Staple's Hill

The walk up Staple's Hill rewards you with proper views across the Lee Valley - nothing dramatic, but on a clear day you can see right across to the Essex hills. It's a modest height gain, nothing that'll leave you gasping, and the summit itself is more working landscape than dramatic peak, with fields and the odd copse breaking up the horizon. The real appeal is the walk itself rather than some heart-stopping vista at the top. Families with younger kids will manage it without complaints, though they won't be glued to the view for long once they've reached the summit. History types might find it less interesting than the archaeology dotted across the Lee Valley floor - there's not much heritage up here, just the land itself.

It sits well within a Lee Valley park holiday. You're barely a couple of miles from Lee Valley Campsite near Sewardstone, which is handy for pitching a tent and using Staple's Hill as a morning ramble before heading out to explore elsewhere. Theobalds Park, five miles south, gives you more formal grounds to potter around if the weather turns sour. The walk takes maybe ninety minutes round trip, depending on your pace and how long you linger at the top. Go early on a weekend to dodge the crowds - Chingford sits right on the park's edge, so this spot pulls in local walkers year-round. Spring and autumn are best; summer can get muggy up here with no shade at the summit.