Larchet Hill

The walk up Larchet Hill rewards you with views across the Tyne Valley that stretch for miles on a clear day. It's a proper fell walk rather than a stroll - steep enough to get your heart pumping, but the kind of climb that takes maybe twenty minutes from the car park near Haltwhistle if you're reasonably fit.

You get moorland underfoot, a bit of scrambling towards the summit, and once you're up there the landscape opens out completely. On a good day you can see right across to the Pennines. The hill sits between Haltwhistle and the Wall country, so it's an ideal spot to break up a day spent exploring Hadrian's Wall without having to drive far.

Histoy enthusiasts will appreciate that you're standing in frontier country - the Romans weren't far away. But honestly, this is more about the leg-work and the view than any specific historical interest. Families with teenagers will manage it fine; younger kids might find the steepness tedious.

There's no visitor infrastructure on the hill itself, so bring water and wear proper footwear. An hour's walking gives you plenty of time up top without rushing back. It works brilliantly as a half-morning venture if you're based at Haltwhistle Camping and Caravanning Club Site - close enough that you can fit it in before lunch, and it'll tire out the kids properly without eating up your whole day.