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Summer in Mid Wales
Summer holidays in Mid Wales start at the beach and keep going until the light fades at ten o'clock at night. Cardigan Bay has some of the best beaches in Britain. Barmouth has the wide sandy beach backed by dunes and the Mawddach estuary. Aberdyfi is sheltered and good for families. Aberystwyth has the pier, the promenade and two beaches. New Quay has dolphins. Llangrannog has rock pools and a cove that makes you want to stay all day.
Inland, the countryside is at its best. The walking trails across Southern Eryri (Southern Snowdonia), through the Cambrian Mountains and along the Elan Valley reservoirs are long, quiet and spectacular. The Mawddach Trail from Dolgellau to Barmouth is one of the finest traffic-free cycling routes in Wales, running beside the estuary with mountain views all the way. Kayaking, coasteering, mountain biking at Nant yr Arian and wild swimming in rivers and reservoirs are all at their peak.
The events calendar fills up. The Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells in July is the biggest agricultural show in Europe, with four days of livestock, food, music and celebration. Green Man Festival brings music and arts to the Brecon Beacons every August. The Machynlleth Comedy Festival kicks off the season. County shows, markets and village fetes run all summer long.
For families, there are steam railways through the mountains, dolphin watching from New Quay, underground adventures at King Arthur's Labyrinth, red kite feeding at Gigrin Farm and the Centre for Alternative Technology near Machynlleth. The beaches keep children busy for hours, and the quiet roads and lanes are safe for cycling with the family.
Mid Wales in summer is also about eating well. Farm shops, country pubs and seaside cafes serve locally reared lamb, Cardigan Bay crab, Welsh cheese and ice cream made down the road. Fish and chips on the harbourside at New Quay or Barmouth is a summer essential.
Stay in a holiday cottage within walking distance of the beach, a campsite under dark skies, or a country B&B with views of the hills. Wherever you stay, you are never far from the coast, the mountains or a good pub. This is the part of Wales where the evenings are long, the beaches are uncrowded and the welcome is genuine.
