Back Pasture Hill

The walk up Back Pasture Hill, a modest peak near Skipton, rewards you with proper Dales views without requiring fell-runner fitness. It's the sort of hill that looks unremarkable from the road but opens up once you're on it, revealing rolling moorland and limestone country stretching towards the Wharfe Valley.

You're looking at roughly an hour's steady walk from the village of Appletreewick, maybe ninety minutes if you faff about with photos. The paths are well-trodden and the climb is manageable for families with older kids, though it's not pushchair terrain. On a clear day you can pick out Pen-y-ghent in the distance. The summit itself is a bit anticlimactic - a cairn on open moorland, nothing dramatic - but that's precisely why it works. No crowds, no gift shop, no nonsense.

Historians will appreciate the Bronze Age barrows scattered across the ridge. Walkers treating it as a leg-stretcher between Skipton and Grassington will find it does the job nicely. If you're staying at Wood Nook Caravan Park or Wharfedale Motorhome Club Campsite, both within five miles, this makes a perfect half-day outing that doesn't require booking or planning.

Go early or late to avoid the school groups. Weather matters here - in drizzle, it's just a muddy plod. But on a proper Yorkshire morning with clear skies, it's worth the drive out.