Cribyn Llwyd

The walk up Cribyn Llwyd isn't long, but it's steep enough to make you work for the view. This modest peak sits just outside Aberystwyth, rising sharply from the surrounding moorland with the kind of exposure that catches you off guard when you're used to gentler Welsh hills. The summit itself is rocky and windswept - proper bleak on a grey day, genuinely spectacular when the light's right and you can see across Cardigan Bay.

The appeal here is straightforward. You get a proper hill walk without needing a full day - most people are up and back in ninety minutes. The views reward the effort: on a clear day, the sweep of Cardigan Bay stretches out below, and you can pick out the coast curving away towards Barmouth. The ground underfoot is rough moorland grass and stone, so decent boots are non-negotiable. It's the sort of walk that appeals to families wanting something real but not gruelling, or walkers using Aberystwyth as a base between longer explorations.

The proximity to Aber Bay Holiday Park and Clarach Bay Holiday Village makes this ideal if you're staying on the coast - you're barely ten minutes from the car park. A bonus: it's free, and there's no gatekeeping or opening hours nonsense. That said, check the weather before you head up. When the cloud rolls in off the bay, visibility drops fast and the wind becomes genuinely unpleasant. Come when the forecast is decent, and you'll understand why people bothered walking it in the first place.