Buckden Pike

The walk up Buckden Pike from Buckden village takes the best part of two hours, and it's steep enough to make you feel it in your legs by the halfway point. But the effort pays off. You're looking at proper moorland views across Wharfedale and beyond - nothing fancy, just rolling hills, stone walls cutting through the landscape, and on a clear day the kind of light that makes you wish you'd brought a better camera.

It's a straightforward fell walk rather than a technical climb, so families with older kids (ten upwards) will manage fine if they're used to hills. Younger ones might struggle with the gradient. Allow three hours if you're taking photographs or stopping for breath. The path is well-trodden and marked, though it gets boggy in patches after rain.

What makes it work is the location - it sits between Skipton and the higher peaks of the Pennines, so you get real distance views without having to commit to a full day's hiking. It's the sort of walk that rewards an early start, when the fell is quiet and the air's clear. If you're based at Stablefell Holidays and Campsite nearby, this is exactly the kind of outing that justifies picking a holiday park in Wharfedale rather than staying in town. No entry fee, no time restrictions - just you and the open moor. Worth doing on a decent weather day, less so in cloud.