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Destinations in Mid Wales | Places to Visit

Places to Visit in Mid Wales

Mid Wales stretches from the Brecon Beacons in the south to the mountains of Southern Snowdonia in the north, from the English border to the Cardigan Bay coast. It covers three counties, dozens of market towns, hundreds of miles of walking paths and some of the emptiest landscape in Britain. This is not a place you visit for attractions. You come for the land itself.

Where should I go in Mid Wales?

That depends on what you are looking for. The Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) have the highest mountains in southern Britain, waterfall walks and the dark sky reserve. Central Powys is quieter still: market towns like Builth Wells and Llandrindod Wells surrounded by green valleys and the Elan Valley reservoirs. The Ceredigion coast runs along Cardigan Bay with harbour towns, dolphin watching and the Wales Coast Path. Southern Snowdonia has Cadair Idris, the Mawddach Estuary and the castle town of Harlech. North Powys stretches from Welshpool to Machynlleth, with Lake Vyrnwy and the Montgomeryshire canal.

What is the landscape like?

Varied, and wilder than people expect. The Cambrian Mountains in the centre of the region are among the most sparsely populated uplands in England and Wales. Red kites circle overhead, rivers run fast and clean, and the roads wind through valleys where farms outnumber houses. The coast is different again: wide bays, rocky headlands, bottlenose dolphins offshore and long beaches that empty out as soon as you walk five minutes from the car park.

Which towns are worth visiting?

Brecon is the gateway to the national park, with a cathedral, independent shops and a good food scene. Aberystwyth is the largest town on the coast, a university town with a promenade, pier and a funicular railway up Constitution Hill. Machynlleth has a Wednesday market, the Museum of Modern Art and the Centre for Alternative Technology nearby. Rhayader is the gateway to the Elan Valley. Crickhowell has more independent shops per head than almost anywhere in Wales.

Every town here has its own character. None of them are trying to be something they are not.

Mid Wales rewards the visitor who picks one area and stays a while. Book a cottage in the Brecon Beacons for walking, a B&B in Aberystwyth for the coast, or a farmhouse in the Cambrian Mountains for the silence. Each area has its own character, and a week is barely enough to feel you have scratched the surface. Browse our accommodation search to find your starting point.

Discover Mid Wales Destinations

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Number of results: 52

, currently showing 21 to 40.

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Aberteifi | Cardigan

Address

Cardigan, Ceredigion, SA43 1JL

Telephone
01545 570602

aberaerontic@ceredigion.gov.uk

Cardigan

Cardigan sits on the border between Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire with many superb beaches & coastal walks nearby.
Talgarth

Address

Brecon, Powys, LD3 0BW

Brecon

The ancient market Town of Talgarth nestles beneath the Black Mountains which run along the border between Wales and England. Close to Brecon, Crickhowell and Hay-on-Wye, it provides an ideal base for visitors wishing to explore the area.
Llanymddfri | Llandovery

Address

Llanymddfri | Llandovery, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, SA20 0AW

Llandovery

Llanymddyffri, or Llandovery, means ‘church among the waters. Surrounded by three rivers, the Towy, the Bran, and the Gwydderi. Llandovery is a market town with a population of just under 3000.
Harlech

Address

Harlech, Gwynedd, LL46 2YA

Harlech

Harlech is a historic town on the Snowdonia coast which has fantastic beaches, Royal St David's - one of Wales' finest golf courses and Harlech Castle which a World heritage site.
Llanbedr Pont Steffan | Lampeter

Address

Lampeter, Ceredigion, SA48 7AA

Telephone
01970 612125

aberystwythtic@ceredigion.gov.uk

Lampeter

The market town of Lampeter in the Teifi Valley - home of the oldest University in Wales, surrounded by beautiful countryside.
Tref farchnad Llambed yn Nyffryn Teifi, cartref y Brifysgol hynaf yng Nghymru, yng nghanol cefn gwlad hyfryd.
Rhaeadr Gwy | Rhayader

Address

Rhayader, Powys, LD6 5BU

Rhayader

A busy, historic market town, Rhayader is named after 'Rhayadr Gwy', a Welsh name for a local waterfall on the Wye. The town is situated in the very heart of Mid Wales in the beautiful Upper Wye Valley sheltered by the Cambrian Mountains.
Pontarfynach | Devil's Bridge

Address

Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion, SY23 3JW

Devil's Bridge

The village of Devil's Bridge is situated at the head of the Rheidol Valley in the heart of the Cambrian Mountains. Famous for its bridges and waterfall, Devil's Bridge and can be reached via the Vale of Rheidol Steam Railway.
Llwyngwril

Address

Gwynedd, LL37 2JS

Telephone
01341 280787

barmouth.tic@gwynedd.gov.uk

Llwyngwril is a coastal village with a population of around 500. The village falls within the Snowdonia National Park.
Y Gelli Gandryll | Hay-on-Wye

Address

Hay-on-Wye, Powys, HR3 5DG

Telephone
01982 553307

Hay-on-Wye

Hay-on-Wye - in Welsh 'Y Gelli Gandryll' or just 'Y Gelli' is well known as 'the town of books' and is home to the Hay Literature Festival.
Tywyn

Address

Tywyn, Gwynedd, LL36 0DF

Telephone
01654 767321

TIC.Aberdyfi@eryri-npa.gov.uk

Tywyn

Tywyn is a coastal town in Southern Snowdonia on the Mid Wales coast. The name Tywyn comes from the Welsh word for beach or sand dunes.
Oswestry

Address

Shropshire, SY11 2TE

Telephone
01654 702653

info@mwtcymru.co.uk

Oswestry is the third largest town in Shropshire with a population of 17,000; it is five miles from the border with Wales and has a mixed Welsh and English heritage.
Aberaeron

Address

Ceredigion, SA46 0BT

Telephone
01545 570602

aberaerontic@ceredigion.gov.uk

Aberaeron is one of Wales's most stylish coastal towns. It is on the Ceredigion coast and the Wales Coast Path is accessible from the town. Sited at the mouth of the river Aeron, the harbour operated as a port in the 19th century and steam ships…
Machynlleth

Address

Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 8BL

Machynlleth

Unwind in the heart of the Dyfi Biosphere at Machynlleth. Part of the UNESCO Dyfi Biosphere and offers exciting activities, from mountain biking to exploring the natural beauty of Mid Wales. The Centre for Alternative Technology is an excellent…
Llanfair Caereinion

Address

Llanfair Caereinion, Powys, SY21 0SQ

Llanfair Caereinion

Llanfair Caereinion in Montgomeryshire's Banwy Valley is one of the smallest towns in Powys. Almost 3,000 people lived here in the mid 19th century when the woollen industry was at its peak.
Llanandras | Presteigne

Address

Presteigne, Powys, LD8 2AD

Presteigne

Presteigne, (Llanandras in Welsh), was once the county town of Radnorshire and nestles at the heart of the Mid Wales Marches on the border of Wales and England. Presteigne and Norton have been designated by DarkSky International as the very first…
Llanrhystud

Address

Llanrhystud, Ceredigion, SY23 5BW

Telephone
01970 612125

AberystwythTIC@ceredigion.gov.uk

Llanrhystud

Llanrhystud is a Ceredigion coastal village midway between Aberystwyth and Aberaeron. It has a half mile long sandy beach at low tide which is well suited for windsurfing and swimming.
Aberporth

Address

Ceredigion, SA43 2BU

Telephone
01239 613230

cardigantic@ceredigion.gov.uk

Set picturesquely overlooking two sandy beaches, the resort village of Aberporth is one of West Wales' most favoured family holiday locations. The beach is a regular recipient of Blue Flag and Seaside awards.
Y Fenni | Abergavenny

Address

Monmouthshire, NP7 5HD

Abergavenny is the traditional gateway to South Wales and to the Brecon Beacons National Park. The old market town is surrounded by beautiful border countryside and home to the best food festival in the UK.
Aberdyfi | Aberdovey

Address

Aberdyfi, Gwynedd, LL35 0ED

Telephone
01654 767321

TIC.Aberdyfi@eryri-npa.gov.uk

Aberdyfi

Aberdyfi's pastel-coloured terraces front a large sandy beach and quaint old harbour. The town is a popular centre for sailing, watersports and golf.
Fairbourne

Address

Fairbourne, Gwynedd, LL38 2PZ

Fairbourne

Between Dolgellau and Tywyn off the A493, the village of Fairbourne has a sandy beach two miles long on the Cambrian Coast with the superb countryside of the Snowdonia National Park to the east.