Hardcastle Crags

Hardcastle Crags is a spectacular wooded valley in the South Pennines, covering more than 400 acres of unspoilt woodland crisscrossed by over 15 miles of footpaths. At the heart of it all sits Gibson Mill, a 19th-century cotton mill that runs entirely off-grid and is the National Trust's flagship sustainable building. The countryside is open dawn to dusk every day of the year.

There is a good variety of waymarked walking routes to suit different abilities and ages, from the gentle 1.25-mile riverside Mill Walk with its weirs and stepping stones, to the longer Railway Trail and Crags Constitutional, which takes in dramatic cliffs and waterfalls. Do wear proper walking boots if you are heading onto the rockier trails, as the ground can be uneven and slippery after rain. Wildlife is abundant throughout, with dippers, wagtails and herons along the streams, and fungi in the grasslands.

Gibson Mill is open most of the year and houses the Weaving Shed Café, a second-hand bookshop run by volunteers, and a regularly changing programme of art exhibitions across its upper floors. There are also events running through the season, including foraging sessions, bushcraft days and forest bathing. Picnic areas are available in the mill courtyard and the nearby meadow.