Weatherdon Hill

The walk up Weatherdon Hill is a proper slog if you're not expecting it, but the payoff is genuine. You get sweeping views across Devon from a modest 370-metre summit, and on a clear day you can pick out the Plymouth skyline to the south. The peak itself sits on the edge of Dartmoor, so you're looking at moorland stretching towards Princetown and the higher tors beyond.

It's not a technical climb - more of a steady trudge through mixed terrain - but it'll take the better part of two hours round trip depending on your fitness and which route you pick from the surrounding footpaths. Families with older kids will manage it fine. Younger children might find the final push tedious without something to aim for - the summit trig point and views do the trick for most.

The best approach is to start early, especially in summer when the car parks near Plymouth fill up fast. Spring and autumn offer clearer views and fewer midges. Winter can be boggy underfoot, so proper walking boots aren't optional.

If you're based at one of the nearby parks - Ashbourne Woods or Dartmoor Domes are both within six miles - this makes an excellent half-day excursion without venturing far from your pitch. It's far enough out to feel like proper countryside, close enough that you won't spend your whole holiday just getting there. The hill itself won't hold you for more than an hour once you've reached the top, so build it into a bigger day exploring the surrounding moorland and Plymouth's edges.