Black Law

Black Law rises steeply above Wooler, and frankly, the walk up is harder than the view might suggest. It's a moorland peak rather than a dramatic summit - you're looking at around 1,884 feet of wind-scoured grass and the occasional stone cairn marking the top. The real appeal? The Cheviot Hills spread out around you in proper rolling fashion, and on a clear day you can see right across into Scotland.

The ascent takes a solid hour from the carpark near Wooler, and it's the sort of walk where your legs notice it. Not technical, just relentless. Families with younger children might find it a slog, but teenagers and proper walkers will get their money's worth. The moorland itself is austere and quiet - which is either exactly what you want or precisely what you don't.

Free to access, obviously. Allow three hours minimum for the round trip if you're taking it at a reasonable pace. Go on a day with actual visibility. When the cloud comes in - and it does regularly - you're just walking through grey nothingness, and that loses its charm fast.

If you're basing yourself at Highburn House Caravan Park or Riverside Wooler Holiday Park, Black Law makes a decent morning excursion. It's close enough not to eat your whole day, but proper enough that you'll feel you've done something. Pair it with a walk round Wooler itself afterwards and you've got a solid Northumberland day sorted.