Cnicht North Top

The walk up Cnicht from the south takes roughly two hours, and it's proper rewarding. You're looking at a 689-metre peak that doesn't sound like much until you're halfway up and your legs are reminding you it's not the same as a stroll round Caernarfon. The views from the top sweep across the Snowdonia massif - you'll clock Snowdon itself on clear days, and the valley floor falls away beneath you in that stomach-lurching way that makes the effort feel justified.

This is one for proper hill walkers rather than families after a casual afternoon out. The path is steep, rocky in stretches, and demands decent boots and reasonable fitness. Allow three to four hours for the round trip if you're not racing it, and pick a day when the cloud isn't sitting on the mountainside - you'll get nothing but disappointment otherwise.

Cnicht works brilliantly as part of a wider Snowdonia loop if you're based at one of the nearby campsites. Bryn Dinas Camping Pods sits just 2.6 miles away, and Llyn Gwynant Campsite is barely further. The mountain doesn't require advance booking or payment - it's free access from the Caernarfon side - which means you can decide on the day whether conditions are worth the climb. In winter, conditions can turn nasty fast, so spring through autumn is genuinely the time to do this.