The Royal Welsh Show.
The pinnacle event in the British agricultural calendar, the Royal Welsh Show…
Along with an exciting four-days of livestock and equine competitions, with entries travelling from far and wide to compete, the show has something to interest everyone through its wide range of activities including forestry, horticulture, crafts, countryside sports, shopping, food and drink and a 12-hour programme each day of exciting entertainment, attractions and displays.
With four-days packed full of competition, attractions, displays, activities, live music and shopping… there is plenty to see and do at the Royal Welsh Show.
Hay Festival.
One of the world’s biggest and best literary festivals happens every year in late spring in the little borders town of Hay-on-Wye.
Dreamed up around a kitchen table by Peter Florence and his parents over 30 years ago, the first Hay Festival was held in the modest surroundings of a pub garden. These days it attracts 100,000-plus visitors over 11 days to engage with the world’s great writers, poets, philosophers, historians, scientists, comedians and musicians. It’s moved to a large tented village on the outskirts of town with 10 venues, pop-up cafes, shops and restaurants. Between sessions, visitors can relax in deckchairs on the village green, browse the stalls and visit a festival bookshop which stocks 55,000 titles by visiting speakers. Evenings are devoted to music, comedy and film.
Golfing.
Central Wales is a vast area which offers a classic variety of golfing test and, like everywhere else in the Principality, you can enjoy some superb scenery at the same time.
The area’s best-known course is undoubtedly Royal St David’s, a magnificent links which sits in the shadow of Harlech Castle. The course has staged numerous tournaments, both for amateurs and professionals, over the years and is not to be missed when you’re visiting this part of the world.
The same goes for Aberdovey, loved by Welsh golfing legend Ian Woosnam among many others. Inland you will find Llandrindod Wells, a testing course designed by Harry Vardon, while Llanymynech, near Oswestry, is another gem.
Walking.
Mid Wales is walking country. By which we mean that, at any given spot, the view will be so wonderful that you’ll want to get a bit farther into it. And walking is generally the best way. You certainly won’t have any trouble finding a footpath. For a start we’ve got two of Britain’s 15 National Trails. One of them, Offa’s Dyke Path, meanders through Mid Wales as part of a 177-mile journey that Lonely Planet voted one of the world’s greatest wall walks – along with the Berlin Wall, Hadrian’s Wall and the Great Wall of China. The other one, Glyndwr’s Way, we have entirely to ourselves. A vast horseshoe curving from one side of Wales to the other linking Welshpool, Machynlleth and Knighton (the only town in Wales that’s on two National Trails).
We have three stunning river valley routes – the Wye Valley Walk, the Severn Way and the Taff Trail – and a walk across the entire Brecon Beacons National Park.
Cycling.
Mid Wales is beautiful, varied, quiet, and off the beaten track – which makes it perfect for your next cycling holiday.
Jumping on a bike is an eco-friendly way of seeing some of Wales’ beautiful landscapes and improving your fitness at the same time. Thankfully, the cycling revolution is truly underway here in Wales with more cycle paths, mountain-bike routes and cycling tours being developed across the country. We’ve got a selection of lush biking routes for your to try in Wales so that you can explore some of our lovely landscapes by bike.
Each bike route has different challenges, distance and ability requirements, so whatever your level, you’ll be well catered for. Many of the routes have great facilities along the way, too, including cafés and toilets.
Kayaking, Paddleboarding & Canoeing
The Wye Valley borders England and Wales and is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. One of the most natural features in the area is the flowing River Wye. This meandering river begins in Plynlimon (in mid-Wales) and flows south, becoming part of the border between Wales and England, and then eventually meeting the Severn.
Gently paddling down the river is a unique way of experiencing the beautiful scenery of the Wye Valley, spotting wildlife and getting a great core muscle workout at the same time.
There are several companies in the area that offer a range of canoe and kayak experiences for all ages.
The Red Kites.
Bwlch Nant yr Arian Visitor Centre is managed by Natural Resources Wales, the centre offers something for everyone. From beautiful scenic walks to world class mountain biking the centre is well-known for its long-established tradition of feeding red kites every day. Wild red kites are also fed at Gigrin Farm every day of the year. With breathtaking feats of aerial piracy red kites compete with buzzards and ravens for choice pickings. As soon as the meat has been put out the crow family start emerging from the surrounding trees. Kites watch and wait their chance to furl their wings and dive in, skimming the ground to snatch a scrap before rising suddenly to escape the beaks of the angry crows!
With the meat clutched in its talons the kite will make for clear airspace where it can feel secure enough to feed. The number of kites using the feeding station can vary anything from a dozen to 300 or more depending on the weather and time of year.
Horse Riding
Modern day Powys is named after the ancient Kingdom of Powys which emerged after the end of Roman rule in Britain.
This land has been known since those days as the Paradise of Wales, and even today stands out for its natural beauty and riches. Wide open landscapes, fertile soil and tranquillity are just some of the factors that make for a great home for horses. Powys is one of the best places in the country for mid to long distance horseback trekking, with not only spectacular scenery and hardy horses, but traditional systems of trails and lodging places as well, which facilitate cross country rides. This is a fantastic option for making a holiday to this area a trip to remember, but there are plenty of options besides that don’t involve such an investment of time or money.
Zip World – fastest seated zip line in the world, and Zip World’s steepest
She has risen. Phoenix is open now at Zip World Tower at the former Tower Colliery site in Aberdare, South Wales, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. Containing two incredible zip lines, Phoenix is a record-breaker, being the fastest seated zip line in the world, and Zip World’s steepest. You’ll travel at speeds up to 70 mph and with four lines situated side by side, can race friends and family to be the fastest, making it a great choice for stag and hen dos, or even corporate trips.
The first zip line takes you down Rhigos mountain, across the Llyn Fawr reservoir, offering stunning views of the Cynon Valley and enjoying the very fastest speeds, racing in to the landing point as you fly above the trees. The second line returns you back to Tower Colliery and the Zip World site, spanning over 1.5 kilometres in total.
You’ll return to earth just outside the Cegin Glo Bar and Bistro, serving delicious, locally sourced food and drink to top off your adventurous day out (not to mention a fully stocked bar for those stag/hen parties!). Also on site is the Tower Coaster, a perfect family adventure or adrenaline activity a bit closer to solid ground!
Eating Out.
Two words sum up the food scene in Mid Wales: fresh and local.
A flourishing food scene, inspired by the country’s rich culinary heritage and an abundance of edible natural goodness on its doorstep, has put the region firmly on the foodie map. Wales even has its own food oscars – the True Taste Wales Food & Drink Awards, an annual event which celebrates some of the country’s finest flavours.
Traditional favourites such as laverbread (confusingly not bread at all but seaweed), cockles, Bara Brith (a delicious sticky fruitcake), Welsh Cakes and Welsh Rarebit are as popular now as they’ve always been, and Welsh black beef and Welsh mountain lamb, cheeses and locally-produced drinks can be enjoyed in markets, festivals and food events across the region.
Three venues that we believe are worth a mention are: The Griffin Inn at LLyswen, Foyles in Glasbury & The Old Black Lion
The Seaside.
Aberystwyth – Take a scenic drive up the coast to the larger seaside town of Aberystwyth. Walk from the ruined 13th century castle along the promenade, past the Victorian architecture, until you reach Constitution Hill. There, you can take the unusual cliff railway to the summit and one of the world’s largest camera obscuras (it has a massive 14-inch lens). From the top, there are impressive views. Sometimes, you can even count porpoises and dolphins in the bay from up there.
More Information on Aberystwyth
Borth – Because of its shallow waters Borth beach is well suited to families with young children and is also a popular location for swimming, surfing, fishing, sailing and windsurfing and for walking the dog out of season. The small town has a good range of shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs and local services as well as a slipway for launching small boats and a cafe close by. To its north and east, Borth is surrounded by protected sites; a massive peat bog – Cors Goch Fochno – and the magnificent sand dune system of the Dyfi National Nature Reserve at Ynyslas. Here you will find a seasonal Information Centre operated by Natural Resources Wales where the significance of the nature reserve is explained.
Local Caves
The National Showcaves Centre for Wales. If the weather is not at it’s best there are show caves to explore in the local area.
Dan yr Ogof, at the National Showcaves Centre for Wales, is a 17-kilometre (11 mi) long cave system in south Wales, about 5 miles (8 km) north of Ystradgynlais and 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Brecon, in the Brecon Beacons National Park. It is the main feature of a show cave complex, which is claimed to be the largest in the UK and is a tourist attraction in Wales. The first section of the cave system is open to the public, but the extensive cave system beyond is scheduled as a national nature reserve and is open only to bona fide cavers.
Photography by GeoPictures.net
Local Castles
Castles form a significant part of Welsh history as well as landscape. There are well over 400 castles in Wales making it the country with most castles per square mile than any other country in the world.
Interestingly, most castles in Wales aren’t Welsh, as some would think but rather English as they were built with the purpose to not only overlook and protect the lands but also keep the Welsh subjugated.
Wales fell into England’s hands after Dafydd, the last Prince of Wales, was executed in 1283. Edward I of England had total control over Wales afterward and to ensure that people of Wales would be faithful to the English rule, he commanded the building of castles, many of them enormous stone structures so typical of Medieval architecture.
Brecon Mountain Railway
The Brecon Mountain Railway was conceived over 40 years ago when a search started to find a suitable site to build and operate a steam single gauge railway using locomotives collected from around the world.
Merthyr Tydfil seemed ideally located at the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park with its beautiful mountain, lake and forest scenery. At one time Merthyr Tydfil was the greatest iron making town in the world, most of the very early railways used rails rolled in Merthyr Mills. Merthyr witnessed, in 1804, the trial run of the worlds first steam railway locomotive built by Cornishman Richard Trevithick.
Homes and Gardens
Enjoy a day out visiting some of the many homes and gardens in the local area such as Powis Castle’s Garden, considered one of the finest surviving examples of its kind, it retains many of its historic styles, including 17th-century Italianate terraces, an Edwardian Formal Garden, and a wooded landscape garden on the Wilderness ridge. Redesigned and embellished over more than 400 years, the garden you see today reflects the changing ambitions and visions of the Herbert family, who occupied the property from the 1570s.