Buckbarrow

The walk up Buckbarrow from Holmrook is proper Lake District fell terrain without the crowds of the bigger names. You're looking at a straightforward ascent through bracken and grass to just over 500 metres, with the real payoff being views across to Wastwater and the Scafell range when you reach the top. The paths are worn but manageable, and most people can knock this out in a couple of hours return if they're reasonably fit.

It's the sort of peak that works brilliantly for families wanting genuine fell-walking without the scrambling or exposure you'd get on higher routes. Kids will actually feel like mountaineers by the summit, especially if you push on to the cairn. The approach from Holmrook means you avoid the car park chaos that plagues the valley floor elsewhere.

Timing matters here - early morning or late afternoon clears out whatever footfall there is, and on a clear day the light across Wastwater is genuinely worth the graft. Weather can turn fast, as it does everywhere in the Lakes, so come prepared with proper kit rather than relying on the low altitude. You're not scrambling through rock and ice, but wind can be punchy at the top.

If you're camped at Fisherground just up the road, Buckbarrow makes a solid afternoon mission. It's not the sort of peak you'd come miles to climb in isolation, but as part of a Lakes break it's well worth the walk - far less visited than the tourist routes, with genuine mountain air without the mountaineer's headache.