Oatlands Hill

The walk up Oatlands Hill rewards you with views across the Wiltshire plains that stretch for miles - on a clear day you can see right across to the chalk downlands beyond Salisbury. It's not a dramatic peak by any means, more of a steady climb through open country, but that's rather the point. The exposed position means the wind can be bracing, so pick your day carefully if you're bringing young children.

The hill itself is fairly bare, which gives you unobstructed sightlines in all directions. There's something genuinely peaceful about standing up there with minimal footfall and no facilities to distract you. It takes maybe forty minutes from the nearest car park to reach the top, depending on your fitness and how much you linger.

For walkers basing themselves at Stonehenge Campsite or any of the other camps within a few miles of Salisbury, Oatlands Hill makes for a solid half-day outing. History enthusiasts will appreciate the Bronze Age archaeology around these parts - the hill sits within an area thick with ancient earthworks and burial mounds. Families with teenagers will probably get more from it than those with younger kids, who might find the exposed walk a bit tedious without a specific destination at the top.

Access appears to be via public footpaths, so costs you nothing. The best time is late afternoon in spring or autumn, when the light catches the landscape properly and the weather is generally more stable than winter. It's not a must-do, but if you're staying nearby and fancy a proper walk with genuine views, it delivers.