Ord More

The walk up Ord More from Banchory takes about two hours, and honestly, it's a proper slog on the legs. The peak itself sits at 1,157 metres and rewards you with views across the Cairngorms that stretch for miles on a clear day - but you'll need clear weather for this one to be worth the effort. Most of the climb is through rough moorland with not much shelter, so come prepared for wind and sudden mist. The route starts from near Banchory and follows a path that gets fainter the higher you go, which means decent navigation skills are essential. On a grey day it's bleak and unrewarding; on a sunny day it's genuinely worth the slog. Walkers with hill experience will find it manageable but unspectacular compared to other Cairngorms routes. Families with young kids won't enjoy this - it's exposed, there's nothing much to see until you reach the summit, and the descent is tough on little knees. Allow a solid half-day and bring proper waterproofs. If you're basing yourself at one of the caravan parks nearby - Aboyne Loch or Banchory Lodge are both excellent - Ord More works as a moderate hill walk that gives you a real sense of the Scottish Highlands without the technical difficulty of higher peaks. It's worth doing once, but it's not the walk you'll rave about afterwards.