Britain's Best Small Hills (A guide to short adventures and wild walks with great views)

Hot on the success of Wilderness Weekends, one of the top selling guides in 2015, award-winning travel writer Phoebe Smith returns with more great outdoor experiences tailored not just for the hard-core wilderness enthusiast but for novices and newbie hillwalkers alike. Take a friend, or take the kids – or both! – and climb one of Phoebe’s favourite hills. There are 60 of them detailed in this easy-to-follow guide which champions a new easy-access approach to hillwalking. With 20 hills each in England, Wales and Scotland, from just 120 metres to a manageable 609 metres, and from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands, there’s bound to be a hill for you.

‘When it comes to mountains society seems to be obsessed with height’ says Phoebe Smith. ‘But those who shun peaks based on measurement are truly missing out. Following on from the success of Wilderness Weekends, people are always asking me where they can take a friend, partner or young child that will help convince them that the outdoors – and hills – are worth the effort. Answering that need is this book, it’s all about minimum effort for maximum results.’ Each walk also includes tips on safety, kit, weather, walking responsibly, maps, tackling hills sensibly, and taking children, friends and reluctant walkers. For all walks there’s also ‘Added Adventure’ – caves, ruins or a background story for example.

Britain is home to hundreds of hills, neglected because they don’t quite measure up, so here we showcase 60 of the very best. ‘Who wouldn’t want to experience some of the best views in Britain for minimal effort?’ asks Phoebe Smith. ‘Don’t believe us? Walk this way!’

With Britain’s Best Small Hills, discover not only where to walk, but also curious facts and places, such as one of the best small hills with a café at the top, the hill where Captain Cook became inspired to travel and the only Wainwright the man himself couldn’t summit. 

Phoebe Smith knows good mountains. For over 10 years she’s been exploring Britain’s extensively and has written about them in a range of magazines and newspapers in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia as well as being the author of eight books – all on the British wilderness and the joys of camping. In addition to writing, Phoebe has frequently appeared on radio and TV talking wild camping, travel and women in the outdoors. In 2014 she became the first woman to camp at all the extreme points of mainland Britain on consecutive nights – these included the highest, lowest, northernmost, southernmost, easternmost and westernmost points of the country, also becoming the first person to include the centre of Britain in her quest. In 2015 and 2016 she was shortlisted for the National Adventure Awards in the Inspiring Others category. In 2016 she was named an Ordnance Survey #GetOutside Champion for her work encouraging everyone to have adventures in the UK.