Pen Pontblyddyn

You'll want decent legs for this one - Pen Pontblyddyn rises 1,007 feet above the Flintshire countryside, and the climb up from Chester way is a proper slog. But that's the appeal, really. The views from the trig point sweep across the Dee Valley, into Wales proper, and back towards the Wirral when you've stopped wheezing and can actually focus on the horizon.

It's not a technical scramble. The path is well-trodden, if a bit boggy in places, and most walkers manage it in under an hour each way once they've found the right starting point. Families with older kids who can handle a sustained uphill will get something from it - the summit feels genuinely isolated despite being only a few miles from Chester's suburbs. Younger children might find it tedious. History buffs won't find much up there beyond the trig point itself, but the landscape tells its own story if you know what you're looking at.

Free to access, obviously. Best visited on a clear day - on grey ones, you're paying for elevation with no payoff. Spring through autumn works fine, though winter can be muddy and the lower visibility makes the effort feel pointless.

If you're based at Honeypot Hideaways or Willow Farm Glamping nearby, it's a solid morning walk that justifies breakfast back at your site. Neither park is far enough to make it a full-day mission. Worth doing if you're already in the area; worth planning a trip around? That depends on your walk standards.