How Top

The walk up How Top rewards you with proper views across County Durham's rolling countryside. It's not dramatic - no craggy peaks or Alpine theatre - but that's precisely why it works as a half-day outing from Barnard Castle. The summit sits at a modest height, which means you're not gasping for breath, and the paths are well-trodden without feeling tramped to death.

Families with primary-school walkers will manage it without complaint. The terrain is straightforward moorland, and if the weather's half decent you'll see across to the Pennines on a clear day. Allow two hours there and back, or three if you're stopping for sandwiches and pretending you're explorers. Older kids might find it a touch ordinary unless you're the type who enjoys gentle wandering rather than summiting something dramatic.

Hikier types could do this as part of a longer loop - worth checking locally once you're staying in the area. It's the sort of walk that fits perfectly into a caravan park weekend: close enough to Leekworth or Mickleton Mill to be reached in thirty minutes, but far enough away that you're actually out in the landscape rather than mooching around touristy bits of town.

Free, obviously. Go on a weekday morning if you can; weekends bring the local crowd and the car park gets rammed. Best in autumn when the light's low and the heather's gone bronze.