Old Haws

The walk up Old Haws rewards you with proper views across Dumfries and Galloway - the kind of panorama that makes you understand why people actually live out here. It's not a dramatic peak, more of a working hill that locals use to clear their heads on a Sunday afternoon.

From the summit you get sight lines across rolling farmland, glimpses of Loch Ken away to the south, and on clear days enough distance to make the effort feel worthwhile. The walk itself takes roughly an hour to two hours depending on your pace and the boggy bits - there are boggy bits. Decent boots matter.

This suits walkers who want genuine landscape without the tourist infrastructure. You won't find a café or a visitor centre, which is either refreshing or disappointing depending on your view. Families with older kids will manage fine; the under-tens might find it a bit relentless without a summit building to explore.

Castle Douglas sits just a few miles away, so it's straightforward to combine this with a stay at Loch Ken Holiday Park if you're after a proper walking base. The loch itself has water sports and a decent tearoom, so you can pad out a day trip easily enough. Go in summer when the days stretch long - you want daylight to navigate the moorland properly, and the midges are at least slightly less aggressive higher up.