Rawdon Trig point

You'll find the trig point on Rawdon Moor, just north of Leeds, marked by that distinctive concrete pillar that's been used for surveying since the Ordnance Survey first set it up. It's not much to look at in isolation - a small stone-based beacon - but the location matters. The walk up takes about twenty minutes from the car park, over moorland that opens up nicely once you're away from the suburban sprawl below.

The view back towards Leeds and the Aire Valley is decent, particularly on a clear day when you can trace the shape of the city sprawling out. It's the kind of spot walkers pass through rather than linger at, though anyone interested in navigation or local history might find the trig point itself worth the detour. Kids will probably lose interest after five minutes unless they're the sort who like scrambling about on moorland.

Free to visit, naturally, and it works well as a short leg of a larger walk rather than a destination in itself. Worth combining with a stroll around Moor Valley Country Park, which sits just four miles away and offers proper facilities if you've got families in tow. The caravan parks dotted nearby - St Helena's is barely two miles off - make this a useful spot for breaking up a longer stay in the area. Go mid-morning if you want to avoid the school-run crowd, and bring proper shoes; the ground can be boggy after rain.