Whitehill

The walk up Whitehill rewards you with a proper panorama across Aberdeenshire. It's not the highest hill you'll climb, but the ridge path is straightforward enough that you won't spend hours hunting for the route. Most people manage the ascent in under an hour from the carpark near Tillyfourie, leaving plenty of daylight for the views across the Dee valley and out towards the Cairngorms on a clear day.

This is a solid outing for families with walkers aged eight or so upwards - nothing too technical, but enough elevation to feel like you've earned the summit. The path itself is well-trodden and rarely muddy, even after rain. Views are genuinely good rather than breathtaking; on a hazy afternoon you might feel a bit shortchanged, but catch it when the air is sharp and you'll spot landmarks for miles.

There's no visitor centre or facilities at the top - just the cairn and the landscape. Bring a map, sensible boots, and weather-appropriate kit. Winter can turn this into a different proposition entirely, so stick to the warmer months unless you know what you're doing.

If you're basing yourself at Haughton Holiday Park just five miles away, Whitehill makes a cracking half-day excursion that breaks up a quieter week. It's the kind of hill that doesn't announce itself loudly, but folk who walk it tend to come back.