Mart Crag

The walk up to Mart Crag demands proper effort - it's not a five-minute stroll from Ambleside - but the payoff is a view that stops you mid-breath. You're looking down the length of Great Langdale, fell walls rising sheer on either side, and on a clear day the vista stretches far enough to make you question why you ever bothered with the crowded spots.

It's a walker's viewpoint, plain and simple. This isn't somewhere you linger for hours; the appeal is the vista and the accomplishment of getting there. The route itself is steep and rocky in places, so decent boots matter. Most people allow two to three hours return from the valley floor, depending on fitness and how many times you stop to gawp at the Langdale Pikes.

If you're camping at Great Langdale Campsite or Great Langdale Glamping - both within a mile or so - Mart Crag becomes an obvious morning mission. It works beautifully as a half-day walk from any of the nearby sites, and the proximity means you're not burning daylight on the drive. Serious walkers will see it as a natural loop route; those wanting something less demanding might find the gradient tiresome without the bigger fell experience to justify it.

Go when the weather's settled. Clag and Mart Crag are poor companions, and the fell can cloud over faster than you'd think. Early morning walks reward you with empty paths and that special quality of light on the fells that photographs simply cannot capture.