Champany Hill

The walk up Champany Hill takes about twenty minutes from Barnsley, and once you're at the top you understand why locals bother making the trip. It's not dramatic - South Yorkshire doesn't do dramatic - but the views across the town and surrounding countryside are proper worth the effort on a clear day.

This is a straightforward peak walk rather than a destination with facilities or attractions. You come for the exercise and the vantage point, nothing more. The summit offers sight lines toward the broader Pennine landscape, which counts for something when you're stuck in the industrial heartland. Most people manage it in under an hour including time to catch their breath at the top.

Walkers will get the most from it. It's steep enough to feel like you've done something, but not so challenging that families with older children will struggle. The actual route depends on where you start - there are several approaches from the edges of Barnsley. Don't expect waymarks or a visitor centre. Just decent views and a proper bit of walking.

If you're camping at Broad Close Farm, which sits barely half a mile away, this becomes an obvious leg-stretcher. Greensprings and High Lea Farm are both within three kilometres, making Champany Hill a natural morning outing before breakfast. It's the sort of place that justifies leaving the caravan - not because it's remarkable, but because it's there and it's free and it works as exercise.