Nor Hill

The walk up Nor Hill from Skipton takes you through proper Yorkshire moorland - open, windswept, and completely free of pretence. It's a modest peak by Pennine standards, but that's rather the point. You get real views across Airedale without the crowds you'd fight at somewhere like Pendle Hill.

The ascent is straightforward enough, around an hour on foot depending on your pace and which route you take from town. On a clear day the vistas stretch across the limestone country towards Malham and beyond - on a grey one, which is often, you're treated to that particular kind of moody Northern light that photographs don't quite capture. The moorland itself rewards attention: curlews, lapwing, and if you're lucky, red grouse.

This is a walker's hill rather than a tourist attraction, which suits it fine. Families with older children will manage it without fuss; younger ones might find it a bit slog-heavy for the reward. History enthusiasts won't find much to cling to beyond the landscape itself, though the stone walls and old field systems tell their own quiet story.

Stay at Draughton Heights Campsite just south of Skipton - barely a mile away - and you can be up and down before breakfast. Combine it with Bolton Abbey Estate Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite if you want a longer moorland loop. Free, obviously. Go early, take waterproofs even when it doesn't look like rain, and don't expect to meet many others.