Round off your year on a high with these 7 UK peaks a mix of challenging, scenic, and celebratory walks that’ll leave you finishing the year well above sea level.
Whether you’re chasing a personal milestone, trying to bag one more summit, or simply looking for a meaningful way to round off the year, these seven peaks are the perfect way to do it. They’re not just scenic or satisfying; they’re symbolic. The kind of hills you’ll remember, with enough height, atmosphere, or challenge to feel like you’ve earned your year’s end.
From rugged classics to windswept ridge walks, these are the peaks to close out your walking year, head cleared, legs tired, summit logged.
Brecon Beacons – 886 m
South Wales’ highest peak is an accessible but rewarding climb. The quieter Cwm Gwdi approach adds a sense of journey, and on a crisp winter’s morning, the summit feels properly alpine. Perfect for that “one last hill” that doesn’t take all day.
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs – 454 m
It may be small, but Ben A’an punches above its weight. The trail climbs steeply through pine forest before delivering an epic view down Loch Katrine especially dramatic at sunrise. Ideal for a symbolic summit on New Year’s Eve or Day.
Arrochar Alps – 884 m
If you’re looking to round off the year with something a little more adventurous, the Cobbler’s rocky profile delivers. The main summit requires a short scramble, but the views over Loch Long and beyond are worth it. A classic end-of-year challenge.
Cairngorms – 1,090 m
Remote but accessible from Glenmore Lodge, Bynack More is a broad, quiet Munro with a distinctive granite tor summit. It feels like a big journey without needing to camp or cross treacherous ground, ideal for experienced walkers looking for solitude before the calendar flips.
Yorkshire Dales – 723 m
One of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, but far less crowded in December. The Clapham route adds interest with caves, limestone pavements, and a good mix of steady gradients and exposed tops. End your year with gritstone beneath your boots and big skies overhead.
Lake District – 931 m
This ridgeline route to Skiddaw is often overlooked in favour of the direct tourist path, but Ullock Pike and Long Side offer a much more elegant ascent. Skiddaw’s wide summit plateau is often dusted in snow by late December and the views stretch from the Solway Firth to the Scottish Borders.
Northumberland – 815 m
There’s something about the open isolation of the Cheviots that suits the end of a year. The climb from Harthope Valley is quiet and atmospheric, and if the weather plays fair, the summit offers uninterrupted peace. A perfect place to reflect or reset.
The final summit of the year doesn’t need to be the biggest, just something that gives you that sense of finishing well. Whether it’s a dawn start, a solo hike, or a snow-covered cairn, these seven peaks offer different flavours of closure, physical, seasonal, or personal.
The hill doesn’t care if you’ve hit all your targets or none at all. But reaching a summit before year’s end? That’s always worth doing.
Photo by Harry Shelton on Unsplash
