Mount Stuart

The walk up Mount Stuart from Sanquhar is a proper leg-burner, but the views across Dumfries & Galloway from the top make it absolutely worth the graft. You're looking at moorland stretching in all directions - that soft, rolling Southern Scotland landscape that doesn't get the hype of the Highlands but absolutely should.

It's a straightforward hill walk rather than a technical climb. Give yourself a good three hours return if you're not rushed, longer if the weather's decent and you want to sit about. The path is clear enough, though it can be boggy after rain - proper Scottish hill walking, in other words. No cafe at the summit, no facilities to speak of, so pack water and something to eat.

This works brilliantly if you're staying at Sunnyside Lodges, only four miles away. It's the sort of outing that suits anyone who actually enjoys walking rather than just the idea of it. Kids over about ten will manage fine; younger ones might find it a slog. History types won't find much up there besides the landscape itself, but walkers and photographers will be grinning the whole way.

Best on a clear day when visibility stretches for miles. Avoid the midge season if you can help it. Free to walk, obviously - this is Scotland. The nearest proper town for supplies is Sanquhar itself, which is small but functional. Not Instagram-famous, but genuinely rewarding.