Flan Hill

The walk up Flan Hill is short and sharp - barely two kilometres from Grange-over-Sands - but don't let that fool you into thinking it's gentle. The climb is properly steep, and on a grey day the effort feels a bit much for what amounts to a limestone knoll with modest views. Clear skies are essential here; get it wrong and you'll spend twenty minutes huffing uphill for a view of nothing.

When conditions are right, though, it's genuinely worthwhile. The summit opens onto the Kent Estuary and Morecambe Bay spreading out below, with the Lakeland fells rising in the distance. You're looking across proper water at proper mountains. It's the kind of view that justifies the climb.

Family groups will find the route manageable for older kids who don't mind a bit of gradient, but little legs might struggle. Walkers tackling the Lake District hills from one of the nearby caravan parks - Old Park Wood is closest at 3.4 miles away, or High Haume Glamping just beyond that - could easily knock this out as a morning jaunt before heading into the main peaks. It costs nothing and takes roughly an hour return if you're not rushing.

The landscape around Grange-over-Sands has gentler charms too, so Flan Hill works best paired with easier walks in the area rather than as the main event. Go early or late to dodge the afternoon grey, and bring a windproof - the summit catches everything coming off the bay.