The Wicklow Mountains are where I first fell in love with the outdoors. When I was six, my dad decided it would be a brilliant idea for our family of three to spend two weeks walking along the Irish c

3 6.3km/3.9 miles/3-4 hours Ascent 760m/2493ft

White waterfalls, friendly cafés, forest trails, a secret castle and the shifting light on Loch Tay are just some of the reasons to visit the Scottish village of Killin. It is also an easy drive from

2 10.8km / 6.7 miles / 8-9 hours Ascent 1224m/4016ft

JB Smith goes searching for solitude in the forested folds of the Rhinogs – and finds himself falling under the spell of Eryri/Snowdonia’s quieter side

We arrive at the top of High Cup Nick in the North Pennines. “It’s like the world starts just over there,” comments my friend Mark. He’s pointing down the U-shaped chasm of High Cup Gill, beyond whose