©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Hay-on-Wye & Mid-Wales Why Go? CEREDIGION . .689 The big draw here is the magnifi cent upland scenery of Devil’s Bridge & Brecon Beacons National Park, with book-loving Hay-on- Rheidol Falls . 693 Wye within its confi nes and food-loving Abergavenny on its doorstep. By contrast the Ceredigion and Powys coun- BRECON BEACONS NATIONAL PARK . .693 tryside is something of a well-kept secret and certainly worthy of a closer look. This is Wales at its most rural – a Black Mountain & Fforest Fawr . 695 landscape of lustrous green fi elds, wooded river valleys and small market towns; it’s the part that the Industrial Revo- Black Mountains lution missed. It’s also thoroughly Welsh, with around 40% (Y Mynyddoedd Duon) . 703 of people speaking the mother tongue (over 50% in Cere- digion). Apart from exuberant, student-populated Aberyst- Hay-on-Wye (Y Gelli wyth, you won’t fi nd a lot of excitement in the urban areas. Gandryll) . 704 It’s the places in between that are much more interesting, POWYS . 713 criss-crossed as they are with cycling and walking routes, Llanwrtyd Wells and plenty of country lanes to tootle about in. (Llanwrtyd) . .714 Llandrindod Wells (Llandrindod) . 715 Machynlleth . .719 When to Go? In the midst of spring, in May, the world’s intelligentsia gets Hay fever. In August, cap off the Green Man and Best Places to Eat Brecon Jazz music festivals with a spot of bog snorkelling. » Ynyshir Hall (p 693 ) As the weather starts to cool down, in September, fi ll up at the Abergavenny Food Festival. » Hardwick (p 702 ) » Ultracomida (p 692 ) Best Places to Stay » Ynyshir Hall, Eglwysfach (p 693 ) » Bodalwyn (p 691 ) » Gwyn Deri (p 701 ) 666 Llyn 688 Peninsula Snowdonia Cefn National Park #\ #÷ Llyn /·A470 Efyrnwy Tanat n 666 ai C #\ /·A483 e 020km Dolgellau # 012miles Meifod /·A458 #\ HAY-ON-WYE & MID-WALES MID-WALES & HAY-ON-WYE Mallwyd #\ l y Welshpool e #\ a #\ v y n Corris o w n Llanfair #\ #V5 a D yr Powis C æ# V Caereinion y CAT r Castle e #\ A470 m 666/· Berriew #\ o g Machynlleth t Church #\ n G Carno o Stoke #ÿ #\ ly M Ynyshir nd wr #\ Cardigan Hall 's Way Caersws #\ Bay Borth #\ /·A487 Plynlimon Newtown Bwlch Nant Fawr S yr Arian ev #\ Llanidloes #æ ern ENGLAND ##^8 Rhe Aberystwyth666ido #\ A483 /· l Ponterwyd #3 Vale of Rheidol Railway #\ h t Devil's POWYS a #\ P Bridge t Elan Knighton s Rhayader a Valley #\ o Norton #\ C Pontrhydfendigaid #\#ÜStrata Crossgates on #\ #\ i #\ Florida Presteigne dig Abbey re #\ Tregaron #\ e Llandrindod h C t #\ Aberaeron Wells a New Quay P Cambrian e Mountains yk #\ Abergwesyn Wy Temple Bar #\ e D #\ s /·A487 /·A482 Cilmery #\ Builth ' CEREDIGION a f Wells f #\ Lampeter #\ O #\ #\ Llangamarch Cardigan i Llanwrtyd Wells #4 A470 Teif Wells /· 6T 66666Hay-on-Wye ##\6 eifi Mynydd Eppynt #\ Glasbury Three Cocks #\ N a #\ n Felinfach #\ Llandovery t #\ Ta lga r t h /·A40 B r Brecon a #\ n # i #\ 1 Black w Sennybridge #\ CARMARTHENSHIRE y Usk Mountains T Libanus #\ Llangorse 6 66666/·A483 BreconBeacons Crickhowell Black Tretower #\ National Park #\ # #] Carmarthen Mountain R Storey #\7 #÷ #\ National Showcaves Arms #æ Llangattock ##\ Centre for Wales #ï 2 #\ Garwnant Abergavenny Abercraf Visitor Centre /·A470 #] 6 66666Merthyr Llanelli Tydfil Carmarthen #] Bay To Cardiff (14mi) ‚ 6 Hay-on-Wye66666 & Mid-Wales Highlights 1 Soaking up the tranquillity 4 Trying your hand bog 7 Settling into village life in of the remote Vale of Ewyas in snorkelling or real ale wobbling the heart of Brecon Beacons the Black Mountains (p 703 ) at Llanwrtyd Wells (p 714 ) National Park in peaceful 2 Exploring a countryside 5 Letting the sculptured yew Crickhowell (p 700 ) seasoned with Wales’ best paths of Powis Castle (p 721 ) 8 Revelling in the high restaurants in the fi elds lead you through Welsh history culture and student-inspired around Abergavenny (p701 ) 6 Experiencing charming high jinks that come together 3 Reliving the age of steam Hay-on-Wye (p 704 ), a town by the seaside at Aberystwyth with a scenic ride to Devil’s surrounded by nature but (p 690 ) Bridge on the Vale of Rheidol infatuated with books Railway (p 690 ).