The frustration of Ord Hill is that its dense cover of trees hid what I knew to be a fabulous view across the Moray Firth in one direction and snow-capped Ben Wyvis in another. At least as I climbed from a layby on the east side of the A9, the dual-carriageway vanished from view, although the constant drone of vehicles refused to fade, even when I was standing on the 191-metre summit. The finest viewpoint is undoubtedly from a spot on the south side of the hill on the edge of the tree line, from where I watched twilight fall over Inverness.