Fan Cynffon Ysgyfarnog

The walk up Fan Cynffon Ysgyfarnog from Neath is steep, properly steep, but the effort pays off in a way that gentler hills never quite manage. You're climbing to 886 metres across open moorland where the views sprawl across Powys without mercy - on a clear day you can see for miles across Mid Wales. The peak itself is bare and windswept, no shelter, no summit café, just the landscape and whatever weather decides to show up.

This is fell walking territory, not a gentle stroll. You'll want decent boots and the sense to check conditions before you head out, especially in winter when the exposed ridge gets properly treacherous. Most people allow three to four hours for the round trip from the valley base. The route doesn't require technical skill but it does require fitness and respect for the terrain.

Historians and peak baggers will get more from it than families with young children - the kids' attention span won't last long once the novelty of scrambling wears off. Walkers after that genuine sense of achievement, though? This delivers. The Brecon Beacons feel less crowded from up here, and you understand why people keep coming back to this corner of Wales.

If you're based at Four Falls Glamping just down the valley, it's a brilliant half-day adventure. Free to walk, naturally - this is open moorland.