Why visit Mid Wales?
Well, first of all we need to know where Mid Wales is. What area of Wales does it cover? I was born in Mid Wales and have lived and worked here all my life. In my opinion if you look at a map of Wales and draw a line between Builth Wells and Cardigan and Llanfyllin and Barmouth, Everything in between is Mid Wales.
Funnily enough though if you live in Cardiff everything north of Merthyr Tydfil is North Wales especially if you work for the BBC. (ha ha)
What’s different about Mid Wales?
Mid Wales is unique and quite separate from the rest of Wales. We don’t sound like the people from the north and certainly don’t sound like the people from Cardiff and Swansea.
Our accent is much softer and less strident. We have a completely different landscape and culture. The countryside has not been ravaged by the heavy industry of either North or South Wales. So countryside is much gentler on the eye. We have quiet remote places where you can wonder about for hours and not see a soul. It is a pastural look about it. For centuries agriculture has been the mainstay of the area and in many ways still is.
The things you will not see in Mid Wales
You will not see towering mounds of slate waste like North Wales. Nor the remains of the coal and iron industry of South Wales Or the highest mountains of Wales. There are no large towns of cities. We do not have queues of traffic with people desperate to get out and up the mountains of Snowdonia and the Beacons. We do not have the adrenaline rides of North Wales and Pembrokeshire. You will not find the large castles of North Wales.
So what can you expect in Mid Wales
You will receive a warm welcome from everyone. The gently rolling countryside will both amaze and delight you as you travel along the winding mountain roads. Views will appear on all sides with hidden waterfalls everywhere. You can stop at any number of small villages of market towns and visit independent shops and cafes, Don’t expect to see coffee chains unless you go to the bigger towns.
Mid Wales is dotted with lakes many natural and some man made, these supply Liverpool and the English midlands with drinking water. As controversial as that subject is, we cannot deny the fact that they enhance the landscape and help the local economy by driving up visitor numbers.
If you like walking, or mountain biking then this is the area to visit. There are a huge number of biking trails, with walking routes some of them national routes, all over the area. We have the last wilderness in Wales, the Cambrian Mountains, home of the red kite and not much else. There are more sheep than humans in here, in fact we have three times as many sheep in Wales as we do humans.
What else does Mid Wales have?
We have beaches, castles, hill forts, roman camps and some of the little trains of Wales. You can have peace and quiet if you want it. There are lovely places to stay from five star country house hotels to small intimate B&B’s and everything in between.
You can be dolphin watching in the morning and walking through secluded valleys in the afternoon.
Would I holiday in Mid Wales?
Well I am biased, everyday is a holiday here for me. I also have the advantage of showing off this wonderful place I call home to people like yourselves who decide to visit this forgotten area of Wales.