Pen Ffawyddog

The walk up Pen Ffawyddog isn't long, but it's steep enough to earn your views. From Crickhowell, you're looking at a proper climb through bracken and loose stone to reach this modest peak in the Black Mountains. The summit itself sits at 886 metres - high enough to feel like proper achievement, but low enough that you won't need ropes or experience.

What makes it worthwhile isn't the peak itself, which is fairly bare and windswept. It's the sightlines. On a clear day you're staring across the Usk Valley towards Crickhowell's castle ruins and the ridge beyond. The Brecon Beacons dominate the southern horizon. Walkers will get the most from this - it's not a scramble or technical route, just a straightforward hike with real payoff. Families with older kids who can manage the gradient will find it manageable in under two hours up and back.

Go in autumn when the bracken has turned rusty gold, or winter when the views cut sharp through clearer air. Summer brings midges and overheated tourists on the main paths.

If you're based at Cwmdu Campsite just down the valley, Pen Ffawyddog works as a morning expedition before lunch in Crickhowell. It's free, takes two to three hours depending on pace, and feels like proper hills without the bulk of Pen y Ghent or Pen Beacon. Not Instagram-famous, which is exactly the point.