Stob Coire nam Beith

The walk up Stob Coire nam Beith demands proper respect - it's a serious hill with nearly 3,000 feet of climbing, and the Scottish weather can turn on you in minutes. But from the summit, you're rewarded with views across Glen Coe that'll make you forget how much your legs ache. The peak sits in the Mamores range, east of Ballachulish, and it's one of those mountains that looks deceptively manageable from the car park until you're halfway up and realizing what you've signed up for.

This is very much a walkers' mountain, not a tourist stroll. You'll need proper boots, a map, and ideally decent visibility - on a grey day it becomes frustrating rather than exhilarating. Allow five to seven hours for the round trip, depending on fitness. The route climbs steeply through woodland before opening onto moorland, and the final push to the cairn is genuinely steep. Families with young kids or casual hikers will find this tough going; experienced hill walkers will rate it highly.

Timing matters. Summer gives you the longest daylight and most stable weather, though midges can be relentless. Winter transforms it into a proper mountaineering objective with snow and ice considerations. Free to do, obviously - it's a Scottish mountain - but you'll want a good guidebook or navigation app. If you're based at Red Squirrel Campsite or Invercoe, both within spitting distance of Ballachulish, this makes an excellent day's objective as part of a wider Highlands trip.