Kingfishers, kites and kayaks
Play the nine-hole golf course at St Giles. Watch for otters as you paddle the Severn with Kingfisher Kayak and Canoe Hire. Book Glo Pamper at home for massages and manicures. Watch the red kites tuck into dinner at Rhayader, find a submerged forest on a beach, and spot dolphins on a New Quay boat trip.
Country kids
For an unmissable bird show, head to the feeding station at Rhayader and see hundreds of red kites tuck in to dinner at 2pm every day. Pop into Newtown for bowling, laser shooting and a great golf simulator at Ustrike. Or beat the clock at the indoor and outdoor escape rooms at Beyond Breakout.
Explore King Arthur’s Labyrinth, an underground adventure in a mythical world filled with dragons, giants, and the legendary King Arthur. Stay underground and head into North Wales for Bounce Below, the giant trampoline system built into an old mine. Or brave sister site Zip World for the world’s fastest zip line and the exciting quarry karts.
Meet, pet and feed pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits and guinea pigs at Borth Zoo. Stick around for the beach with its submerged forest visible at low tide. Take a boat trip from pretty New Quay and spot dolphins and porpoises. Or pet the animals and ride the lake pedal boats at Fantasy Farm Park.
Take the Rheidol Railway from Devil’s Bridge to Aberystwyth and keep a lookout for birds of prey. Hack across beautiful countryside with Rheidol Riding Centre. Or discover Dolaucothi, the only known Roman gold mine in the UK, and see the underground conditions faced by the Romans and Victorians.
For the grown ups
Pack your clubs for the charming nine-hole golf course at St Giles that sits on the River Severn. Watch for kingfishers and otters as you paddle down the Severn or the Montgomery Canal with Kingfisher Kayak and Canoe Hire. Or enjoy carp and tench fishing at Fachwen Pool in Newtown.
Walk Pwll Penarth Nature Reserve, with an eye out for ospreys and kites, or trek the falls at Devil’s Bridge, with outlandish scenery, big drops and one very tall tale surrounding St Nick. Take the Rheidol Cycle Trail to Aberystwyth on the coast. Stay there for lovely beaches at New Quay and Penbryn.
Enough exercise for one day? Kick back and book Glo Pamper for a range of treatments right at home in Severn Valley Cottages. Or pop up to Welshpool for a spa-day package at Great Escapes, including salt scrubs, back massage and aromatherapy. Or head out to Newtown for independent shops and quirky cafes.
Hoover up all the history mid-Wales has to offer with magnificent castles at Montgomery and Powis and stately homes such as Gregynog Hall and Gardens and Cwm Weeg Gardens. And don’t miss a wine-tasting afternoon at Llaethiw Vineyards at Aberaeron. Take home a red, white, rosé or sparkling rosé.
