Llyn Foel-Dinas

A glacial lake tucked into the Cader Idris massif, Llyn Foel-Dinas sits high enough that you won't stumble upon it by accident. The water is dark and serious - proper mountain lake, the kind that reflects the grey Welsh sky back at you and makes you understand why people wrote poetry about these places.

Getting there means a decent walk from Dolgellau, climbing steadily through moorland before the water comes into view between the peaks. It's not a stroll you'll manage in trainers if it's been wet, but it's the kind of hike that pays for itself. The cirque around the lake is dramatic - high ground all round, which means you're genuinely removed from the world even though civilisation is only a few miles down the valley.

Walkers will rate this more than casual visitors. There's no café, no facilities, just water and stone and silence. Families with younger kids might find the approach hard work for what amounts to a lake you can't swim in, though teenagers keen on hill walking will get something out of it.

If you're based at Llwyn yr Helm Caravan Park nearby, this works as a proper morning's adventure - allow three to four hours return depending on fitness. Go early or midweek if you want any sense of solitude. The Cader Idris area has other walks of varying difficulty, so it slots well into a week exploring the southern Snowdonia ridges.