Pen Rhiw-ddu

The walk up Pen Rhiw-ddu from Llangadog is one of those proper Carmarthenshire outings where you earn your views. It's not a mountain in the dramatic sense - more a substantial hill that rises above the rolling farmland - but the ascent gives you time to appreciate the landscape changing around you as you climb. The summit offers sight lines across the Towy Valley and beyond towards the Black Mountains, which is genuinely worth the leg work.

Allow two to three hours for the round trip depending on your pace and fitness. The terrain is straightforward moorland walking rather than scrambling, so families with older kids will manage fine. Younger walkers might find the latter stages a bit of a slog, but nothing technical. The reward at the top is that rare thing - a place quiet enough to think, with enough distance to properly see where you are.

Start early if you can. Afternoon mist creeps in across these hills without warning, and you want good visibility to make sense of the landscape you're looking at. There's no admission charge or facilities on the hill itself - it's all down to you and your own kit.

If you're based at one of the nearby camping spots like Cosmos or Llandyfan, this makes an excellent morning walk before settling back to camp life. It's close enough to Llangadog to do without a long drive, but far enough from town that you feel genuinely away. The walk sits well in a wider exploration of the Towy Valley - Dinefwr Castle and Dryslwyn are both within striking distance if you want more structure to your day.