Cefn Gwyn

The walk up Cefn Gwyn rewards you with a proper sense of achievement without demanding your entire afternoon. It's a modest peak by Snowdonia standards - 545 metres - but the approach from Betws-y-Coed feels genuinely wild, threading through craggy woodland before breaking out onto open moorland where the views crack on for miles. On a clear day you're looking across the Conwy Valley toward Tryfan and the Glyders; on a grey one, it's all atmospheric mist and the occasional glimpse of distant ridges.

This is a solid half-day for walkers who want something less taxing than the big-name peaks but aren't keen on a flat riverside stroll. Families with kids aged ten-plus will manage it without fuss, though the initial scramble through the trees is a bit steeper than it looks. History types get less here - it's geology and landscape rather than ruins - but the moorland ecology is genuinely interesting if you're into that sort of thing.

Allow two to three hours round trip depending on pace and how long you linger at the top. The path is generally clear enough, though boots are worth wearing after rain. Free to access, naturally - it's a Snowdonia walk, not a ticketed attraction.

If you're based at Porth Eryri Glamping or Tyn Cornel Camping nearby, Cefn Gwyn slots in nicely alongside walks to Swallow Falls or a mooch round Betws-y-Coed village itself. Not a day-tripper's pilgrimage, but proper value if you're in the area.