Lonscale Fell

The walk up Lonscale Fell from Keswick is one of those routes that feels properly rewarding without requiring mountaineering skills. You're looking at a steady climb through woodland that opens onto moorland, with views across the northern Lake District that only get better the higher you go. On a clear day, Blencathra dominates to the east, and you can pick out Skiddaw to the south. Allow about two hours up, maybe ninety minutes down if you're confident on your legs.

It's a walker's fell rather than a scrambler's, so families with older kids will manage fine, though the path gets steep in places. The summit sits at just over 600 metres, which sounds modest until you feel those final pitches. Most people tackle it from the Threlkeld side, where there's parking near the old mines - the old industrial history adds a bit of texture to the moorland walk.

If you're camped at Castlerigg Hall or Keswick Camping and Caravanning Club, both barely three miles away, this makes a proper morning's work without needing a car shuffle. It's the sort of fell that doesn't take all day, leaving you time to explore the town itself or pop across to Castlerigg Stone Circle if you fancy something different. Go early if you're going in summer - it gets busy by mid-morning, and the weather can turn fast up there. Takes about forty minutes from Keswick town centre to reach the start.