Yours to explore
Elan Valley is a stunning, year-round destination for everybody but there’s so much more on our doorstep.
Mid Wales is fantastic for getting away from it all. Bookended by two National Parks and boasting beautiful beaches, internationally acclaimed dark sky reserves and Wales’ only UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (Dyfi), the region is jam-packed with attractions that draw in visitors at any time of the year.
Dark sky stargazing, nature reserves and taking time out to appreciate the little things… From Machynlleth to Llandovery, the Cambrian Mountains are waiting for you. Many of its walking trails have historical links – maybe the well-worn tracks of drovers, or the wanderings of romantic 18th Century poets, or the routes of medieval monks like Monks Trod between Strata Florida Monastery and Abbey Cwm-hir…
Down the road from Elan, the oldest town in mid Wales, Rhayader, is the ‘Outdoors Capital of Wales’. To the north, Llanidloes is a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. To the south, Builth Wells is a bustling market town, home to the annual Royal Welsh Agricultural Show. Nearby spa town Llandrindod Wells has two museums: the Radnorshire Museum and the National Cycle Museum.
Pumlumon (from the Welsh ‘five beacons’) is the highest point of the Cambrian Mountains in Wales. It is a massif that dominates the countryside of northern Ceredigion. The highest peak is Pen Pumlumon Fawr which stands 752 metres (2,467 ft) asl. The longest river in Britain, the River Severn, has its source on the mountain, as do the rivers Wye and Rheidol.
Devil’s Bridge is a spectacular waterfall attraction in the heart of the Mid Wales Cambrian Mountains. Set deep within the ancient wooded gorge, it has attracted many thousands of visitors since the 18th Century, including William Wordsworth who wrote about the ‘Torrent at the Devil’s Bridge’.
Wales’ most scenically beautiful and challenging long-distance walking path, the Cambrian Trail, runs between Cardiff and Conwy. The route skirts the Elan Valley estate, following the western side of the wild moorland and forest area known as the Elenydd.
The Rhayader to Aberystwyth mountain road crosses the Cambrian Trail at Devil’s Bridge. Part of the historic coach route from Leominster, it runs through the north end of the Elan Valley and is one of the top ten most scenic routes in the world according to the AA. Once in Aberystwyth, follow the Coastal Way either south to St Davids or north to Aberdaron.
