Coed Gwyddelod

The woodland around Caernarfon feels properly wild once you leave the town behind. Coed Gwyddelod is a genuine forest walk rather than a manicured visitor attraction - no visitor centre, no car park with facilities, just trees and paths and the kind of quiet you don't get often in North Wales.

It's an easy-going ramble through mixed woodland with decent footpaths, the sort of place where you actually need to know where you're going. Bring a map or your phone with offline maps loaded. The canopy gets thick in summer, which means it stays cool and damp - good news if the weather turns, less good if you like open vistas. You'll see nothing like the views from the Snowdon paths, but that's rather the point.

Families with younger kids might find it a bit samey after forty minutes of walking, but serious woodland walkers will appreciate it's not rammed with other people. The paths are stable enough for regular trainers, though after rain it gets boggy in places.

There's no entrance fee because there's no gate. Pop in whenever you fancy. Allow anything from an hour for a short circuit to three hours if you're exploring properly. It works brilliantly as a half-day alongside a visit to Caernarfon Castle, or as a quieter alternative if you're staying at Aberafon Camping just down the road and want to escape the beach crowd. November through March feels best - fewer midges and the trees look skeletal but proper.