Tannock Hill

The walk up Tannock Hill from Dumfries is straightforward and takes about an hour, depending on your pace and how often you stop to look back at the town. It's not high - barely 300 metres - but it's a proper little viewpoint, and on a clear day you can see across the Solway Firth into England. The summit itself is modest, just open moorland with a cairn, but the vistas are what draw you here.

This is walker territory rather than a destination for the car park-based tourist crowd. Families with older kids will manage it fine; little ones might struggle with the climb. The route isn't particularly dramatic or challenging, so don't expect Lakeland drama. What you get instead is a gentle Scottish Lowland ramble with genuine reward at the top.

Go early or midweek if you can - weekends bring a fair number of locals from Dumfries. The light matters here too. Late afternoon when the sun's lower tends to be best for photography. Allow two hours all in, including time at the top to settle in.

If you're camped at Criffel View or Landis Farm (both essentially on Dumfries's doorstep), this is an easy morning outing before heading elsewhere. It pairs well with visiting Caerlaverock Castle, which sits about five miles south - you could do both in a day without rushing. The walk itself costs nothing; parking's rough verge territory rather than formal facilities.