Helsby Hill

The walk up Helsby Hill rewards you with proper Cheshire views - sandstone cliffs catching the light, the Mersey estuary spreading out below, and on a clear day you can see right across to the Welsh hills. It's only 160 metres high, but don't let that fool you. The scramble to the top is steep enough to get your heart going, and the rocky terrain keeps things interesting.

This is brilliant for families with capable walkers aged eight and up. Younger kids might struggle with the exposed sections and loose scree, but teenagers will find it satisfying. The whole round trip from the car park takes about ninety minutes at a steady pace - long enough to feel like a proper outing, short enough that you won't lose the plot with restless children. Historians get a kick out of the old quarry workings scattered about, a reminder of when sandstone extraction was serious business round here.

Come on a weekday morning if you can. Weekends get rammed with walkers from across the North West, and parking near Frodsham can get tight. The hill's free to access, no admission fees or facilities at the top - bring water and snacks with you.

If you're based at The Ridgeway Country Holiday Park just over a mile away, Helsby Hill is an obvious morning walk before heading elsewhere. Delamere Forest Camping lies five miles south and offers a completely different landscape - woodland trails rather than fell walking - so you could easily string together a couple of days mixing the two.