Foel Penolau

The walk up Foel Penolau rewards you with proper views across Snowdonia without the crowds you'll fight on the bigger peaks. It's a straightforward climb from near Talsarnau, taking about an hour to the summit if you're moving at a decent pace. Nothing dramatic happens at the top - no dramatic rock formations or dramatic views, just a quiet Welsh hillside where you can actually hear yourself think.

This one's for walkers who want a genuine hill walk without signing up for a full day expedition. Families with kids aged eight upwards will manage it fine, though younger ones might find the steady gradient a bit relentless. The main appeal is the walk itself rather than what you find at the summit. On a clear day you'll see into Snowdonia proper, but come on a Welsh drizzle day and you'll mostly see the next fifty metres of hillside.

It's free, obviously - just park sensibly and head up. Allow two to three hours if you're not rushing and want to sit about for twenty minutes at the top. The real value here is fitting it into a broader walking holiday based at one of the local caravan parks. Barcdy Caravan & Camping Park sits closest at under three miles away, making it dead convenient if you're camping nearby. Rhaeadr Nantcol Waterfalls is worth combining with this walk if you've got the time - gives you two proper objectives in one morning rather than just bumbling up and down a hill.