Woolstone Hill

You'll spot Woolstone Hill rising sharply from the Oxfordshire countryside just south of Wantage - it's that distinctive chalk downland that catches your eye from miles around. The walk up takes about twenty minutes from the village, and it's proper steep in places, but the views across the Vale of the White Horse once you're up top make it well worth the effort.

This is classic chalk grassland, the sort of place where you'll find skylarks on a decent day and wildflowers in summer if you time it right. The hill itself sits within the Ridgeway National Trail, so you can either make it a quick up-and-down or link it into a longer ramble if you've got the legs for it. It's free, obviously - it's a hill - and you can arrive any time that suits.

Families will find it manageable as long as kids are reasonably confident on their feet; the path's clear enough but does get muddy after rain. History types should know there's Iron Age fort remains up there, though they're subtle - you won't see dramatic earthworks, just the shape of the land if you know what to look for. Walkers and countryside spotters will get genuinely more out of it than casual visitors.

Stay at Evelyns Garden Glamping just 2.6 miles away and you're perfectly positioned for this and the White Horse itself. The location slots nicely into a day exploring the downland between Wantage and Faringdon, or as a natural stop on a longer Ridgeway walk.