Highland is the largest council area in Britain and holds most of Scotland’s best-known mountain scenery, from Ben Nevis to the sea cliffs of the north coast. Walking ranges from short strolls beside a river or loch to full days on remote Munros.

Fort William, Glen Coe and the west. Ben Nevis, at 1,345 metres, is the highest mountain in Britain, and Glen Nevis and Glen Coe have walks of all kinds, from waterfall trails to mountain ridges. The West Highland Way finishes at Fort William, and the Great Glen Way runs for around 79 miles north-east to Inverness.

Skye and the north-west. Portree is the base for the Old Man of Storr and the Trotternish ridge on Skye, while the north-west coast has the mountains of Assynt and Torridon, and Sandwood Bay is reached by a long walk from Blairmore.

The east and the Cairngorms. Aviemore, Kingussie and Grantown-on-Spey sit on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park, with forest and loch walks, and Inverness and the Black Isle give lower-level woodland and coastal routes. The John O’Groats Trail runs from Inverness to the far north-east tip of the mainland.

Highland weather and navigation are serious matters, and many routes are remote, so carry a map and compass, plenty of food and warm layers, and tell someone where you are going.