Pidham Hill

The walk up Pidham Hill rewards you with proper views across Hampshire's rolling countryside - nothing dramatic, but genuinely pleasant on a clear day. It's a modest peak by any measure, the sort of place where you can knock out the ascent in under an hour from Petersfield and still have time for lunch back in town.

This is walker territory, straightforward stuff. No scrambling, no technical bits, just a steady pull uphill through woodland that opens onto clearer ground near the summit. Families with primary-school-age kids will manage it without fuss. You're looking at an afternoon's outing rather than a full-day expedition, which actually makes it useful if you're based at one of the nearby holiday parks - Cedar Valley is barely over a mile away, and Woodlands Camping sits at 5.3 miles if you want something slightly further afield.

The real appeal isn't the hill itself but the fact it sits nicely within Hampshire's walking network. Combine it with a mooch around Petersfield itself - there's a proper high street and decent pubs - and you've got a solid half-day sorted. The views aren't the sort that'll blow your mind, but they're honest. On a grey day you might wonder why you bothered; on a clear one, you'll understand why locals keep coming back.

Bring proper boots rather than trainers - the ground can be boggy in patches. Go early if the car park fills up, though honestly it rarely does. Free to access, obviously.