Glanton Pyke

The walk up Glanton Pyke rewards you with a proper sense of achievement once you've scrambled to the summit. It's not a particularly high peak - around 300 metres or so - but the views across the Northumberland hills are genuinely worth the effort, especially on a clear day when you can see for miles.

The ascent takes roughly an hour from the car park, following a well-trodden path that gets steeper as you climb. It's the kind of walk that feels substantial without being punishing, making it ideal for families with reasonably fit kids or walkers after a morning's outing rather than a full-day expedition. The path can be boggy in places, so decent boots are essential - I've seen people struggle in trainers.

From Alnwick it's a straightforward drive south, and once you're up there the cairn at the top is a good spot to catch your breath and admire the Cheviot range. On a grey day it can feel a bit exposed and windswept, but that's rather the charm of the Northumberland hills.

If you're camping at River Breamish Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite just down the road, this makes for a brilliant evening walk - time it right and you'll catch the light turning golden across the valleys. Allow a couple of hours including rest time at the top, and go early if the weather's threatening. Free to access, obviously, being a hill.