National Trust - Brean Down

The walk up Brean Down is steep - properly steep - but once you've huffed your way to the top, you understand why the National Trust bothered protecting it. This limestone headland juts out into the Bristol Channel like a defiant finger, giving you views across to Wales on a clear day and commanding sight lines over Burnham-on-Sea's flat stretch of coast.

What you're actually looking at is layers of geological history and a few scattered remains from various eras - Iron Age fort, Roman temple, Victorian fortifications. Nothing flashy, mind you. The ruins are modest. But the walk itself is the real draw here: a proper clifftop hike with gorse and wildflowers depending on the season, and enough scrambling to keep it interesting without being dangerous.

Walkers will get the most from this. Plan on an hour or so for the ascent and a good wander around the summit, longer if you're the type to sit and stare at the view for twenty minutes. Families with older kids who don't mind a bit of a lung-burner will find it worthwhile. Toddlers and prams? You'll struggle. The path's rough and relentless.

It's free - that's the National Trust way - and there's no specified opening hours since it's an open space. Come off-season if possible. Summer weekends bring the crowds from all those nearby holiday parks: Channel View, Warren Farm, Golden Sands and the rest cluster within easy driving distance, which means the summit can feel a bit busy. Early morning or late afternoon gives you a better chance of peace.