Chartist Cave

The walk to Chartist Cave takes you down into a proper gorge near Brecon, and it's steeper than you'd expect from the OS map. Water rushes past limestone cliffs, and the cave itself sits tucked into the hillside - nothing grand, but atmospheric in that damp, echoey way caves manage. You can get inside without caving gear, which means families with older kids actually stand a chance here rather than just peering at the entrance like lemons.

The history hooks you in: this was a hiding place for Chartist rebels in the 1830s, fleeing after the Newport Rising. Real people squeezed into this dark squeeze. It's the sort of place that makes you think about how serious things were, rather than just reading about it in a textbook.

Allow a good hour for the walk down and back up - longer if you're not regular walkers. The approach path can be boggy after rain, so proper boots matter. It's free, which helps justify the trek. The cave itself is quite small once you're in there, so it's more about the journey and the story than spending ages sitting inside.

If you're based at Cwmdu Campsite nearby, this is exactly the sort of thing to fill a morning before lunch. Not a day-long mission, but worth doing when you're in the area. Kids under eight might find the walk tedious; teenagers usually find the Chartist angle interesting enough to make it worthwhile.