Bryn Gwyn

The walk up Bryn Gwyn rewards you with views that stretch across Cardigan Bay and inland toward the Cambrian Mountains - proper coastal drama. It's not a massive undertaking, but it's steep enough to earn the payoff, and there's something satisfying about climbing a Welsh peak that doesn't demand a full day of your time.

What you're doing here is straightforward: walking to the summit of a modest peak just outside Aberystwyth. The landscape shifts as you go up - from fields and scrubland to open moorland - and on a clear day the perspective you get of the coast and the town below makes the effort worthwhile. Families with older kids will manage it fine; younger ones might find the gradient a bit much.

This works brilliantly if you're based at one of the nearby campsites - Tyn Ffordd Fach is only four miles away, Woodlands Caravan Park and Brynllwyd Glamping a touch further. It's the sort of walk that fills a morning or early afternoon without eating up your whole day, leaving time for Aberystwyth's seafront attractions or a pub lunch afterward. The climb itself takes about an hour depending on your pace and how many times you stop to catch your breath or look back at the view.

There's no charge and no faffing about with opening hours - you simply go. Pick a day when the cloud's not sitting on the hills, wear something windproof, and bring decent footwear. It's a cracking spot if you want to get properly out into West Wales without committing to an epic expedition.