Cat Bells, Cumbria

This is perhaps the nation’s definitive ‘starter mountain’. At 1480ft it’s big enough to look and feel like a mountain, but small enough to feel achievable. And although it’s mostly made up of soft, springy grass, you’ll find a little rocky outcrop just shy of the summit which is perfect for introducing your junior adventurer to the hand-on-rock world of scrambling.

It also has one of the most exciting routes of approach and departure of any hill in the country: as parking options are limited around the foot of Cat Bells, the best way to get there and back is to take the Keswick Launch, which scoots you out over beautiful Derwent Water to a landing stage at the base of the fell.

From the summit, the views down into Borrowdale are incomparable – and from here you’ll see some of the biggest and most dramatic peaks in England, including the tallest of them all, Scafell Pike. Maybe you’ll fancy that one next?

Afterwards, you can descend to the High Brandelhow landing stage, where you can catch the boat back to Keswick.

However you climb it, you’ll enjoy it. Cat Bells is the mountain where tourists become walkers, and where walkers become adventurers. Walk here: Find the definitive boat–and– walk trip at ww.keswick-launch.co.uk