North Wales

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.

The Pyg track looking towards the summit of Wales tallest mountain.
Walkers approaching Glyder Fach with Llyn Ogwen below.

The PYG track on Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), and walkers approaching Glyder Fach with Llyn Ogwen below, Eryri (Snowdonia), 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.

Walkers on Mynydd Mawr with the sea in the background.

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

Mid Wales

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.

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

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.

Pathways along the coastline from above.

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

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 Wales

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.

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 

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

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.

Walking holiday providers in West Wales

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

South Wales

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.

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

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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