Ffridd Ddu

The walk up Ffridd Ddu from Bala is one of those satisfying slog-and-reward arrangements that rewards you handsomely once you reach the top. It's a modest peak by Snowdonia standards - nothing that'll break your legs - but the views across the Bala Lake towards the higher mountains make the effort worthwhile.

This is proper walking terrain. The path is clear enough, though bog patches near the summit remind you that you're in North Wales proper. On a decent day the visibility is excellent; on a damp one, as I found it, the cloud rolls in fast and you're clambering about in mist wondering if you've missed the marker stone. Takes roughly two hours there and back from the town side, depending on fitness and how often you stop to catch your breath.

Families with older kids will manage it fine. Anyone after a quick stroll, though, will find it a bit much. The appeal is the walk itself and the panorama rather than anything on the summit - there's no café, no visitor centre, nothing really. Just you, the wind, and an awful lot of slate-grey scenery.

If you're based at Tyn Cornel Camping just down the road, this makes an excellent morning out before lunch back in Bala. It's the sort of thing that justifies taking walking boots on holiday rather than leaving them at home. Free to access, open year-round, and far less crowded than the honey-pot peaks further north.