Esgair Llethr

The walk up Esgair Llethr from Tregaron takes you into proper hill country, the sort of place where you can actually hear yourself think. It's not a brutal ascent - more of a steady climb through moorland that opens up to sweeping views across the Cambrian Mountains. The peak itself sits at around 2,000 feet, which means the air gets properly thin if you're not used to it, but the reward is genuine: on a clear day you're looking out over Ceredigion's heartland, rolling ridges and valleys stretching to the horizon.

Walkers will get the most from this one. It's not a quick tick-box summit - allow a good three to four hours for the round trip depending on your pace and fitness. The terrain is moorland underfoot, so decent boots are essential, especially after rain when it turns bog-like. There's a certain grimness to the landscape up here, no trees, no shelter, which somehow makes it feel more honest than the packaged peaks further south.

If you're basing yourself at Cambrian Mountains Glamping and Camping just down the road, this makes an excellent day out. It pairs well with exploring the quieter corners of mid-Wales - Tregaron itself is worth an hour or two, though it's genuinely small. The walk is free, obviously, and you'll have most of the mountain to yourself, which is precisely the point. Go early if weather's iffy.