Salt Hill

The walk up Salt Hill rewards you with proper views across Hampshire's chalk downland, though it's not a dramatic summit by any stretch. Rising 271 metres near Petersfield, it's more of a steady climb through woodland before you break out onto open grassland where the horizon spreads wide. On a clear day you can trace the ridges and valleys rolling away - it's the kind of view that makes you understand why this corner of the South Downs matters to people who walk here regularly.

You're looking at roughly 90 minutes for a there-and-back walk, depending on your pace and how long you linger at the top. Families with decent walkers (teenagers rather than toddlers) will find it manageable. History buffs might be disappointed - there's no dramatic ruin or ancient fort up here, just the landscape itself. What you get instead is a genuine piece of the Downs, unmarked and quiet.

It's free to walk, naturally, and worth doing on a decent weather day when the views actually justify the effort. Winter can be muddy and rather bleak; spring and early summer are when the chalk grassland shows itself properly. If you're based at Cedar Valley or Glamping at Wallops Wood - both within easy striking distance - this makes a good half-day outing to break up the holiday. ScottsHaven Caravanning is a bit further out but still reasonable. Don't expect a destination in itself; think of it as part of exploring what the Petersfield area offers rather than the reason you've come south.