Coed Talon Bank

The walk up Coed Talon Bank is properly steep in places, but the views across the Dee Valley justify every lung-burning minute. You're looking at genuine Welsh countryside from a Flintshire vantage point - rolling farmland, distant hills, and on a clear day, sightlines that stretch toward Chester way beyond the border. The ascent takes you through woodland, which means shade on hot days and a proper sense of being in actual nature rather than on some manicured park trail. Allow about an hour for the round trip if you're reasonably fit; less if you're quick, more if you dawdle with a camera. It's free, obviously - it's a hill.

Walkers will find this genuinely rewarding. The path is well-trodden enough to follow, though you'll want decent footwear because it gets muddy in places. Families with young kids might struggle with the gradient, but teenagers who enjoy a proper trek will get on with it fine. History types won't find much archaeology here, but the landscape itself tells a story of rural Wales pressed up against the English border.

If you're staying at one of the glamping spots nearby - Honeypot Hideaways or Willow Farm are both within easy reach - this makes a cracking half-day outing that doesn't require a car journey. Early morning is best; you'll have the hill mostly to yourself and catch the light hitting the valley properly. Go on a clear day or don't bother going at all.