Destination Guide to Mid Wales
Mid Wales is a remote region of understated natural beauty and a stronghold of traditional welsh culture.
Nestling comfortably between North and South Wales, Mid Wales spans between the Irish Sea in the West and the English border in the East and encompassing the counties of Ceredigion and Powys. The region is the heart of rural Wales characterised by rolling hills, grassy uplands and wild moorlands.
Often overlooked by visitors in favour of Snowdonia in the north and Pembrokeshire in the south, mid Wales hosts its own protected landscapes in the form of the Brecon Beacons National Park, a series of mountain ranges and uplands which offer a more understated natural beauty, less dramatic but equally beguiling as Wales’ other national parks. Vast lakes, the Elan valley, crystal waterfalls, natural underground caves and thick forests make this region a must for anyone who enjoys tranquillity and the great outdoors.
Culturally, this region remains true to Wales with more than half of the population still speaking the Welsh mother-tongue. Mid Wales is also home to the ancient town of Machynlleth, once a stronghold for 13th century welsh national hero Owain Glyndwr and historic capital of the nation. Powys Castle and Gardens is a “must” a castle of medieval origins with added 17th century tiered gardens. Brecon itself is home to one of Britain’s most renowned music events at the Brecon Jazz Festival and the book-town of Hay on Wye on the border with England is second-hand book capital of the world and host to a stunning annual literary festival.
Sparsely populated there are no cities but just a handful of small towns and villages in mid Wales. The region’s quaint communities such as market town Crickhowell, Victorian Spa town of Llandrindod Wells and bustling fishing village Aberaeron each hold their own unique charms whilst the focal point is the sweeping coastal resort of Aberystwyth home to the National Library of Wales and, in recent years, a lively cosmopolitan student population.
With traditional Welsh townships, some of the nation’s cultural highlights and tranquil natural beauty, mid Wales is more than a stop-over between the north and south on any Wales tour.
