Sourmoor Hill

Getting up Sourmoor Hill takes about twenty minutes from Leyburn, and it's worth every step. The walk isn't brutal - steady rather than steep - and the payoff is a proper panoramic view across Wensleydale that'll stop you in your tracks. On a clear day you can see for miles across the Yorkshire Dales, with the valley floor laid out like a map below you.

It's the sort of place that works brilliantly for walkers who don't want to commit to a full-day hike but still crave that sense of achievement. Families with reasonably fit kids will manage it fine, though expect some moaning from the younger ones in the final push. The view itself is the main event here - there's no tea shop or visitor centre, just you, the horizon, and the wind.

Time it for late afternoon and you'll catch the light properly gilding the hills. Go in wet weather and honestly, you might as well skip it. The summit's not dramatic - no cairn or flagpole - but that's fine. It feels like genuine countryside rather than a Instagram checkpoint.

If you're staying at Park Leisure's Yorkshire Dales Holiday Park or the five-star Eastfield Glamping Farm nearby, this works as an excellent leg-stretcher between longer valley walks. It's the sort of local spot that Leyburn walkers know about and visitors often miss. That's precisely why it's worth the detour.