North Walesnorth

Eryri (Snowdonia)

When you think of walking in Wales, it’s Eryri (Snowdonia) that first springs to mind. And with good reason – our biggest National Park is all about high mountains, glacial lakes and dense forests. In other words, it’s perfect walking terrain. Everyone wants to bag Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) itself (you can cheat by catching a train to the top of our highest mountain) but there are dozens of other peaks within several distinct ranges.

If you decide to take on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) by foot, plan ahead by downloading the Llwybrau’r Wyddfa / Snowdon Walks App. This useful app covers the six main routes, providing maps and tracking your progress.

Once they’ve ticked off that off, seasoned walkers will head for the Carneddau and Glyderau, Arenig, Moelwynion or Rhinogydd ranges to enjoy splendid isolation on their own favourite summit. If you want to avoid the crowds, the best time of the year is spring or autumn.

Conservatory

The Royal Victoria Hotel Snowdonia

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Llanberis
Castell Dolbadarn,
View from the house

Aberconwy House

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Betws-y-Coed
Castell Dolbadarn,
View from Little Haven

Little Haven, Graig Wen House

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Dolgellau
Castell Dolbadarn,
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Gwesty Morlyn Guest House

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Harlech
Castell Dolbadarn,
The Pyg track looking towards the summit of Wales' tallest mountain.

The PYG track on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), North Wales

Explore the rest of North Wales

The mighty Eryri (Snowdonia) tends to overshadow neighbouring areas, which fully deserve exploring in their own right. There’s the heather-clad moorland of Hiraethog around Llyn Brenig, and the Clwydian Range to the east. The Llŷn Peninsula has a spine of jagged volcanos (all extinct, thankfully), while Anglesey is great for geotrails and coastal walks. Talking of which, the Wales Coast Path runs around the whole coastline.

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The Old Rectory

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Ruthin
Castell Dolbadarn,
Spa Facilities

The Hand at Llanarmon

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Llangollen
Castell Dolbadarn,
Nature's Point by Together Travel

Nature's Point, Llyn Peninsula

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Pwllheli
Castell Dolbadarn,

Drws-y-Coed

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Llannerch-y-Medd
Castell Dolbadarn,
Walkers on Mynydd Mawr with the sea in the background.

Mynydd Mawr on the Wales Coast Path, Llŷn Peninsula, North Wales

Mid Walesmid

Bannau Brycheniog walking routes

The south of the region is dominated by the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park, which is made up of three distinct ranges. The actual Beacons themselves include Pen y Fan, the highest point in southern Britain. They’re flanked by the quietly magnificent Black Mountain range and, rather confusingly, the Black Mountains (plural) that fall away towards England. And if that’s not enough superb walking terrain, you can add the geological wonders of the Fforest Fawr Geopark.

Accommodation in the Bannau Brycheiniog

Bedroom

Derwen Coach House

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Llangadog
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.
Luxury soft furnishings

Usk and Railway Inn

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Brecon
dam and resevoir.

Llwyn Onn Guest House

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Merthyr Tydfil
Landscape of the attractions at Cardiff Bay seen from the water.

Peterstone Court

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Brecon
dam and resevoir.
Two women walking on a hill with country views.
stone wall with countryside and hills in background.
Golden retriever and a man walking over a narrow bridge.

Walking in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) Geopark, Mid Wales

Explore the rest of Mid Wales

To the north, there’s the Berwyn Range, where Cadair Berwyn is the highest peak outside our National Parks. To the east, the Offa's Dyke Path runs through the softer landscape of the borderlands. Heading across Wales is Glyndŵr's Way, winding through remote valleys and over rolling hills. To the west, the Ceredigion Coast Path runs along the curve of Cardigan Bay.

More Mid Wales accommodation

Brynglas Cottage

Brynglas Cottage

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Llandovery
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.
Hafren Forest Hideaway

Hafren Forest Hideaway B&B

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Llanbrynmair
dam and resevoir.

Tynllwyn Farm Holiday Cottages

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Welshpool
dam and resevoir.
TyMawr at Bethania B&B ( road view)

Ty Mawr B&B & Crumble Cottage

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Llanon
dam and resevoir.
Pathways along the coastline from above.

Along the Ceredigion Coast Path, New Quay to Cwmtydu, Mid Wales

Walking the Cambrian Mountains

And finally, there’s the middle bit: the vast, empty green spaces of the Cambrian Mountains. If you have a Garbo-esque urge to be alone, here’s where to come. Track down the sources of the rivers Wye and Severn up on Pumlumon/Plynlimon, roam the Welsh lakelands of Elan, or get lost (in your thoughts, we mean, not literally) in the wild landscape of Abergwesyn.

Discover more about the Cambrian Mountains with the downloadable Pocket Guide from the Cambrian Mountains website.

Views across farmland in Bwlch-y- Sarnau

Glyndwr's Way – views across farmland in Bwlch-y-Sarnau, near Rhayader, MId Wales

West Waleswest

The Pembrokeshire Coast Path

Walkers from around the world come to enjoy the 186-mile (300km) Pembrokeshire Coast Path, drawn by Britain’s most spectacular coastal scenery. It’s easy to break down into smaller chunks, thanks to a nifty coastal bus service. Less well-known is Pembs’ mountainous hinterland: try the mystical sounding Golden Road over Preseli, a Neolithic highway along the hills from which Stonehenge’s bluestones were hewn.

Y Garth Boutique B&B

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Newport (Pembs)
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.
Crug Glas Country House

Crug-Glas Country House

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Haverfordwest
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.

Giltar Hotel

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Tenby
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.
A recently renovated complex of 5 cottages

Washfield Cottages

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Narberth
Aerial view of a harbour, two beaches and pastel coloured houses.
Footprints in the sand at Stackpole
A woman walking at Bosherton lily ponds.
A wide, sandy beach seen from above.

Footprints at Stackpole, Bosherton Lily Ponds, and Whitesands Bay Pembrokeshire, West Wales 

Walking the Gower Peninsula

In many ways, the Gower Peninsula is Pembrokeshire’s mini-me. It’s got spectacularly varied coastal walks: the south is all cliffs-and-coves, while the north is saltmarsh-and-seclusion – with an ancient spine of moorland called Cefn Bryn in between.

Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, from above.

Wales Coast Path – Three Cliffs Bay to Oxwich section, Gower

Carmarthenshire walking trails

Wales’ lushest landscapes are in Carmarthenshire, the farming heartland of West Wales. The county is neatly bisected by the Tywi Valley, with the vast Brechfa Forest on one side and the handsome profile of the Black Mountain on the other.

Llyn y Fan Fach from above with cloudy skies.
View of the lake and mountains.

Moody skies over Llyn y Fan Fach, in the Black Mountain range of Carmarthenshire, West Wales

Walking holiday providers in West Wales

southSouth Wales

Walking in the South Wales Valleys

Of all the places to walk in Wales, the South Wales Valleys are the most underrated (at least, by visitors; locals know just how good they are). Rivers rise in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons), and cut a series of deep valleys as they flow south to the sea. Their names became famous during the Industrial Revolution: Rhondda, Taff, Rhymney, Sirhowy, Ebbw. The collieries are gone, but the mining villages remain ribboned along the valley floors. What’s astonishing is how quickly the valleys have re-greened: the steep sides are thickly wooded, and crowned by ridge-tops of untouched moorland.

Ein Trysor Cudd Cabin

Ein Trysor Cudd

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Merthyr Tydfil
Landscape of the attractions at Cardiff Bay seen from the water.

Glen Yr Afon House Hotel

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Usk
Landscape of the attractions at Cardiff Bay seen from the water.
Ewenny Farm Guest House

Ewenny Farm Guest House

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Llantwit Major
Landscape of the attractions at Cardiff Bay seen from the water.

Hardwick Farm

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Abergavenny
Landscape of the attractions at Cardiff Bay seen from the water.
A landscape image of plants in the foreground and a bridge over the River Wye in the background
Wales Coast Path by Newport Wetlands.

Chepstow and the Wales Coast Path along the Severn estuary, South Wales

Trails around the Wye Valley and Glamorgan's coast

Far more well-known are the rolling rural landscapes of Monmouthshire, where Abergavenny and the Wye Valley are especially well geared up for walkers. When Cardiff folk fancy a ramble, they’ll often head out in the neighbouring Vale of Glamorgan, which has a fine stretch of Heritage Coast with an undulating farm/woodland interior.

Two young people on the rocky seashore near Llantwit Major.

The Heritage Coast near Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales

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