Sandy Hill

Sandy Hill sits just outside Barnard Castle, and it's one of those walks that rewards you with proper views across the Teesdale valley without requiring mountaineering boots. The pull up is steady rather than brutal - maybe 20 minutes from the car park if you're not dawdling - and you get clear sight lines across moorland that shifts colour with the seasons. On a decent day you can see for miles.

It's not a dramatic peak, to be honest. No rocky summit or dramatic drop. What you get instead is open moorland and the kind of vantage point that makes sense of the landscape below - you can trace the river, spot the market town itself, and get your bearings on where you've come from. Walkers will appreciate it as part of a longer loop round the area. Families with older kids will find it manageable, though younger ones might find the moorland repetitive after the initial climb.

The real appeal here is as a proper walk rather than a tick-box summit. Allow an hour or so if you're being leisurely. Go when the light's good - late afternoon in summer or even overcast mornings when the moorland takes on proper character.

If you're staying at The Old Armoury Campsite nearby, this makes sense as an afternoon sortie while you're based in the Teesdale area. It slots well around a holiday exploring Barnard Castle itself and the valley walks that make this corner of County Durham worth the drive.