Coltleigh Hill

The walk up Coltleigh Hill rewards you with proper views across the Dorset countryside - nothing dramatic, but on a clear day you can see right across to the coast near Bridport. It's a gentle climb rather than a slog, which makes it accessible without being boring.

Once you're up there, you get that familiar feeling of standing above the world for a moment. The surrounding landscape rolls on in soft waves, fields giving way to distant tree lines. It's the sort of place where you'd want to sit for twenty minutes with a flask rather than snap a photo and leave.

Walkers will find this worth adding to a longer route - it doesn't take much time on its own, maybe forty minutes there and back from the nearest access point, but it slots nicely into a wider afternoon out. Families with younger children might find it a bit of a random stop unless they're already in the area doing other things. The real appeal is for anyone staying at one of the nearby glamping spots - Hidden Valley Dorset, Dorset Forest Garden or Walnut Farm are all within a couple of miles - and wanting an easy leg-stretch with a view.

There's no visitor infrastructure, which is either a pro or a con depending on your view of such things. No car park, no cafe, just the hill itself. Go when the weather's halfway decent and you won't regret it.