Great Dodd

Great Dodd isn't the most famous fell in the Lake District, which is precisely why it's worth climbing. You're looking at a 2,807-foot peak that sits between Keswick and Ullswater - accessible enough for a proper day out, challenging enough to feel like you've earned your lunch.

The main pull is straightforward: walkers. This is fell walking at its most honest. You'll gain around 2,000 feet of elevation, and it's not a gentle slope. The track climbs steeply through woodland at first, then opens onto moorland with views that stretch across to Helvellyn and down the length of Thirlmere. On a clear day, you can see right across the central fells. On a wet one - and it does get wet up here - you're slogging through bog and cloud, which some days feels more authentic anyway.

Allow three to four hours return from the Threlkeld area, depending on your pace and how many times you stop to catch your breath. The route isn't technically difficult, but it is relentless underfoot. Good boots matter more than experience.

It's free, naturally, being a fell. Best tackled from late spring through early autumn when the weather's less likely to turn properly nasty mid-route. If you're based at one of the nearby parks - Threlkeld Hall or Castlerigg Hall are closest - this works as a half-day adventure, leaving the afternoon for exploring Keswick itself. It won't suit casual family strollers, but confident walkers will find it thoroughly worthwhile.