Mid-Wales
A university town midway round Cardigan Bay, and a popular resort. It is the base for visits to Devil’s Bridge Waterfalls, one of Britain’s most notable beauty spots, linked to the town by the Vale of Rheidol narrow-gauge steam railway. There are two other similar railways close by; the Tal-y-Llyn Railway, which runs for about 10km (16 miles) from Abergynolwyn through beautiful countryside to Tywyn; and the Fairbourne Railway linking Fairbourne with the Barmouth Ferry. Aberystwyth also has Britain’s longest electric cliff railway, and the Ceredigion Local History Museum.
Celtica is a major visitor attraction here, focusing on Wales’ Celtic heritage, while underground boat trips and spectacular showcaves feature at King Arthur’s Labyrinth. The town also boasts the Centre for Alternative Technology, which highlights environmental issues and sustainable energy use; Senedd-Dy Owain Glyndwr (the 15th-century Welsh parliament building) and the Y Tabernael modern art gallery.
To the east of the region, near the English border, this is an attractive town with many Georgian buildings and the Welshpool and Llanfair narrow-gauge railway. The Andrew Logan Museum of Sculpture is popular, as are cruises on the Montgomery Canal. South of the town is the splendid Powis Castle, built in the 13th century and modernised 300 years later.
Cardigan, at the southern end of Cardigan Bay (Bae Ceredigion), is a pleasant market town and a good starting point for exploring western parts of Mid-Wales. Along the bay there are many small resort towns and villages, rocky coves and sandy beaches.
Barmouth was once one of the most popular resorts in the British Isles, frequented by such luminaries as Darwin and Tennyson. There are good beaches, both in the town and near Dyffryn Ardudwy to the north.
Towns of interest inland include Builth Wells, an important cattle-trading town; Strata Florida Abbey; Lampeter and Tregaron on the River Teifi; and Llandrindod Wells, Wales’ foremost spa resort in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
On the northern tip of Cardigan Bay is Harlech, famous for both its castle that overlooks the peaks of Snowdonia, and for the stirring song, ‘Men of Harlech’, referring to the 15th-century defence of the castle. South of Harlech is Llanbedr, a popular yachting centre.
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