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 some 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, the only Wainwright the man himself couldn’t summit, and the Welsh peaks where the rocks that form Stonehenge come from.

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 7 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.

PART 1: ENGLAND
01. Away with the pixies
Sheeps Tor, Devon
02. Peak with a pun
Brown Willy, Cornwall
03. Speak of the Devil
Bow Hill, West Sussex
04. Avalanche hill
Cliffe Hill, East Sussex
05. Head for the neck
Wills Neck, Somerset
06. Horsing around
Whitehorse Hill, Oxfordshire
07. Edge your bets
Cleeve Hill, Gloucestershire
08. Malvern magic
Worcestershire Beacon, Worcestershire
09. Sit in the Devil’s chair
The Stiperstones, Shropshire
10. Mini-mountain
Beacon Hill, Leicestershire
11. Accessible reef
Chrome Hill, Derbyshire
12. A visit to mother
Mam Tor, Derbyshire
13. Lancashire light
Beacon Fell, Lancashire
14. Pit-stop peak
Farleton Fell, Cumbria
15. The Yorkshire Matterhorn
Roseberry Topping, North Yorkshire
16. A walk with a ring to it
The Bell, Cumbria
17. Taking the helm
Helm Crag, Cumbria
18. Barefoot ramblings
Hallin Fell, Cumbria
19. King of the castle
Castle Crag, Cumbria
20. Pennine perfection
Dufton Pike, Cumbria

PART 2: WALES
21. Just desserts
Blorenge, Monmouthshire
22. The outlier
Ysgyryd Fawr, Monmouthshire
23. A spoon full of sugar
Sugar Loaf, Monmouthshire
24. What lies beneath
Carreg Cadno, Powys
25. Angelic ascent
Carningli, Pembrokeshire
26. A small slice of wilderness
Yr Arddu, Gwynedd
27. From pillar to Powys
Breidden Hill, Powys
28. Princely peak
Dinas Bran, Denbighshire
29. Scramble then eggs
Cefn y Capel, Conwy
30. Special gest
Moel-y-Gest, Gwynedd
31. Tiny Tryfan
Moel Tryfan, Gwynedd
32. Snowdonia’s secret scramble
Carnedd y Cribau, Gwynedd
33. Limestone lovely
Bryn Alyn, Denbighshire
34. Arthur good as the rest
Moel Arthur, Denbighshire/Flintshire
35. Townside top
Mynydd y Dref, Conwy
36. Trunk-road top
Bryn Euryn, Conwy
37. Victoria’s secret
The Great Orme, Conwy
38. Clandestine Carneddau
Foel-ganol, Gwynedd
39. A walk to rival all
Yr Eifl, Gwynedd
40. Peak at the end of the world
Holyhead Mountain, Anglesey

PART 3: SCOTLAND
41. Smoke me a Kippford
The Muckle, Dumfries and Galloway
42. Sea to summit
Byne Hill, South Ayrshire
43. Striding arches
Colt Hill, Dumfries and Galloway
44. Fairlie straightforward
Kaim Hill, North Ayrshire
45. Whangie-ful
The Whangie, East Dunbartonshire
46. The great divide
Conic Hill, Stirling
47. Hill shot
Dumgoyne, Stirling
48. City centre summit
Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh
49. Dumpling on the side
Duncryne, West Dunbartonshire
50. Accessible wilderness
Duncolm, West Dunbartonshire
51. Arrochar Alps adjacent
Ben A’an, Stirling
52. Trouble and Fife
Falkland Hill, Fife
53. Summits and spectres
Ben Hiant, Highlands
54. Walking warm-up
Druimarbin, Highlands
55. Monster mountain
Meall Fuar-mhonaidh, Highlands
56. Remote wanderings
Meall Innis an Loichel, Highlands
57. Cairngorms sampler
Craigellachie, Highlands
58. Braemar beauty
Creag Choinnich, Aberdeenshire
59. Brilliant Bennachie
Oxen Craig, Aberdeenshire
60. Bhraggie rights
Ben Bhraggie, Highlands

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