Moel Morfydd

The walk up Moel Morfydd isn't long, but it's steep enough to get your heart pumping within the first ten minutes. Starting from near Ruthin, you're climbing through proper hill country - moorland that shifts from green to brown depending on the season, with the sort of wind that makes you grateful you brought a jacket even if the valley looked calm.

What makes this one worthwhile is the view across Denbighshire once you crest the top. On a clear day you can see right across to the Clwydian Range, and the surrounding patchwork of fields and forests gives you a real sense of the landscape's scale. It's not a peak that demands hours - figure forty-five minutes up, similar down - but it rewards you properly for the effort.

This is essentially a walker's climb. Families with young children might find it a slog, though determined kids will manage it fine. The terrain is straightforward - no scrambling, just relentless gradient. History buffs won't find much here beyond the ancient hills themselves, but if you're after fresh air and a proper little exertion, it delivers.

If you're based at Clwydian Glamping Pods just a few miles away, this makes a cracking morning out before lunch. The whole experience is free, obviously - it's common land - and you can do it any time the weather permits. Go midweek if you can. Weekends pull in more hikers, which rather dilutes the peace.