Castell Dolforwyn

The ruins of Castell Dolforwyn crown a steep hillside in Powys, and the walk up there is half the appeal. You're climbing through proper countryside, with views opening out across the Mid Wales valleys as you gain height. What awaits at the top is a 13th-century Welsh castle - built by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd - now reduced to earthworks and fragmentary stone walls that give you just enough to imagine what it once was.

It's the kind of place that appeals to history buffs and serious walkers rather than casual day-trippers. Kids might enjoy the scramble up, though the site itself isn't especially dramatic - you're reading the landscape as much as looking at structures. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the walk and a proper look around. There's no café, no visitor centre, no entry fee as far as we can tell. Just you, the hillside, and 800 years of Welsh castle bones.

If you're based at one of the nearby parks - Smithy Park is only just down the road, while Maes Yr Afon and Gwernydd Hall are within easy reach - this makes a solid half-day excursion. Pair it with walks around the broader Powys countryside rather than expecting Castell Dolforwyn alone to fill a morning. The real value here is in the walk itself and the sweeping views from the ridge, not in lingering with the ruins.