Luxury self-catering accommodation in the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog)

Soaring mountains with cloud-shrouded peaks keeping watch over a patchwork of fields make this landscape a changeable and stunning base for walking holidays in the southern stretches of central Wales. If you can handle a bike, there are many cycle trails to work the pedals but most adventurers head out on foot to the four mountain ranges, hoping to scale the twin peaks of Pen-y-Fan and Corn Du. If your head for heights isn't high, there are walks for all abilities taking visitors over 520 square miles of National Park, or keep feet on cobbled ground and head for Hay literary festival, a book-lovers delight.

Dotting the slopes are the crumbling castles and old cottages that give this area its romantic ambiance, not least Brecon Castle right in the centre of this quaint town. Or Cyfarthfa Castle, holding fast the southern gateway of the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) with its museum, gallery, and miniature railway. Aqua fans can take to the pretty River Usk as it bubbles through town: dip in at the Promenade, having hired a canoe or booked onto a guided paddle which is recommended for beginners at low tide and enjoy the landscape as you pass by on the water.