Things to do in Mid Wales
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Beacon Park Boats
The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal runs along the foot of the Blorenge mountain, southwest of town. You can take to the water with Beacon Park Boats which rents out electric-powered boats (up to six persons). In a day, you can cruise south to Goytre Wharf, or north to Llangattock and back.
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Blue Boar
This bar-cum-restaurant specialises in hearty, home-cooked fare and has an inventive range of dishes, from light bites, such as hummus and pitta bread to traditional Welsh stew.
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Andrew Morton Books
Andrew Morton Books offers a staggering selection of fiction, nonfiction and local interest books. There's another branch at 10-11 Lion Yard.
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St Mary's Priory Church & Tithe Barn
Relatively modest-looking, St Mary's contains a remarkable treasury of aristocratic tombs within. It was founded at the same time as the castle (1087) as part of a Benedictine priory, but the present building dates mainly from the 14th century, with 15th- and 19th-century additions and alterations. In the northern transept is one of the most important medieval carvings in Europe – a monumental 15th-century wooden representation of the biblical figure of Jesse.
The priory's 13th century tithe barn has recently been restored and converted into an excellent heritage centre and a food hall focusing on locally sourced Welsh products.
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Marine Terrace
A stroll along Marine Terrace, the walkway overlooking North Beach, is the most genteel pursuit on offer and one that harks back to the town's erstwhile halcyon days as a Victorian resort. When you reach the bottom of the 1.5-mile prom, it's customary to kick the white bar, although the locals can't seem to explain the rationale behind this ritual.
North Beach is lined by faintly shabby Georgian hotels, albeit with a couple of notable exceptions. The top-heavy Royal Pier lumbers out to sea under the weight of its cheerfully tacky amusements arcade. North Beach is also the main swimming beach as South Beach has few facilities, although both beaches have lifeguards and an E…
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Blorenge
Abergavenny sits amid three glacially sculpted hills - Ysgyryd Fawr (Skirrid; 486m) to the northeast; Sugar Loaf (596m) to the northwest; and the Blorenge (559m) to the southwest. Each has rewarding walks and fine views of the Usk Valley and the Black Mountains. Although the summit of the Blorenge is closer to town than Sugar Loaf - the round trip is only 5 miles - it is a much steeper and more strenuous outing, and good walking boots are recommended.
Cross the bridge over the Usk on Merthyr Rd and immediately turn right and follow the lane past the cemetery and under the main road. Cross the B4269 road in Llanfoist and follow the lane beside the church until it bends lef…
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Constitution Hill
At the northern end of North Beach is Aberystwyth's headland, 430ft Constitution Hill . From the wind-blown balding hilltop there are tremendous, long coastal views - 60 miles from the Llŷn to Strumble Head - and you can spot 26 mountain peaks including Snowdon. The site has been redeveloped in recent years with new children's attractions, including gold panning and go-karts. The erstwhile Victorian tearooms have been rebuilt in line with environmental considerations and the resulting Consti Café is a café by day and licensed steakhouse three nights per week. It also features displays of the wildlife you can spot on a, ahem, constitutional around the hill. One relic of th…
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Brecon Cathedral
Perched on a hill above the River Honddu, Brecon Cathedral was founded as part of a Benedictine monastery in 1093, though little remains of the Norman structure except the carved font and parts of the nave. It's a lovely church and very visitor-friendly; seven information points provide information about key features.
In the cathedral grounds is a Heritage Centre, cafe and gift shop housed in a restored 15th-century tithe barn.
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Sugar Loaf
Abergavenny sits amid three glacially sculpted hills - Ysgyryd Fawr (Skirrid; 486m) to the northeast; Sugar Loaf (596m) to the northwest; and the Blorenge (559m) to the southwest. Each has rewarding walks and fine views of the Usk Valley and the Black Mountains. Easiest of the three is the cone-shaped Sugar Loaf, which offers a 9-mile return trip from the centre of town to the summit via heath, woodland and the superb viewpoint of Mynydd Llanwenarth.
You can cheat by driving to a car park about halfway up on Mynydd Llanwenarth; from here it's a 4-mile round trip. Head west on the A40, and at the edge of town turn right for Sugar Loaf Vineyards, then go left at the next tw…
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National Library of Wales
Sitting proudly on a hilltop half a mile east of town, the National Library is a cultural powerhouse, holding millions of books in many languages. The Hengwrt Room is where it displays all of the really important stuff, such as the 12th-century Black Book of Carmarthen (the oldest existing Welsh text) and the 13th-century Tintern Abbey Bible. Other galleries display an ever-stimulating set of changing exhibitions.
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Gap Road
There are lots of opportunities for both on-road cycle-touring and off-road mountain-biking around Brecon; the National Park Visitor Centre at Libanus has information on routes, some of which begin at the centre itself.
The classic off-road route in the Brecon Beacons is the Gap Road, a 24-mile loop from Brecon that takes in a high pass through the hills close to Pen-y-Fan, a descent through Talybont-on-Usk and a final easy return stretch along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. Ask for details at Brecon tourist office or the National Park Visitor Centre.
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Nantyffin Cider Mill
One of Mid-Wales' gastronomic pioneers, this 16th-century drovers' inn takes great pride in using local produce to create simple, unfussy dishes that allow the quality of the ingredients to shine through. The dining room is a stylish blend of bare stone, exposed roof beams, designer chairs and white table linen, set around the original 19th-century cider press. Nantyffin is a mile northwest of Crickhowell on the A40.
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South Wales Borderers Museum
The South Wales Borderers Museum commemorates the history of the Royal Regiment of Wales, which is based in Brecon. Many of the soldiers are Gurkhas, often to be seen in their civvies around the town. The highlight is the Zulu War Room - the regiment's predecessor fought in the 1879 Anglo-Zulu war in South Africa, inspiration for the 1964 film Zulu starring Michael Caine.
The fascinating collection of artefacts recalls the defence of Rorke's Drift, when 150 Welsh soldiers held out against 4000 Zulu warriors.
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Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery
Behind the stolid neoclassical exterior of the former Shire Hall is the impressive Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery. Exhibits include 1200-year-old dugout canoe found at Llangorse Lake, a complete Victorian assize court complete with a stilted recording of court pronouncements, and that favourite of Welsh museums, a re-created Welsh kitchen. Also featured are the archaeology, history and natural history of the Brecon area, and an art gallery with changing exhibits.
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Abergavenny Castle & Museum
Not much remains of Abergavenny Castle except for an impressive stretch of curtain wall on either side of the gatehouse on the northwest side. The castle keep, converted into a hunting lodge by the Victorians, now houses a small museum devoted to the history of the castle and the town.
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Vale of Rheidol Railway
Old steam locomotives (built between 1923 and 1938) have been lovingly restored by volunteers and chug for almost 12 miles up the valley of the River Rheidol to Devil's Bridge (an hour each way). The line opened in 1902 to bring lead and timber out of the valley.
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Foxhunter
An old Victorian pub with flagstone floors and wood-burning stoves that's been given an elegant contemporary makeover, the Foxhunter brings an adventurous approach to fresh, seasonal produce with dishes such as sautéed duck liver and foie gras on toasted brioche, brown trout with beurre blanc, sorrel and wild garlic, and (in season) deep-fried wild elvers (baby eels from the River Wye) with wild garlic mayonnaise.
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White Swan
A traditional village inn that offers a candle-lit dining room with old wooden floors, a bar with comfortably worn leather sofas and armchairs, and a beautiful garden terrace. The White Swan is a great place to relax after a walk along the canal or a hike in the Brecon Beacons. The menu emphasises Welsh lamb, beef and venison, with daily fish and vegetarian specials. Llanfrynach is 3.5 miles southeast of Brecon off the B4558.
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Welsh Airsports
The Blorenge, rising above Abergavenny to the southwest, is one of Britain's finest paragliding and hang-gliding sites. In fact, it is so important that the Southeast Wales Hang-Gliding and Paragliding Club purchased the mountain in 1998. Several records have been set from here, and the mountain regularly hosts competition events. Welsh Airsports offers instruction in paragliding seven days a week, weather permitting.
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Bear Hotel
A fine old coaching inn with low-ceilinged rooms, stone fireplaces, blackened timber beams and antique furniture, the Bear serves top quality bar meals as well as having a more formal restaurant. The menu ranges from heart-warming home cooking (sausages and mash with onion gravy, faggots with peas and chips) to the finest black beef steaks and Welsh seafood. The Bear is in Crickhowell, 6.5 miles west of Abergavenny.
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Usk Inn
This appealing, Victorian country inn, close to the Brecon Canal, serves hearty local fare such as twice-cooked lamb shank with minted rosemary jus; ricotta cheese and basil ravioli with creamy tomato and spinach sauce; and seafood dishes such as swordfish fillet with a sesame crust. There's also an excellent three-course Sunday lunch served noon to 15:00. The Usk Inn is 6 miles southeast of Brecon on the B4558.
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Orangery
The smartest place in town brings a sense of contemporary style to the erstwhile Talbot Inn, an 1830 coaching house, dividing the space between the restaurant and a cocktail bar. The menu focuses on Welsh staples, especially lamb, with the odd pasta and risotto dish thrown into the mix.
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Ceredigion Museum
Houses entertaining exhibitions on Aberystwyth's history – everything from old chemist furnishings to hand-knitted woollen knickers and a wall devoted to the Little Britain TV series.
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Museum of Modern Art for Wales
On Penrallt St is the town's only neoclassical building, the Tabernacle, a former Methodist chapel (1880) that's been restored and now forms part of the Museum of Modern Art for Wales . There are shows by Welsh artists and a small permanent collection within the white-walled galleries. The chapel itself has the feel of a courtroom, but has good acoustics, and is a venue for concerts, theatre and talks.
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Aberystwyth Arts Centre
One of the largest arts centres in Wales, Aberystwyth Arts Centre has excellent opera, drama, dance and concerts (all of which can also be booked at the tourist office), plus a bookshop, an art gallery and a good, albeit slightly uncomfortably stylish, café. The cinema in particular shows a good range of world and foreign-language cinema. The centre is half a mile east of the town centre.
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