Dead Friars

Dead Friars sits on a ridge above Bishop Auckland, a proper windswept moorland top that rewards the walk up with views stretching across Weardale. The name comes from a medieval friary that once stood here - all that's left now are earthworks and your imagination, which is either brilliant or disappointing depending on what you came for.

The climb itself takes about 45 minutes from the car park, following a path that gets steeper as you go. On a clear day you'll see for miles across the Pennines. On a grey one - and this is County Durham, so expect plenty of those - the mist rolls in and you could be anywhere. Walkers and fell runners love it because it's honest work without being punishing, and the moorland flora is worth the trek if you're into that sort of thing. Historians will feel slightly shortchanged by the lack of visible remains, though the location itself tells you something about medieval life up here - exposed, remote, deliberately positioned.

It's free to visit and open year-round, though winter can make the paths boggy and treacherous. Allow three hours round trip if you're not moving fast. Several caravan parks sit within easy reach - Belle Vue Farm and Stanhope are under four miles away, making Dead Friars a decent half-day option if you're based locally. It won't hold your attention for hours, but it's the kind of walk that clears your head properly. Go early, bring a windproof, and don't expect much beyond the views and the sense of having climbed something real.