Currick Hill

The walk up Currick Hill from Bishop Auckland isn't steep, which is precisely why it works so well for a mixed-ability day out. You're climbing about 300 metres, and the moorland path is straightforward enough that you won't spend the whole time watching your feet. What you get at the top, though, is a proper 360-degree view across County Durham - the Pennines roll away to the west, and on a clear day you can pick out Teesside to the north. It's the sort of place where you'd naturally stop for a flask of tea and actually notice where you are.

Allow yourself two hours there and back if you're moving at a leisurely pace. Families with kids aged eight upwards will manage it fine. History types might appreciate that you're standing on terrain that's been walked for centuries, though there's no visitor centre or heritage nonsense to get in the way. The nearest caravan parks - Leekworth and Mickleton Mill are both within striking distance of Bishop Auckland - make this a natural addition to a longer stay in the area. It's the kind of unpolished, no-frills walk that doesn't need much marketing. You go because the view justifies it, not because someone's told you to. That's worth something.