Ravock

The walk up Ravock is a proper no-nonsense climb from near Barnard Castle, and you won't find it thronged with day-trippers. What you get at the top is a view across Teesdale that stretches for miles - nothing fancy, but genuinely worth the effort if you're staying at one of the local caravan parks.

It's a straightforward fell walk rather than a tourist attraction with facilities. Allow a good couple of hours from the base, depending on your fitness and how long you dawdle at the summit. The paths are well-trodden enough to follow, though there's nothing marked out with signs or interpretation boards. Bring the OS map or download the route beforehand - your phone signal won't be reliable up there.

This suits walkers far more than families with small children. If you're bored easily by "just a view", you'll find it a bit underwhelming. But if you're the sort who enjoys a bracing moorland walk and don't need a cafe at the finish, Ravock delivers. The Old Armoury Campsite is barely two miles away, making it an ideal morning or afternoon outing if you're based nearby.

Go when the weather's clear - there's no point on a grey, misty day when the visibility drops to fifty yards. Late spring through early autumn tends to work best. It's free, obviously. Nobody charges you to walk up a fell in the Pennines.