Green Pike

The walk up Green Pike from Kirkby Stephen takes you onto proper fell country - nothing dramatic, but the kind of terrain where you notice the weather changing halfway up. It's a modest peak at 627 metres, which means you won't be gasping for breath, but the path itself keeps you honest with a steady climb that rewards you with views across the Eden Valley and towards the Pennines. On a clear day, it's genuinely lovely; on a grey one, you're basically walking into cloud cover for an hour and wondering why you didn't stay indoors.

Walkers will get the most out of this. It's not a stroll - allow two to three hours return from town - but it's also not the kind of slog that leaves your legs screaming. Families with older kids would manage it fine; toddlers would find it tedious. The surrounding moorland is open access, so you're not confined to a marked route, which means you can wander a bit if conditions permit and you've got decent navigation skills.

Gillcumber Glamping Pods, just outside Kirkby Stephen, makes a solid base if you're planning a few fell days in the area. Green Pike pairs well with the other peaks nearby - you could string together a mini walking tour without driving far between starts. The town itself is small but has decent cafes where you can properly recover with tea and cake. Free to walk, obviously. Go when the weather's forecast to be decent - there's little point battling wind and rain for views you can't see.