Simpshey Hill

A modest hill with proper views across the Ribble Valley - the kind of place that rewards a 20-minute scramble from Clitheroe with sightlines that stretch towards Pendle on a clear day. Simpshey Hill isn't a mountain, but it's the sort of local walk that shows you why people bother living in Lancashire instead of, say, Cheshire.

The ascent is straightforward enough. You're looking at a gentle climb through open moorland with decent paths underfoot, though it can get boggy after rain. The summit itself is modest - no dramatic cairn or trig point to mark your arrival, just the sudden realisation that the land drops away beneath you and the view just keeps going. On a decent afternoon, you'll see why the Ribble Valley pulled people here centuries ago.

This works best as a leg-stretcher if you're camping nearby at Cross Lane or Calder Farm rather than a destination in itself. Solo walkers and those who genuinely enjoy moorland will find it worthwhile. Families with young kids might manage it fine, though there's nothing to hold their attention once you reach the top - no café, no visitor centre, just wind and landscape.

Go in autumn or spring when the light's good and the bracken hasn't completely overwhelmed the paths. Avoid midwinter when the whole thing turns into a bog, and leave the kids' energy for Pendle Hill if you're making a walking weekend of it. Clitheroe itself is worth a wander beforehand - proper market town feel.