White Sheet Hill

The walk up White Sheet Hill takes about twenty minutes from the car park near Warminster, and you're rewarded with proper views across the Somerset countryside. It's a modest peak by any standard - around 700 feet - but the chalk escarpment gives it character, and on a clear day you can see a fair way across the Wiltshire downs.

There's Iron Age hill fort earthworks at the top, though they're subtle enough that you'll want to look carefully or bring a guidebook. The real appeal is the walk itself rather than any dramatic revelation at the summit. It's straightforward underfoot, manageable for reasonably fit families, and genuinely lovely in spring and early summer when the wildflowers are out.

Allow an hour for the whole thing including a sit-down at the top. Free, obviously - it's common land. Best visited on a weekday if you can; weekends pull in the local walking crowd. Winter can be muddy, so choose your footwear accordingly.

If you're camping at Center Parcs Longleat Forest or one of the other caravan parks in the area - Longleat Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite is just five miles away - this makes a solid morning outing without eating up a whole day. It's the sort of place that won't thrill serious hikers but works well for families needing a genuine walk that doesn't demand full military fitness.