Pen Pumlumon Arwystli

The walk up Pen Pumlumon Arwystli rewards you with one of the finest views across mid-Wales. At 741 metres, it's not a scramble - more a proper hill walk that takes around two hours from the car park near Aberystwyth. The summit sits on the Pumlumon massif, that sprawling plateau of moorland that dominates this corner of Ceredigion, and on a clear day you can see all the way to Snowdonia and the Cardigan Bay coast.

It's the kind of walk that suits families with confident legs and anyone after genuine Welsh wilderness without the climbing grade. The path is well-trodden and free to do. Allow three hours if you're not moving quickly, and avoid the wetter months when the plateau turns boggy - autumn and early spring are best.

You'll encounter proper moorland up here: rough grass, heather, and wind that comes straight off the Irish Sea. The views are the thing though. South towards the Teifi Valley, north to the Cambrians, and that satisfying moment when you realise how far you've walked from Aberystwyth. History buffs might appreciate that this was royal hunting ground centuries back.

If you're based at one of the nearby parks like Forester's Retreat Glamping or tyn ffordd fach, this makes a cracking half-day excursion. It's not dramatic in the Peak District sense, but it's genuine upland Wales - open, honest, and worth the effort. The descent is quicker than you'd think, which means you're back for a proper tea by mid-afternoon.