Lyme Hill

The walk up Lyme Hill rewards you with views across the Oxfordshire landscape that stretch all the way to the Cotswolds on a clear day. It's not a mountain - more a proper hill that climbs around 600 feet, but the path from Oxford is straightforward enough and takes roughly an hour each way depending on fitness. The summit itself is grassland with a few scattered trees, the kind of spot where you can actually breathe and think rather than queue for a photo.

Walkers will get the most from this one. Families with younger kids might find the climb a bit of a slog unless they're used to getting their boots muddy, and there's nothing at the top besides views and space - no café, no visitor centre, just the landscape. That's rather the point. On weekends, Oxford locals use it properly: proper walking territory, not Instagram territory.

Access is free and you can start from the edge of Oxford itself, which makes it ideal if you're based at one of the holiday parks dotted around the city - Oxford Glamping is barely a mile away, or Cedar Hollow Oxford just under three. The walk fits easily into a day trip, leaving you time to explore the colleges and the High Street afterwards. Best in late autumn or early spring when you won't overheat on the climb and the light is sharper. Allow two to three hours door-to-door.