Cerniau

The walk up Cerniau from Dolgellau is proper steep, but it rewards you with one of the cleanest views across the Mawddach valley you'll find anywhere in Snowdonia. It's a modest peak at 700-odd metres - nothing that'll break you - but the climb itself is relentless from the start. The path winds through mixed woodland before breaking out onto open moorland, where the views start to do the talking.

You get sweeping vistas across to Cadair Idris on a clear day, and the whole Mawddach estuary spreads out beneath you like someone's unrolled a map. The peak itself is unremarkable - a small cairn, nothing fancy - but the journey there is what matters. Walkers will find this a solid half-day outing from town. It's not a tourist trap, and you won't find crowds even in summer.

Families with confident hillwalkers might manage it, though younger legs could struggle with the gradient. Allow two to three hours for the round trip depending on fitness. Free to access, naturally - it's a Welsh hillside. Best tackled in decent weather; cloud cover here is miserable and kills the whole point of coming.

If you're based at Llwyn yr Helm or Torrent Walk campsite nearby, this fits nicely into a wider Dolgellau walking week. Combine it with the lower-level Mawddach Trail for variety, or use it as warm-up if you're eyeing Cadair Idris properly. Spring and autumn offer the most reliable weather.