Dovestone Tor

The walk up Dovestone Tor isn't long, but it's proper steep in places and feels longer than the map suggests. You're climbing through moorland above Hope Valley, working your way up rough ground with the Dark Peak spread out behind you. The tor itself is modest - a pile of gritstone that doesn't demand much time once you've reached it - but the views back across the valley are the real draw.

This is a walk for people who enjoy the graft. Families with young kids might struggle with the gradient and loose footing, though determined walkers in reasonable fitness will be fine. The whole thing takes a couple of hours there and back, so it's perfect as a morning outing if you're based at one of the nearby campsites around Hope Valley - Castleton or North Lees are closest at around five miles away.

The best approach is to allow time to sit up there. The tor itself doesn't require scrambling or technical ability, just steady legs. Go in clear weather; on a misty day you'll lose most of the reason for being up there. Spring and autumn are ideal - summer heat bouncing off that exposed moorland gets old fast, and winter can turn the ascent into something needlessly sketchy.

If you're staying in the caravan parks dotting the Hope Valley, Dovestone Tor works well as a half-day walk combined with something else. It's not a destination that'll hold you all afternoon, but it's the sort of straightforward hill that reminds you why people bother with the Peak District in the first place.