Crag Hill

The walk up Crag Hill rewards you with proper Northumberland moorland - all wide-open views and that particular kind of wild quietness you don't get near the coast. It's a modest peak by any standard, but that's rather the point. The climb itself is straightforward enough, taking most people an hour or so from the car park, though the terrain gets rougher as you gain height and the wind can be surprisingly brisk up top.

What you're really after here is the panorama across the rolling Cheviot foothills and down towards Alnwick and the valleys beyond. On a clear day it's genuinely worth the effort. Walkers will find it properly satisfying - the kind of walk that feels like a proper achievement without requiring technical skill or special equipment. Families with reasonably fit children will manage it fine, though it's not a stroll. Anyone after a quick ramble around manicured paths should look elsewhere.

Timing-wise, allow a good two to three hours for the round trip if you want to sit and take in the views without rushing. Spring through autumn works best; winter can be boggy and gloomy up here. It's free to access, naturally - there's no entrance fee or facilities to speak of, so come prepared with water and something to eat.

If you're basing yourself at one of the local farms - Middlemoor Farm is closest at a mile and a half - Crag Hill makes a solid morning or afternoon outing. Pair it with a walk around Alnwick itself and you've got a proper day shaped up.