In the north of the Cairngorms National Park is the Crown Estate of Glenlivet and the small village of Tomintoul, the highest village in the Scottish Highlands.

A Crown Estate is land is owned by the sovereign, who until the reign of George III received all its rent and profits. Nowadays any profit the estate makes goes to the government.

Glenlivet is located in the shadow of the hills of Cromdale in the west and the Ladder hills in the east, and you will find some truly wonderful walks here, from high hill trails to short woodland strolls.

The area is simply stunning and it offers a mixture of well-maintained farmland, major forest plantations and mountain moors - what stands out is just how well the estate maintains its way-marked walks. There are lots of well- placed sign posts, notice boards with maps and - unique for this area - a large number of conveniently named car parks at the start of most of the numbered walks.

One note of caution: most of the walks are on arable farmland, so letting your dog off the lead is not a good idea, unless you have full control of it.