Woody Crag

The walk up to Woody Crag from Ambleside is short but proper steep - you're looking at maybe twenty minutes of real graft to get to the top. Worth every breath though. Once you're there, the view across the Langdale valley opens up in front of you and it's genuinely arresting: the fells rise up in layers, and on a clear day you can pick out the individual peaks that make this corner of the Lakes so distinctive.

It's the kind of spot that rewards an early start. Go mid-morning and you'll have half the viewpoint to yourself, with just the sound of the wind and the occasional fell runner thundering past. The crag itself isn't vast - you're not scrambling up rock faces or anything dramatic - but it's elevated enough to feel like proper hiking rather than a gentle stroll.

This works brilliantly as a half-day outing if you're based at any of the nearby campsites: Great Langdale Campsite and BaysBrown Farm are both within five miles, making this an obvious choice for families who want to tick off a fell walk without committing to a full-day expedition. Kids will manage it, though the return journey does feel longer when little legs get tired.

The real test is the weather. On a grey, drizzly afternoon - and let's be honest, this is Cumbria - the view flattens out and the walk becomes more of a chore. Pick your moment and combine it with a wander around Ambleside's town centre or a circuit of one of the Langdale parks to make a proper day of it.