Tirwedd Cenedlaethol Llŷn

The Llŷn Peninsula's nature reserve rolls across windswept moorland and coastal cliffs, offering proper solitude if you time it right. Tirwedd Cenedlaethol Llŷn isn't a manicured visitor attraction with visitor centres and gift shops - it's a working landscape where you actually have to earn the views by getting your boots muddy.

Walkers will find the best of it here. The terrain shifts from heathland to grassland, and on clearer days you'll spot across the Irish Sea. Bird watchers should bring binoculars - this is serious migration country, especially spring and autumn. The reserve protects some of Wales's rarest plants too, though you'll need a field guide to know what you're looking at.

It's absolutely free to access, and how long you spend depends entirely on you. An hour's ramble scratches the surface; half a day gets you properly away from things. Families with older kids who actually enjoy walking will rate this. Young children might find it a bit exposed and featureless if the weather turns.

Pwllheli sits just down the coast, making this an easy addition to a Llŷn holiday. Both Tyn Ddol Camping and Glampio Coed Glamping are within striking distance if you're basing yourselves for a few days. The reserve pairs well with coastal walks towards Aberdaron - you're in proper landscape territory here, not seaside-day-out country.