Nidderdale National Landscape

The valley opens up suddenly as you round the bend near Ripon, and that's when you realise Nidderdale isn't one thing you tick off - it's a 53-square-mile stretch of proper countryside that rewards you for paying attention. Rolling moorland, steep-sided valleys, and a river that actually goes somewhere interesting rather than just drifting through manicured parkland.

You'll spend most of your time walking here, which is the whole point. The River Nidd carves through limestone cliffs, there are decent footpaths linking the old stone villages, and the light changes constantly depending on which fell you're facing. It's the kind of landscape that makes you understand why the Victorians got so obsessed with the Yorkshire Dales.

Walkers will get the most from this - bring decent boots and allow the best part of a day to see what it's actually about. The villages themselves (Pateley Bridge is the main one) have decent pubs and cafes, so you won't starve. It's free to wander, which helps, and there are proper trails rather than Disney-fied visitor centre loops.

If you're based at Woodhouse Farm Holiday Park, it's a short drive over, and this is the kind of place that stops you feeling like you're just sitting around a caravan. Kids under ten might get bored after a couple of hours unless they're already into stream-jumping and looking at interesting rocks. Serious hikers though? This is where you spend the afternoon.