Trawsfynydd

The walk up Trawsfynydd isn't going to blow your mind with views - but it'll give you a proper sense of achievement, and that counts for something. This 512-metre peak sits inland from the Snowdonia coast, between Dolgellau and the market towns of mid-Wales, and it's the kind of hill that rewards a clear day without demanding Alpine fitness.

You're looking at a steady climb through moorland with the occasional rocky scramble. The summit's all gorse and exposed stone, with sight lines across the Cader Idris massif and down towards the Mawddach estuary if visibility plays ball. On a foggy afternoon - and this is North Wales, so odds are good - you'll see about fifty metres. The terrain itself is the real draw here: rough underfoot, properly wild, with none of the manicured-path feel of the bigger Snowdonian peaks.

This is walker's terrain, not a family afternoon out. Allow two to three hours up and down from the car park. It's free, obviously - it's a mountain. The nearest real facilities are in Dolgellau, about six miles south.

If you're based at one of the local caravan parks - Graig Wen, Sunbeach, or Hendre Mynach all sit within an hour's drive - Trawsfynydd works as a quieter alternative to the Snowdon circus. It won't give you Instagram moments, but it'll give you solitude. That's rather the point.