If you’re looking for a small, unspoilt village in the Brecon Beacons, you could do a lot worse than head for Talybont.

Talybont-on-Usk, to use its full name (or Tal-y-bont ar Wysg yn Cymraeg), is just perfect whatever kind of break you’re searching for.

If you’ve only got a day to spare and children to entertain, we can highly recommend the Blaen Glyn Isaf waterfall walk in Talybont Forest, just 10 minutes drive from the village itself.

It’s just over a two-mile walk so nothing too taxing but enough to tire the children out if that’s your secret mission!

Park your car at the entrance – stick CF48 2UT in the satnav – and make sure you’re wearing decent footwear (we’d recommend wellies) and you’re good to go.

And when we say good to go we mean good to start walking alongside the river, floating in the pools and sliding down the waterfalls and generally enjoying Mother Nature (who is Welsh, obviously) at her most glorious.

What’s not to love?

If you’ve got a bit more time to spend in the area, Talybont itself is well worth a day or a week of your time.

If you’re the energetic type and like getting on your bike, then there are hills and cycle paths to explore.

You can also walk from Talybont right up to the peaks of the Beacons, where the views are quite spectacular.

Perhaps your idea of a holiday is more like doing as little as possible – in which case Talybont will be right up your street too.

If you’re a fisherman or fisherwoman – or even if you’re not – don’t forget to head for the Talybont Reservoir. Trout fishing is available!

Eating is good too!

Whatever kind of visitor you are, we all need to eat and drink, right?

Talybont is also home to three pubs (it would be a shame not to enjoy some real Welsh beer on your holiday), a restaurant, a café serving tea, coffee, cake and more – all sourced with local Welsh ingredients so you’re doing our economy the world of good too.

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If you’ve never made it to the beautiful Ceredigion town of Aberaeron, there has never been a better time to visit.

The lockdown left many small towns and villages reliant on the hospitality industry struggling, but Aberaeron is full of life again now, with every precaution being taken to keep visitors safe.

As Visit Wales puts it, the town truly is a place to come and relax, with many eateries participating in the tremendous Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

Heaven for foodies

If you’re a foodie you won’t want to leave, with restaurants, bars, pubs and cafés galore, whether you’re in the mood for afternoon tea, lunch or something more substantial in the evening.

One member of our fantastic Facebook group (which you can join here) is a particular fan of caravan and glamping site Bargoed Farm and its famous bistro The Moody Cow, where the rustic surroundings are complemented by outstanding food and tremendous service.

You may also have heard of the colourful houses which Aberaeron is also famous for – but whether you have or you haven’t, they are truly a sight to behold.

If you fancy doing a bit more than chilling out, then head onto the Wales Coast Path or The Coastal Way for one of Wales’ most beautiful walks.

Fancy doing some fishing?

Whether you’re an expert angler or a newbie who just wants to give it a go, Aberaeron is well known for its herring fishing – and also its dolphins.

Bottlenose dolphins can be found in just two places along the British coast – and Aberaeron is one of them, with more than 300 spending part of the year in the area.

If dolphin-spotting is your thing, then best delay your visit until September or October, when they are at their peak. 

Looking to stay?

If you’re keen to make your trip to Aberaeron a longer one and are looking for somewhere to stay, HolidayIdeasWales Facebook group member Peter Dovey, owner of The Feathers Airbnb, says: “We have taken the correct measures following lockdown and we have 13 en-suite rooms for all that want to visit.

We have some of the best beaches near by, with local restaurants and shops a 2 minute walk down to the harbour from your accommodation. Come and visit!”

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With a population of less than 1,000, it’s fair to say that Solva is not the biggest or the most famous village in Pembrokeshire.

But it is in with a fair shout of being the most beautiful.

One member of our fantastic Facebook group (which you can join here) called it “one of my favourite towns in Wales” and we think she’s got a point.

Solva the TV star

Solva gorgeous enough for the BBC to have featured it in their series “A Wild Year” a month or two ago (you can catch up with it on the iPlayer here).

The village is crammed with fabulous shops and places to eat and it’s also home to a perfect walk. It’s not a long one (about a mile) and if you’ve got children they will love exploring the rock pools and caves on the beach and having a paddle in the water.

The walk takes you above Solva Harbour and then down to the beach – just follow the signs for Pembrokeshire National Park.

The views really are something to behold as you’ll see from the pictures.

Fancy staying a while?

Despite its size, Solva has more than its fair share of places to stay – bed and breakfasts and guesthouses as well as the usual campsites whether you’re in a tent or bringing a caravan.

If you like seafood, you’re sure to enjoy the shrimp and crab in Solva – it’s all locally caught and tastes incredible.

It’s the perfect place for a weekend away or even longer.

One word of warning though, from Visit Pembrokeshire: If you are planning to visit, check out the tide times to make sure you’ve plenty of beach to play on and that you don’t get cut off by the incoming tide!

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It’s chock-full of restaurants, pubs, bars, parks, theatres and all manner of things to do.

But if you’ve lived here for a while and you’re looking for something different, why not try a bike ride?

The one we’ve discovered is not too long (just under 3½ miles), mostly flat and full of perfect places to stop.

Are you in? Great.

It starts at Roald Dahl Plass.

Before you get on your bike, the biggest challenge will be fighting off the temptation to ditch the wheels and just dive into one of the many eateries on offer.

From the Bowl, you need to bike down past the Senedd and the Norwegian church in Tiger Bay. If you fancy stopping and finding out more about the former Lutheran church which, thanks to the Norwegian Seamen’s Mission used to provide home comforts for Scandinavian sailors, we won’t judge you!

You’ll also cycle past the trendy container cafés – another good place to stop if Scandinavian churches aren’t your thing – and across the Cardiff Bay Barrage. 

There are also three children’s play areas and the skate park which you’ll be familiar with if you’re a local. If not, and you have young ones, they’re sure to love it.

Fancy a drink?

Once you’ve got to the Penarth end of the Barrage, you might fancy a drink outside the Old Custom House if you’ve not stopped before now – the final ¼ of a mile is a mightily steep hill, but well worth it for the spectacular views at the top!

Once you’ve had a good rest at the top and drunk in the glorious vistas, it’s back the way you came.

The whole route is about 3.4 miles but if you’re feeling especially energetic then you could add in another mile, which will take you through Penarth itself, where the sea front, promenade, pier and a whole host of places to grab some fantastic food will be waiting for you.

So what are you waiting for? Let’s get biking!

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Wild swimming is, well, swimming.

It doesn’t have to involve not wearing any clothes (phew!) but it does have to involve swimming outdoors, in what one travel writer called “a natural pool of water”.

That’s it.

One member of our fantastic Facebook group (which you can join here) said wild swimming was her “new favourite thing to do”, adding that it “really helps to reset everything come rain or shine.”

We quite agree. And like everything, wild swimming is best done in Wales. Obviously.

Lake Geirionydd

Lake Geirionydd is a perfect place to start your wild swimming adventure. It’s a 15-minute drive from Trefriw, about the same from Llanrwst and a 20-minute drive from Capel Curig.

According to Wikipedia, the lake is almost a mile long and covers an area of 45 acres (180,000 m2), but is never any deeper than 50 ft (15 m). There’s no fish in it either. 

There’s plenty of room for parking and it’s also a perfect place for enjoying a picnic with the family

Two words of warning!

The water does tend to be cold whatever time of year you visit and it’s a hugely popular place so we would recommend getting there in plenty of time if you’re planning to spend the whole day.

Unlike Llyn Crafnant, which is an hour’s pleasant walk away, all manner of activity is allowed at Lake Geirionydd.

It’s the only lake in Snowdonia to allow power boats and water skiing, so if wild swimming doesn’t take your fancy or you’d rather be on a kayak or a paddle boarding that’s allowed too. Don’t forget your wetsuit though!

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Hi Lucy here, you can’t live in Wrexham and have never visited Alyn Waters, that would be a crime but for all those outside of Wrexham I thought I’d share my Alyn Waters Country Park walk with you. If I was a tour guide, which I’m not, this would be a place I’d insist you go before or after visiting Hope Mountain.

Think of this area as a big old country park split into two by the River Alyn. You don’t need a map once you are there, just walk the paths it is amazing.

Follow My Walk

On Tuesday I started my walk from the Gwersyllt side, but you can start from Llay or the Mold Road which is the main entrance.

If you are driving you can, like me, use the free car park on the Gwersyllt side of the park, there is a main pay and display carpark but I have lived around here too long to know you don’t really need to pay to park with it being so accessible from all different areas of Wrexham. This is probably not what Wrexham Council would want me to tell you though.

The pathways around the whole of the park are very well maintained, perfect for everyone. It was very quiet at the time of my walk around 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon. I have been down on weekends before and it can get pretty busy mid week is always quieter. 

Dogs Paddling in the Water

I walked the route past the river which is always so popular on a summers day, full of families and dogs having a paddle. Throughout the park there are different pathways and shortcuts so I suggest if you are a first time visitor, enjoy the walk and venture around the different pathways, some are circular, some are through the woods and see where they lead you, you can’t get lost.

There is a variety of grassland, wild orchards, specieis of birds and insects like the river Kingfisher, or the native grass snake not that I’ve seen either of these but people have and you could too. I think it’s a special part of Wales and I hope you choose to do my walk someday soon.

Love Lucy & Pooch X

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