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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

Inspiration

Number of results: 52

, currently showing 21 to 40.

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Llanbedr

Address

Llanbedr, Gwynedd, LL45 2LD

Telephone
01341 280787

Llanbedr

Llanbedr is an attractive village situated between Barmouth and Harlech. It's an ideal location for walking and Shell Island is famous for it's abundance of sea shells.
Dolgellau

Address

Southern Snowdonia, Dolgellau, Gwynedd, LL40 1PS

Dolgellau

Dolgellau is the ideal base to explore southern Snowdonia's dramatic scenery, adrenalin-fuelled activities and world heritage attractions. It's a historic mountain town built on the wool trade and steeped in folklore.
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.
Llangrannog

Address

Ceredigion, SA44 6SD

Telephone
01239 613230

CardiganTIC@Ceredigion.gov.uk

Llangrannog is one of Ceredigion's favourite seaside resorts, seven miles south of New Quay. Its award winning sandy beaches nestle below the cliffs and are crossed by the Ceredigion section of the Wales Coast Path.
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.
Dinas Mawddwy

Address

Dinas Mawddwy, Gwynedd, LL49 9LP

Dinas Mawddwy

North-east of Machynlleth and south-east of Dolgellau, the village of Dinas Mawddwy is just to the side of the A470 at the junction with the mountain road to Lake Vyrnwy and Bala.
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.
St Dogmaels

Address

Pembrokeshire, SA41 3PX

The riverside village of St Dogmaels sits on the border of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. The village's main attractions are St Dogmaels Abbey and Y Felin water mill.
Pontrhydfendigaid

Address

Pontrhydfendigaid, Ceredigion, SY20 8TG

Telephone
01970 612125

aberystwythTIC@ceredigiong.gov.uk

Pontrhydfendigaid

At the heart of Pontrhydfendigaid - 'the bridge of the blessed ford' (known locally as ‘Bont’) is a narrow hump backed bridge across the river Teifi, whose source is about 5 miles away in the hills, at Teifi Pools.
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.
Bala & Penllyn

Address

Bala, Gwynedd, LL23 7AD

Telephone
01286 679686

tourism@gwynedd.llyw.cymru

Bala

Bala & Penllyn is an area within the Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park surrounded by the peaks of Aran Benllyn, Arenig Fawr and the Berwyn Mountains and home to the largest natural lake in Wales,
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.
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.
Llanfyllin

Address

Llanfyllin, Powys, SY22 5AQ

Telephone
01938 552043

ticwelshpool@btconnect.com

Llanfyllin

Llanfyllin is thriving market town in north Powys on the upper reaches of the Cain valley. It is an ideal centre to explore the area including nearby Lake Vyrnwy and Welshpool.
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.
Blaenau Ffestiniog

Address

Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, LL41 3HS

Telephone
01766 512981

porthmadog.tic@gwynedd.gov.uk

Blaenau Ffestiniog

Blaenau Ffestiniog is famously known as the "slate capital of Wales" and the "town that roofed the world". Its industrial role has long since diminished, yet Blaenau Ffestiniog attracts many visitors because of its rich slate history.
Ludlow

Address

Shrophire, SY8 1AS

Telephone
01584 875053

info@ludlow.org.uk

Located 28 miles south of Shrewsbury and 23 miles north of Hereford, the town of Ludlow is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and neighbouring Wales which is 14 miles to the west.
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…
Llanwrtyd Wells

Address

Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys, LD5 4RW

Llanwrtyd Wells

Llanwrtyd Wells is the smallest town in Britain. It is also one of the friendliest, having a long history of catering for the many visitors who today come to enjoy the unspoilt beauty of the surrounding Cambrian Mountains.
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.