Flout Hill

The walk up Flout Hill from Skipton isn't particularly steep, which is exactly why so many people underestimate it. What starts as a gentle climb through farmland suddenly opens up into proper moorland views across the Dales. On a clear day you can see for miles - the sort of visibility that makes you understand why the old shepherds could navigate by landmarks alone.

It's a solid two-hour round trip depending on your pace and how much you dawdle at the top. The summit itself is unremarkable - no trig point or shelter to speak of - but the views justify the effort. Walkers will appreciate the straightforward route and the lack of crowds you'd find on better-known peaks. Families with older kids cope well here; younger ones might find the moorland section a bit exposed and samey.

There's nothing official about opening hours because you're walking across open access land. Free, obviously. Go in late spring or early autumn when the weather's more predictable and the ground isn't waterlogged. Summer crowds are manageable; winter gets properly bleak up there.

If you're based at Howgill Lodge just down the road, this makes a proper morning's work before lunch. It pairs well with a walk around Embsay Crag or a wander through Skipton itself - the market town's worth an hour if you haven't been. The hill itself is modest, but that's the point. Not everything needs to be dramatic to be worth doing.