Catch the colours, see a cloud inversion, watch some wonderful wildlife or even enjoy the fireworks from a lofty vantage point - Hanna Lindon looks at five hill walks to make the most of the autumn.

Autumn needn’t be all mists, mud and mizzle. If you’re suffering from the first twinges of S.A.D then there’s no better cure than a cracking day in the hills - and these lofty walks are guaranteed to blow away the pre-winter blues.   

The famous Paps of Jura in autumn - spectacular views abound. Photo: Jamie Pharr / Shutterstock

Paps of Jura, Inner Hebrides

Best for: Wonderful wildlife

The triple-breasted Isle of Jura is hill walking heaven all year round - but mountain folk who reach those wild shores in autumn are in for a particular treat. Red deer outnumber people on Jura by more than 25 to one, and the rutting season is the best time to see these regal beasts at their most magnificent.

The track that meanders across to Inver and Cnocbreac from the car ferry on Jura’s western side joins a circular path that was originally made by stalkers. Follow in their footsteps for the chance to spot stags squaring up to one another amid the purple heather, then swing inland towards the distant Paps with the belligerent roars of red deer at rut still ringing in your ears.

At 785 metres, Beinn an Oir (‘Mountain of Gold’) is the only Corbett on Jura - but all three Paps offer mind-bending views over Loch Tarbett in the north and east over Kintyre towards Ben Lomond. This is a mammoth eight-hour return trek across feral terrain, so an early start is a must.   

A typical Lakeland autumnal forest scene. Photo: Stewart Smith / Shutterstock

Whinlatter Forest, Lake District

Best for: Autumn colours

Whinlatter is officially England’s only true mountain forest, and that makes it one of the top places in the country to admire trees kitted out in zingy autumnal colours from above. Start at the little hamlet of Thornthwaite just south of Bassenthwaite Lake and meander west along those wooded contours to climb the 552-metre peak of Lord’s Seat. You’ll be greeted on the summit with New England-style views, as chilly temperatures turn the trees of Whinlatter into glowing beacons of copper, rust and gold.

Fancy making a day of it? Continue heading west to scale the conifer-carpeted slopes of Kirk Fell, or cross Whinlatter Pass to conquer the lofty summit of Grisedale Pike on the south side of the forest.   

Lewes, South Downs

Best for: Gunpowder, treason and plot (and fireworks)

If you’re planning a ramble around Bonfire Night time then the Downs surrounding the castle-topped town of Lewes offer Britain’s ultimate vantage point. These rolling green hills swell up from the Ouse Valley - a bucolic backwater in the heart of the South Downs National Park, which just happens to host the biggest and most spectacular Guy Fawkes-focused knees-up in the country.

The main event takes place on November 5th, with thousands flocking to Lewes for a night of processions, fireworks and pagan-style larks. Forgo the frenetic atmosphere in the town itself and follow the River Ouse south. At Southease, head east to scale the side of Itford Hill, continuing on the South Downs Way to 217-metre Firle Beacon. Descend via the impossibly perfect village of Firle and loop back to Lewes over Mount Caburn, enjoying bird’s eye views of the firework displays from the golf course that teeters above the town.

If you’re otherwise engaged on the Fifth then the villages dotted around the Ouse celebrate Bonfire Night on different dates throughout autumn, so there are plenty of chances to catch some firework action.                

Hound Tor, Dartmoor

Best for: Seasonal spooks

As spine-tingling Halloween hikes go, it doesn’t get much spookier than Dartmoor’s Hound Tor. This lonely outcrop of weathered granite is so swathed in ghostly legend that it’s a wonder the living still dare to venture up there.

Brave the close-cropped moorland path that ascends from the B3387 and you might just run into the shade of a witch who reportedly lived in Forgate during the 18^th century and turned a local squire to stone. Other mythical spectral presences include a somber Cavalier and a vast black dog - some even say that the area inspired Arthur Conan’s Doyle’s ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’.

Explore the eerie remains of the 13^th-century village that squats on the slopes of the tor before continuing onwards towards the six-toed granite foot of Haytor Rocks. Combining the two tors makes for an airy eight-mile romp that’s guaranteed to lift your spirits - even if the spirits of the hill don’t put in an appearance.

A lone Hawthorn tree, with Ingleborough in the background. Photo: albinoni / Shutterstock

Ingleborough, Yorkshire Dales

Best for: Cloud inversions

Need another excuse to love autumn? All that misty moistness lends itself to one of the most spectacular natural phenomena known to hill walking man. Yes, the season of mellow fruitfulness is also the season of cloud inversions - and the tabletop Yorkshire mountain of Ingleborough makes an ideal vantage point.

To give yourself the best chance of spotting on inversion, pick a day when a northeasterly front combines with a high pressure system to create calm, cold conditions. Aim to reach Ingleborough’s summit just before dawn. Then it’s just a question of snuggling up in a cosy down jacket and waiting for sunrise.

Few people ever get to see a cloud inversion, so if you manage to catch the Yorkshire Dales morphed into a bubbling cauldron of cloud then you’ll join an elite group of favoured souls. Even without the transformative powers of this awe-inspiring phenomenon, though, the views from autumnal Ingleborough are something to write home about.

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