50 Peaks View

Climb high enough in Gwynedd and you'll understand why someone bothered to count them all. Fifty Peaks View delivers exactly what the name promises - a viewpoint in North Wales where, on a clear day, you can supposedly pick out fifty separate peaks stretching across the landscape. Whether you'll actually spot all fifty is another matter entirely, but the view itself is absolutely worth the effort to get there.

The walk up isn't trivial. You're looking at a proper hike with real elevation gain, the kind that leaves your calves talking to you the next morning. What you get for it is unobstructed panorama across Snowdonia and beyond - all those ridges and summits rolling away to the horizon. On a murky day you'll see maybe half of it; catch it after rain when the air clears, and it's genuinely spectacular.

This works best for keen walkers rather than casual strollers. Families with older kids will manage it, but don't bring the pushchair. History enthusiasts won't find much here beyond the landscape itself. The nearest town of Talsarnau is small but functional, and the caravan parks scattered nearby - Tyddyn Llwyn, Llechwedd Glamping, Cae Du, and Bryn Dinas - all make reasonable bases if you're doing the Snowdonia park-hopping circuit.

Allow a full morning or afternoon for the round trip. It's free, naturally. Go early if you can; afternoon clouds often roll in fast in these parts, and there's nothing worse than climbing all that way only to stand in a cloud wondering what you're meant to be looking at.