Perthshire

Perthshire is the reliable option. It doesn't have the drama of Glen Coe or the romance of Skye, but it has excellent hill walking, good infrastructure, and a range of terrain that works for every ability level. The main hill areas — Glen Lyon, Lawers, Schiehallion, Glen Shee, Beinn a' Ghlo, the hills above Pitlochry — are all within easy reach of the A9 and the Highland Main Line. You can be on a Munro summit by 10am from Edinburgh if you catch the first train to Pitlochry.

Glen Lyon is the longest glen in Scotland and arguably the most beautiful. The road from Fortingall to Bridge of Balgie and beyond runs for 40km through farmland and pine forest before the upper glen narrows between Munros. Ben Lawers (1,214m) above the south shore of Loch Tay is one of the most botanically rich mountains in Scotland — the limestone-influenced soil produces an alpine flora that doesn't exist elsewhere in the Highlands, and the National Trust for Scotland has a visitor centre on the nature reserve. The Munros on the Lawers group give a long ridge walk with superb views to Ben Nevis and the Cairngorms.

Pitlochry is the main base and it knows it — hotels, restaurants, gear shops, the Atholl Arms, and a year-round whisky presence from the nearby distilleries at Edradour and Blair Athol. The Festival Theatre runs from May to October. The town is pleasant rather than exceptional, but it works as a hub for the hills north and south of the A9.