Bryn Brith

The walk up Bryn Brith from Dolgellau is straightforward enough - you're looking at a modest peak that won't leave you gasping, though the final push gets a bit steeper than you'd expect for something this size. The real appeal is how quickly you escape the town and into proper mountain country. On a clear day the views across the Cader Idris range are genuinely good, and you can see why this became a favourite spot for the Victorian walkers who first documented the route.

It's a solid choice if you're camping at Graig Wen or Hendre Mynach and fancy something more manageable than the bigger peaks nearby. Families with kids aged eight and up will manage it fine - there's nothing technical, just steady climbing through moorland and scrubby vegetation. Allow a couple of hours return trip depending on your pace and how long you linger at the top.

The thing to know is it's not dramatic in the way Cader Idris is. You won't find dramatic ridges or scrambling. What you get instead is solitude and a real sense of being away from it all, which frankly is more valuable on a busy bank holiday weekend. The walk works brilliantly as part of a longer route around Dolgellau if you're based at one of the nearby campsites - it's close enough to do between breakfast and lunch without eating your whole day. On wet days the paths can get boggy, so proper boots matter.