Mynydd Rhiw

The walk up Mynydd Rhiw is properly steep - no messing about. From Pwllheli, it's maybe twenty minutes to the car park, then you're looking at a solid forty-minute climb with some decent scrambling near the top. Worth every breath though. The view from the 600-metre summit sweeps across the Cardigan Bay and back inland towards the mountains, and on a clear day you can see all the way to Snowdonia. There's something about reaching the top that makes you forget how knackered your legs are.

This is one for proper walkers rather than casual strollers. Families with older kids will manage it fine, but younger ones might find the exposed sections at the top a bit much. The path itself is well-used and marked, though it gets boggy in wet weather and loose in places - good boots essential. Allow at least two hours for the round trip, longer if you want to sit about and soak it in.

If you're staying at Treheli Farm or Glampio Coed nearby, Mynydd Rhiw makes a brilliant half-day excursion. It's got none of the visitor infrastructure of bigger peaks, which is rather the point - you'll likely have the summit to yourself, especially mid-week. The surrounding Lleyn Peninsula has quieter, less crowded walking than you'll find further east. Come early morning or late afternoon for the best light, and don't bother in thick cloud; the views are genuinely the whole reason you're here.