Blake Bank

The walk up Blake Bank near Hawes is straightforward but proper rewarding. It's a fell, not a mountain, so don't expect Alpine drama, but the view across Wensleydale when you reach the top makes the climb entirely worthwhile. The ascent itself takes around forty minutes from the village, climbing through open moorland with the path clearly marked most of the way.

What makes it work is the simplicity. No scrambling, no complicated navigation, just steady uphill walking that rewards you with panoramic views of the dale below and the surrounding peaks. On a clear day you can see right across the valley - it's the kind of vista that reminds you why the Pennines matter. The peak itself is modest in height but generous in perspective.

Families with older kids will find it manageable, though younger legs might struggle with the sustained gradient. Walkers will appreciate how accessible it is - you can do the out-and-back in roughly ninety minutes without rushing. History types won't find much here beyond the landscape itself, but that landscape tells its own story about moorland farming and Dales geography.

Stay at either Stablefell Holidays (just four miles away) or Hawes Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite, both excellent bases. Hawes itself is a proper working market town with cafes and shops, so you can fuel up before or after. The walk costs nothing and demands nothing except decent boots and reasonable weather.