Monkham Hill [Withycombe Common]

Perched above the Washford Valley, Monkham Hill is a modest Exmoor lump that swaps rugged drama for quiet, wooded dignity. It's essentially a prehistoric cemetery with a view, perfect for those who enjoy dodging conifers and wondering if they’ve actually reached the highest point.

• •The summit area is a protected time capsule, home to several Bronze Age round barrows that suggest the locals have been enjoying the views here for at least 4,000 years.
• •The hill is a neighbor to the historic West Somerset Mineral Railway, which once hauled iron ore down to Watchet harbor, though the hill itself has successfully retired from such manual labor.
• •From the top, you can see across the Bristol Channel to the Welsh coast, provided the notorious Exmoor mist isn't currently pretending the rest of the world has been deleted.
• •The name 'Withycombe' refers to a valley of willows, which sounds far more poetic than the reality of the occasionally damp and prickly undergrowth you'll encounter.
• •Navigation here is an exercise in faith; the network of logging tracks is seemingly designed to lure hikers into a recursive loop that only ends when you apologize to a larch tree.