Nearest decent hill / mountain hike to Essex?!

[House4DS]

I know we're looking at a good 3-4 hr drive at least, but where would you go for a weekend?
I miss hills but distances seem daunting for a weekend.
Looking at Pen y Fan at 4hrs 30 mins.

Berkshire? But not if you want a mountain.

The Peak District is closer. Our favourite walks are Mam Tor and The Great Ridge, Kinder Scout and Bamford Edge.

You don't say where in Essex you are, but if I assume say Braintree (middle-ish of Essex), then 3 hours to Hathersage (Peak District), 4 hrs to Skipton (Yorkshire Dales), bit over 2 to Newbury (near Wessex Downs in Berkshire), around 3 to Tisbury (Cranbourne Chase or West Wiltshire Downs). The former two obviously more renowned as well as bigger hills, but the latter two also have some lovely landscapes, decent sized ridges etc. All have loads of paths, and the latter two lots of bridleways in case off road cycling is your thing.

There are some nice walks in the Chilterns - only an hour or less from Essex (depending of course on where you are in Essex).

The closest are around Royston or west of Hitchin. Admittedly these are rolling hills rather than mountains, but they're easy to do on a day trip or even just an afternoon.

The 80+ Greatest Walks in Chiltern Hills To Do In 2021 | 10Adventures

Thanks so much.
I was really struggling for ideas.
@Beck30 yes about the right location!
We're now down to 1 night instead of 2 with kids activities 🙄. I'm determined!