Cefn y Capel

The walk up to Cefn y Capel rewards you with one of those views that makes the climb proper worthwhile. It's a modest peak in the Snowdonia foothills above Blaenau Ffestiniog, nothing like the big bruisers further north, but that's rather the point - you get the drama without fighting crowds all the way up.

The route itself is straightforward enough, a well-trodden path that gains height steadily without being brutal. What strikes you most is how the landscape opens out as you climb. You're looking across to the slate quarries that built this whole area, down into the valleys, and on clear days you've got proper views towards the Snowdon massif. The peak itself is unremarkable - a cairn and not much else - but the vantage point is everything.

This works brilliantly for walkers of moderate fitness who want something substantial without the full mountaineering commitment. Families might find it a bit of a slog depending on kids' ages, though the sense of achievement at the top tends to cancel out the complaints. Plan for about an hour and a half up, an hour down if you're moving at a reasonable pace.

If you're camped at Llyn Gwynant Campsite just down the road, it makes a cracking afternoon sortie. The weather in Snowdonia shifts constantly, so go on a clear day if you can - that's when you really understand why people were drawn to this slate-mining corner of the world in the first place. No facilities on the peak itself, so bring water.