Plas-uchaf Reservoir

Water surrounded by Welsh hillside - that's Plas-uchaf Reservoir in a nutshell. It's a proper walk to get there from Abergele, but walkers and anyone after a genuine bit of quiet will find it worth the effort. The reservoir itself sits in moorland that feels genuinely remote, even though you're only a few miles from the coast.

There's no visitor centre or facilities to speak of, which is either brilliant or rubbish depending on your mood. You get the landscape as it is - no gift shop, no cafe, just water and hills. It's free to access and you can walk the perimeter if you fancy it, though the paths aren't formally maintained. Allow a couple of hours if you're planning to do a full circuit.

For families with older kids who can handle a proper walk, it's decent. Younger children might find it a bit dull after twenty minutes unless they're the type who get excited about spotting birds or spotting fish. History buffs won't find much here - it's functional Victorian engineering, not a castle.

If you're staying at one of the nearby parks like Plas Farm or Ty Mawr, it makes a solid half-day outing to break up beach trips. The moorland walking around it is the real appeal. Go when the weather's decent - in rain it's just a grey puddle on a grey hillside, and the approach gets muddy fast.