Craig Lwyd

The rocky outcrop of Craig Lwyd rises abruptly from the moorland south of Dolgellau, and on a clear day you can see why walkers make the short detour. It's not a massive undertaking - more of a stiff half-hour scramble than a proper fell walk - but it gives you views across the Cader Idris range that justify the effort. The summit is exposed, craggy, properly windswept. You get a real sense of being up on something, even though you're not massively high.

What makes it work for a holiday based around Dolgellau is the flexibility. If you're staying at Graig Wen or Llwyn yr Helm nearby, you can knock this out before breakfast properly warms up, or tag it onto a bigger day in the hills. Families with older children will manage it fine; younger kids might find the final push rocky and loose underfoot. The approach is straightforward enough that you won't get lost, but it's genuinely wild up there - no picnic facilities, no tidy paths, no cafe at the top.

Timing-wise, allow 45 minutes up and down if you're reasonably fit. Wind and weather change fast on the Dolgellau hills, so check conditions before you go. It's free, naturally - you're just walking across open moorland. The real value is seeing how the landscape sits together from this vantage point. Worth doing once if you're in the area for a few days; don't plan your entire trip around it.