The only things required are a map, a backpack crammed with kit and food (and maybe some wine, if space allows) and a vague sense of which direction to start off in. With those essentials, the world is your oyster. Or the Brecon Beacons are, at least.

Snowdon is my favourite mountain in the UK. I don't mean the best: that title goes to An Teallach, traversed on a long, sunny autumn day a few years back. But Yr Wyddfa (to give it its proper title) is the one I keep coming back to. It simply ticks so many of the right walking boxes.

I'd never really thought about exploring Hertfordshire. The phrase 'Home Counties' drums up images of commuter towns, golf courses and - well, not much else. So when my sister suggested a walk there, my instant reaction was...