Assycombe Hill

The walk up Assycombe Hill from Exeter's outskirts is a proper leg-stretcher rather than a gruelling slog. You're looking at moorland views that spread across Devon in all directions - on a clear day you can see right across to the granite tors of Dartmoor proper, which makes sense given you're only 3.8 miles from the national park boundary.

It's one of those spots where you appreciate the landscape without needing anything built on top to justify the journey. The summit itself is modest - no trig point or stone cairn to prove you've made it - but that's rather the point. The grassland rolls away beneath you, and you catch the wind properly up here after the sheltered approach.

Walkers will get the most from this. It's not a destination for sitting about with a picnic, though you could manage it if the weather holds. Families with kids aged eight upwards won't find it tedious, but younger ones might grumble about the lack of a defined "arrival" moment. The route takes roughly an hour from Exeter depending on where you start, so it fits neatly into a half-day.

If you're based at Dartmoor National Park or Woodland Springs nearby, this is worth the short drive as a warmer-upper before tackling the bigger walks on the moor itself. It gives you the open moorland feel without committing to a full day out. Go early morning or late afternoon - midday can feel exposed if the wind's up.