Cow hill, highland

Runners-up rarely get the attention they deserve, but two days on Britain’s second-highest peak BEN MACDUI will show you why this is the king of the Scottish hills.

Jim Perrin remembers the giant of Mull, an elegant outlier leaning seaward

BEN HOPE’S status as the most northern Munro on the British Isles is an irresistible draw. It’s a long way to go, true, but this scramble to its summit more than makes up for the effort spent getting there.

From invisible hills to a mountain that might make you mad...

■ Distance: 5½ miles/8.5km ■ Time: 6-7hours ■Grade: ...

DOUBLE MUNRO SCRAMBLE