Carneddol

Carneddol sits at 627 metres on the Lleyn Peninsula, a proper hill rather than a mountain but all the better for it - you can bag the summit without needing ropes or a dawn start. The walk up from Pwllheli side takes about an hour, following tracks through moorland that open out as you climb. On a clear day you're looking at Cardigan Bay spreading out below, the Snowdonia range to the east, and if you're lucky, the Wicklow Mountains across the Irish Sea.

This is walker terrain, full stop. Families with young kids might find the final push a bit steep, but teenagers who've got their legs will manage it fine. The real appeal is solitude - you won't find tour buses here or crowds of Instagram hunters. It's the sort of hill where you actually notice the wind, the light changing, the way the land falls away around you.

Staying at one of the holiday parks clustered near Pwllheli - Tal-y-Fan is closest at just under two miles - gives you quick access without the drive time that kills a morning. The walk itself is free, naturally. Allow a good three hours there and back if you're not rushing, longer if the weather's turning and you want to move carefully on descent.

Go when the cloud's high and the visibility decent. Midweek in autumn works brilliantly - fewer people, that particular Welsh light that makes everything look sharper. Winter can be brutal up there; summer crowds are manageable but the ground gets worn.