Stob an Fhuarain

This peak sits just above Ballachulish in the southern Highlands, offering a genuinely rewarding climb without requiring specialist kit or a full day's commitment. The ascent takes roughly two hours depending on fitness, and the path is well-trodden enough to follow without faffing about with a map, though you'll want decent boots - it gets boggy lower down.

What makes it worth the effort is the view once you're up there. You get proper vistas across Loch Leven towards the Pap of Glencoe, and on a clear day the perspective across the valley is genuinely good. It's not a walk for the utterly unprepared - there's a genuine climb involved and the terrain is rough - but it's far from technical.

Walkers and fell-baggers will appreciate the relatively quick return on effort, though families with young kids might find the boggy bits tiresome. It's the sort of hill that rewards an early start; come midday in summer and you'll be sharing the path with half the Highlands.

If you're based at Red Squirrel Campsite or Invercoe, both within five minutes' drive, Stob an Fhuarain makes a solid morning outing before you settle in elsewhere. You can knock it off before breakfast becomes a distant memory and still have the afternoon free. Fair-weather walkers should skip it after rain - the descent becomes properly slippery. Spring or autumn are your best bets for dry conditions without the midges that plague summer.