Irton Pike

At 1,187 metres, Irton Pike doesn't throw its weight around. It's the sort of fell that creeps up on you near Holmrook - not the dramatic headline-grabber of the Lake District, but proper rewarding if you put the legwork in. The summit rewards climbers with views across Wastwater and the western fells that, on a clear day, stretch all the way to the Irish Sea. On a mist-soaked afternoon? Less spectacular, but the solitude makes up for it.

The approach is straightforward enough from the road east of Holmrook, though "straightforward" is fell-speak for steep and boggy in places. Most walkers allow two to three hours for the round trip, depending on fitness and how many times you stop to catch your breath. It's not technical climbing - just consistent gradient and determination. Families with older kids (secondary school age upwards) will manage it fine; younger ones might find the trudge tedious without a summit view to show for it.

The real joy is the quiet. Irton Pike sits just outside the main tourist crush, which means you're more likely to have the hillside to yourself than hemmed in by phone-wielding crowds. If you're camping at Fisherground Campsite nearby, it's a cracking half-day outing that adds proper fell-walking credentials without requiring Alpine training. Go early, take water, and ignore the weather forecast - fells change their mind constantly.