Thief's Hill

The walk up Thief's Hill from Keith takes about forty minutes if you're not stopping every five seconds for photos. Once you're up there - and it's a proper climb, mind you - you get views across Aberdeenshire that stretch for miles. On a clear day you can see right across the Highlands, which makes the huffing and puffing worthwhile.

The name itself is worth asking about locally. There's history attached to this hill, the kind of story that comes out over a dram in Keith pubs. Worth the detour if you're into walking and want something with a bit more character than a marked trail.

It's free to access and you can do it in an afternoon without much fuss. The climb suits anyone reasonably fit - nothing technical, just steep in places and muddy after rain. Families with older kids will manage fine; younger ones might struggle with the sustained gradient. Two hours maximum up and down, less if you're quick.

If you're staying at Cairnty Lodges nearby - those hot tubs look brilliant after a hill walk - or Hillhead Hideaways further out, this makes a proper addition to a Highlands break. It's the sort of thing that fills a gap between bigger attractions, gives you fresh air and actual exertion, and leaves you with a real sense of having walked somewhere rather than just ticked off a postcard view.