Lippitts Hill

The highest point in Hertfordshire sits just east of Chingford, and frankly, it's less dramatic than you might imagine. Lippitts Hill reaches 136 metres, which sounds modest because it is - you're not scrambling up anything here. What you get instead is a proper vantage point across the Lee Valley, with views that stretch towards London on a clear day. The summit itself is fairly low-key: a grassy knoll with a few information boards and the sort of outlook you'd expect from a gentle Essex ramble rather than anything particularly rugged.

Walkers get the most from this one. It's easy to reach, accessible year-round, and makes a good waypoint on a longer route through the surrounding parkland. History types might be interested to know it's been a beacon point and had military significance, though there's not much to see from those eras now - just grass and sky. Families with young kids won't be disappointed, but don't expect them to stay entertained for more than twenty minutes once they've reached the top.

It's free and takes about fifteen minutes to walk up from the car park. Allow an hour if you're stopping for a look around and a break. If you're staying at Lee Valley Campsite just over a mile away or any of the other parks dotted through this area - Fowley Mead Park, Lee Valley's Edmonton site - Lippitts Hill makes an easy morning's outing. Best visited early or late in the day when the light's better and you might actually catch that London skyline. Winter's clearest for views.