Roan Hill

The walk up Roan Hill takes about forty minutes from the car park, and it's proper straightforward - no scrambling required, just a steady climb through moorland with increasingly decent views across the Galloway Hills. From the summit at 1,036 metres you're looking out over Newton Stewart and the surrounding Dumfries and Galloway landscape, which on a clear day stretches all the way to the Solway Firth.

It's the sort of hill that rewards you without demanding too much. Not a slog, not trivial either. You'll see other walkers up here most weekends, and families with older kids manage it fine - younger ones might find the last bit tedious, but nothing worse than that. The ground's often boggy in patches, so proper boots aren't just sensible, they're essential.

Worth doing as part of a broader Galloway walking trip rather than as a standalone destination. Roan Hill pairs well with exploring the bigger hill country round about, and if you're based at Drumroamin Farm nearby, it's an easy morning out before heading elsewhere. Spring and early summer are best - the light's brilliant and you dodge most of the midges. Go too late in autumn and you're fighting grey skies and wet bracken.

Free to walk, naturally. Allow two hours up and down if you're not rushing, and bring water - there's nowt on the hill itself.