Hafod Ithel

The walk up Hafod Ithel is a proper scramble if you're coming from Llanon side - steep enough that you'll feel it in your legs but short enough that you won't regret it halfway up. The peak itself sits at around 1,000 feet, which in Ceredigion terms means you're genuinely above most of the surrounding terrain and the views across West Wales are genuinely worth the huff and puff.

What makes it work is the raw hillwalking - no visitor centre, no gift shop, none of that nonsense. You get open moorland, the occasional stone wall cutting across the ridge, and on a clear day you can see right across toward the coast near Llanon. It's the kind of walk where you might have the place to yourself, especially on weekday mornings. Families with older kids will manage it fine; younger ones might find the climb tedious. This is proper walkers' territory.

Allow a couple of hours for the round trip depending on fitness and how long you want to linger at the top. There's no entrance fee that I'm aware of - it's open access moorland. The nearest base would be one of the caravan parks clustered around the area - Brynarian, Pengarreg, or Morfa Farm are all within five or six miles, which puts you perfectly placed for exploring this quieter corner of Ceredigion. It's not dramatic like the big peaks further south, but that's rather the point.