Sleep in a bothy

A place: Scotland

The grid reference sits in pencil on a paper map, six digits leading to a stone hut with no chimney smoke. Scotland hides close to a hundred of these bothies, plus a few in Wales and northern England. No electricity. No signal. Water from the burn, if there's one nearby. Inside, the visitors' book has warped with damp — pages recording a three-day storm, and a warning about poachers scrawled beside a paperback torn out for kindling. You sleep in your coat and leave before anyone else arrives.

Cost: Free
Best time: Late spring to early autumn; winter needs hillwalking experience
Difficulty: Moderate
Time it takes: One overnight stay, plus a 2–6 hour walk in and out
What people get wrong: People assume a bothy will be empty or that the roof and fire will simply work; bring full insulation, food, and a backup plan, and check the Mountain Bothies Association's website first, since some bothies are closed for repair or asked to be kept off maps. Leaving rubbish or burning furniture for firewood are the two most common complaints in the log books.
With: Alone

Also this

Camp overnight on an uninhabited island

The shingle landing has no jetty to tie up to, so the boatman noses the bow onto stones and you jump ashore.

Best time:Late spring to early autumn, when seas are calmer and days are long

Walk the West Highland Way

By day three your feet have opinions of their own, and by day five you stop caring what you look like arriving at the pub in wet gaiters.

Best time:May to September, before autumn rain and after the worst of winter closures

Climb Ben Nevis in a day

You start talking somewhere around the halfway lochan and stop within the hour, saving breath for the switchbacks.

Best time:Late spring to early autumn, when snow and ice are less likely

Bag a Munro before breakfast

The layby at Glen Nevis holds one car at 5am, and it's yours.

Best time:May–September, when conditions are most reliable

Paddle through water that glows with every stroke

The water at the dock is black, and the guide dips a paddle in first, watching for the glow before anyone launches.

Best time:Moonless nights, any time of year