Barrow Hill

The walk up Barrow Hill near Salisbury rewards you with one of those rare hilltop views that actually justifies the effort. It's not particularly high, but the exposure from the summit gives you proper 360-degree countryside sweeping out towards the Wiltshire downs. On a clear day you'll spot enough church spires and distant ridgelines to remind you just how much ancient settlement happened in this corner of England.

The hill itself is dotted with Bronze Age barrows - burial mounds that look like gentle humps in the grass until you know what to look for. After that, you start seeing them everywhere. Walkers and history types will get the most from this one, especially if you're willing to poke about and read the landscape rather than expect signage or interpretation boards. There aren't any. The climb takes 20 minutes from the car park, so allow 45 minutes total if you're stopping for the views and a bit of poking about.

It's free to visit, and works brilliantly as a morning walk before heading to one of the two excellent camping spots in the valley - Chalke Valley Camping is barely a mile away, so you could do this before breakfast. The exposed position means it catches the wind, so pick a decent weather day rather than assuming any old afternoon will do. Winter here feels properly bleak, but spring and autumn mornings are cracking. Not everyone's cup of tea, but if you like uninterpreted ancient landscapes and honest hills without the crowds, this is proper work.