Hart Heugh

The walk up Hart Heugh from Wooler is one of those short sharp climbs that leaves you properly knackered but rewards you instantly. It's not a mountain - more a chunky hill that dominates the landscape north of town - but the views across the Cheviot foothills make the huffing and puffing worth every second. On a clear day you're looking south towards the Pennines and north into Scotland. The summit itself is bare moorland, so there's nothing to shelter behind if the weather turns, which it does often up here.

Allow two hours for a steady round trip from Wooler. It's steep in places but straightforward enough for anyone with reasonable fitness. Families with younger kids might find the gradient testing, though determined ten-year-olds will manage it without complaint. The paths are generally sound, though boggy patches appear after rain. Go in the morning if you can - afternoon mist rolls in fast and flattens the view completely.

This works perfectly as a warm-up walk before or after settling into Highburn House Caravan Park or Riverside Wooler, both within fifteen minutes' drive. Neither park is fancy, but they're proper bases for exploring the Cheviot slopes. Hart Heugh itself is free, naturally - it's just a hill. The real cost is the petrol getting out to Wooler and back, and the sore legs the next day. If you're staying nearby and fancy something harder afterwards, the Cheviot proper is only a couple of miles further north. Hart Heugh is the appetiser.