Ben Nevis.