Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights some of Wales' best attractions; for more information about Brecon Beacons, Cardigan Bay, Carmarthen Bay or the Vale of Glamorgan, go to the relevant UK destination guides.
- Viewpoint
- Running along the border with England and down to the Brecon Beacons, Offa’s Dyke is 168 miles of mediaeval rampart and ditch that offers beautiful views.
- Arts and culture
- Wales has a Museum of Modern Art on Heol Penrallt in Machynlleth (+44 (0)1654 703355; www.momawales.org.uk) with a bar, cinema and live music as well as permanent and temporary modern art exhibits. Aberystwyth Arts Centre, on the university campus (+44 (0)1970 623232), is the country’s biggest, with exhibitions, festivals, comedy, cinema and music.
- Something for nothing
- Among the star turns at the Hay Festival (famously described by Bill Clinton as 'the Woodstock of the mind') are some excellent free events, including interviews with poets and authors. And browsing the dozens of bookshops in Hay costs nothing at any time of year.
- And...
- The Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia’s Cadair Idris are well-known and well-frequented; when the high season comes, clued-up walkers decamp to the far less tramped slopes of the Rhinnogs, in south Snowdonia (accessible from Barmouth), or the acres of peaceful moorland in the Begwyns, north of Clyro (not far from Hay-on-Wye).
Diary
May Hay Festival, in Hay-on-Wye (www.hayfestival.com), sees great writers and poets converge to talk, read, drink and argue in border country. July World Bog-snorkelling Championships, Llantyrwyd Wells (+44 (0)1591 610666). August Brecon Jazz Festival (www.breconjazzfestival.co.uk), an international affair attracting big-name performers. The Green Man festival (www.thegreenmanfestival.co.uk) is a newly established and already much-loved folk music festival which has recently seen spectacular performances from Joanna Newsom and Bonnie Prince Billy. September Abergavenny Food Festival (www.abergavennyfoodfestival.com), which has been hailed as one of the best of its kind. November Mid-Wales Beer Festival (+44 (0)1591 610666). For more ideas, see our Welsh destination guides for Brecon Beacons, Cardigan Bay, Carmarthen Bay and Vale of Glamorgan, or check out our events guide, Smith 52.
