Carneddau

The walk up Carneddau rewards you with proper views across the Radnorshire hills, all rolling moorland and distant peaks that stretch towards Snowdonia on a clear day. It's not a technical scramble - more a steady pull through bracken and grass - but the climb demands respect and decent boots. Allow three hours return from the car park, longer if you're dawdling to enjoy the landscape.

This is walker territory, pure and simple. Families with young children will find it a slog; older kids who've done a few hills will manage fine if the weather holds. History buffs won't find much here beyond the stones themselves and the sense of walking where people have walked for centuries. What you get instead is solitude and perspective - the kind of place where your phone loses signal and that feels like a feature, not a bug.

Llandrindod Wells sits just a few miles east and makes a sensible base, whether you're staying at Fforest Fields or Penmaenau Farm Camping. Both are close enough for an early start. The peak itself is completely free - no gates, no charges, no facilities up top. Go when the weather forecast shows a decent window; mist rolls in fast here and the views vanish entirely. Worth the drive from wherever you're camped in Mid Wales.