Grindle

The walk up Grindle from Church Stretton is proper steep - no mucking about with gentle gradients here. You're looking at a serious climb if you fancy the summit, but the payoff is a genuine sense of achievement once you crest the ridge and the views open up across the Stretton valley.

This isn't a tourist trap with a cafe or gift shop at the top. It's a working hill, part of the Long Mynd massif that dominates the landscape around Church Stretton. The path is well-trodden but unforgiving, especially after rain when it gets boggy and loose underfoot. Allow two to three hours for a round trip, depending on your fitness and how long you linger at the top.

Walkers will absolutely get this - it's proper fell walking territory without needing to drive to the Lake District. Families with younger kids should think twice; there's not much to see until you're nearly at the summit, and little legs might lose patience halfway. For anyone based at Small Batch Camp Site or Mountain Edge just down the road, it's an obvious weekend objective.

The best time is autumn or early spring when the ground's firm and you can see for miles. Summer can be boggy, winter can be treacherous. Go early on a clear day - the clouds roll in fast here. It's free, obviously, and you'll likely have the hill largely to yourself, which is increasingly rare in the Midlands.