Strawberry Hill

The walk up Strawberry Hill pays off proper quickly. Rising above Guildford, this modest peak offers one of the nicest viewpoints in Surrey - nothing extreme, but the kind of spot that makes you understand why the South Downs matter to people who actually live round here.

It's a straightforward walk from the town, taking maybe 45 minutes to an hour depending on your pace and how many times you stop to look back at the view developing behind you. The summit itself isn't dramatic - no windmill, no ancient monument, just open ground where you can see across the Weald and into Sussex on a clear day. That simplicity is rather the point. You get proper countryside feeling without needing specialist kit or an early start.

Families with kids aged eight-plus will manage it fine, though younger ones might find the climb tedious. Walkers treating it as a quick leg of something longer through the Surrey Hills will appreciate the directness. History types won't find much up there, but the views make it worth doing once if you're based at somewhere like Walton on Thames Camping and Caravanning Club Site or Chapel Farm Park.

Go on a weekday morning if you can - weekends see it busier than you'd expect for something barely 600 metres. The walk's free, the views cost nothing, and you'll be back for lunch. It's not the kind of place you'll spend hours at, but that's not really what it's for. Sometimes a straightforward viewpoint with decent legs to get there is exactly what you need.