Telegraph Hill

The views from Telegraph Hill are genuinely worth the climb, even if the hill itself is hardly Alpine. Rising just 370 feet near Tilbury, it's the sort of modest Essex elevation that rewards you simply for bothering to walk up. On a clear day you get proper sightlines across the Thames estuary and out towards Kent - the industrial sprawl of the docks somehow works as a landscape rather than spoiling it.

It's a shortish walk up, maybe twenty minutes from the car park if you're not dawdling. The top has a trig point and a viewing indicator, which feels quite official for what is ultimately a local hillock. You'll find walkers and the occasional cyclist, but it's never rammed. History types might appreciate that telegraph communications ran through here in the 1800s - though there's precious little to see of that now.

This isn't a day-long destination. An hour covers it comfortably, including the walk down. But if you're staying at Thamesview Camping just four miles south, it's a cracking spot to stretch your legs and actually see something from height rather than just being flat among the flatness. The Essex coast can feel monotonous from ground level. Telegraph Hill breaks that up nicely.

Go early morning or late afternoon - the light's better, and you'll have the place mostly to yourself. Bring a decent camera. The view doesn't photograph as dramatically as it looks in person, but it's worth trying.