Gowbarrow Park

The walk up Gowbarrow feels properly steep once you're committed to it, but that's half the appeal. This fell rises sharply above Ullswater near Penrith, and on a clear day the views down the length of the lake are worth every breathless minute of the climb. The summit itself is bare and windswept - nothing fancy, just genuine fell terrain with Helvellyn visible across the valley and the Lake District spreading out in all directions.

It's a straightforward up-and-down from the car park, taking most people around ninety minutes to two hours round trip depending on fitness. The path is well-trodden but can get boggy after rain, so proper boots matter. Families with older kids will manage fine; younger ones might find the unrelenting gradient tedious. Fell runners and hill walkers treating it as a warm-up or linking it to other peaks get the most satisfaction from this one.

Being free and easily accessed from the A592 makes it popular, especially weekends. Midweek mornings are quieter if you're after some peace. If you're based at any of the nearby caravan parks - Ullswater Holiday Park is just two miles away - this works as a solid half-day outing. The reward isn't the summit facilities (there aren't any), but those unobstructed views across the water and the genuine sense of having worked for it. Worth the detour if you're already in the area; don't drive across England specially for it.