The Penning

The Penning rises sharply from the Wiltshire downland near Salisbury, offering one of those views that justifies a weekend in the area. It's a proper walk to get up there - nothing brutal, but you will feel your legs - and the summit rewards you with 360-degree visibility across the chalk landscape. On a clear day you can pick out Salisbury Cathedral to the south, and the whole business of being on high ground in an intensely farmed county suddenly makes sense.

Walkers will get the most from this. It's not a casual stroll, and the path can be muddy even days after rain, so proper boots matter. Allow a couple of hours return, longer if you're stopping to sit about and admire things. History types might appreciate being up there - the downs have been walked for millennia, and standing on The Penning connects you to that, though there's nothing dramatic to look at, just landscape itself.

Families with older kids will manage fine, though younger ones might complain. The views alone don't justify the effort for under-eights. It's free, obviously - it's a hill. Marshwood Farm Camping is your closest proper base at 4.5 miles away, and from there you can knock this out as a morning job before moving on to Stonehenge or Old Sarum. Worth doing if you're in the area, but don't make a special trip just for this one.