Needs Hill

The walk up Needs Hill rewards you with proper views across Kielder Water and the surrounding forest - assuming the Northumberland weather cooperates. It's a steady climb rather than a lung-busting scramble, taking around forty minutes from the car park, and the path is well-maintained underfoot. From the top you get a real sense of how vast this reservoir is, with the Cheviot Hills pushing up on the horizon if you're lucky with visibility.

This is very much a walkers' thing. Families with young kids will find it manageable if they're used to a decent hike, but there's nothing at the summit itself - no café, no facilities, just the view and the wind. History buffs won't find much to grab onto here either. What you get is straightforward fell walking in a landscape that's genuinely wild, especially when you're surrounded by commercial forest on three sides.

If you're staying at one of the holiday parks clustered nearby - Landal Kielder Waterside is outstanding value and only 1.8 miles away - Needs Hill makes a cracking half-day outing. The area around Hexham has proper substance: Hadrian's Wall runs nearby, and Kielder Water itself is worth exploring. Base yourself at the park, do this walk, then head down to the water's edge for something gentler the next morning. Parking is straightforward and free, and you can do the whole thing on your own schedule. Allow two hours door-to-door if you're taking photographs or just standing about catching your breath.