Smithy Park at Abermule, Powys is the perfect place from which to explore beautiful Mid Wales. The coast is just over an hours drive away through the scenic Cambrian Hills and there are reservoirs, castles and historic towns nearby.

Barmouth, coastal Mid-Wales

Barmouth’s location on the west coast of North Wales and lying between a mountain range and the sea on the mouth of the river Mawddach is arguably one of the most beautiful locations in Wales. It rests just within the south west corner of Snowdonia National Park and is seeped in a history rich with connections to the shipping and slate industries.
The old town is well worth a visit with its steep steps and slate-roofed cottages on the side of a mountain. The harbour is beautiful and you can walk across the spectacular Barmouth Bridge spanning the river which can be an ideal activity for an evening stroll.
The beach is large and perfect for sunbathing and games and surfers can often be seen depending on the swells and time of year. Kids love the beach yet its size means those wanting to get away and relax in peace and quite can do so easily. It also has a large range of shops, pubs, hotels and other accommodation, a funfair from March to October and amusement arcades.

Lake Vyrnwy

Lake Vyrnwy lies just to the south of Snowdonia. It is a man-made water reservoir with a perimeter road 11.75 miles long. Located a short drive from the Shropshire border it is a day-out from areas such as Birmingham and Liverpool. If you should nearby it is a perfect base for exploring Snowdonia and the coast from Harlech to Aberystwyth. Lake Vyrnwy Nature Reserve and Estate is an area of land in Powys, Wales, surrounding the Victorian reservoir of Lake Vyrnwy. Its stone-built dam, built in the 1880s, is the first of its kind in the world. The Nature Reserve and the area around it are jointly managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Severn Trent Water. It was built for the purpose of supplying Liverpool and Merseyside with fresh water. It flooded the head of the Vyrnwy Valley and submerged the small village of Llanwddyn. Today it is a popular retreat, for people in the West Midlands and Merseyside for days out, and also for ornithologists, cyclists, and hikers. The Reserve is designated as a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area, and a Special Area of Conservation.

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Dolforwyn Castle

Dolforwyn stands on a wooded hill overlooking the fertile Severn valley, a scene so peaceful today that it is hard to picture it as one of political animosity or military action. It was built between 1273-77 by Llywelyn the Last as a forward position in his territory, and overlooking the English lordship of Montgomery. This rectangular castle crowns a ridge along the Severn valley, and was obviously designed to act as a sentinel over Llywelyn's south-eastern frontier. Its initial construction led Edward I to write to Prince Llywelyn in 1273, forbidding him to build the castle. The prince replied, with a masterpiece of ironic politeness, that he did not require the king's permission to raise a stronghold in his own principality. Dolforwyn was, however, taken by Roger Mortimer after a fortnight's siege in 1277, and given to the Mortimers, a powerful marcher family. The castle was kept in repair for some years, but was ruinous by 1398. Llywelyn's fledgling town on the ridge to the west of the castle was suppressed under the English, who did not welcome competition with Montgomery. Instead, Roger Mortimer founded Newtown in 1279 on a more suitable site nearby.

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The Robert Owen Museum

The Robert Owen Museum celebrates the life and works of Robert Owen, born in Newtown, Mid Wales, in 1771 and died there in 1858. Robert Owen is chiefly associated with New Lanark, A New View of Society, New Harmony and The New Moral World. (The word “New” is common to them all.) New Lanark was a large cotton-spinning establishment on the River Clyde, thirty miles above Glasgow. Robert Owen was Manager of the mills and workers’ village from 1800 to 1824. He much improved the workers’ conditions and built splendid new schools for their children. The establishment made him a rich man. Robert Owen wrote A New View of Society in 1812-13. He cited the improvements in the character of the New Lanark population as proof of his doctrine that character is made for man, not by him. He urged universal primary education and public works to solve unemployment. The book was much read.

Click here for the Robert Owen Museum website

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