Coed Ty'n graig

The forest spreads thick and dark across the hillside above Aberystwyth, all towering conifers and a floor so soft with needles you barely hear yourself walk. Coed Ty'n graig is proper woodland - the kind where the light comes down in shafts and you lose track of time within twenty minutes of leaving the car.

It's a walker's place, really. The paths wind through the trees without much in the way of signage, so you need a bit of confidence with a map or a decent footpath app. There's something rather appealing about that - no marked trails, no visitor centre, just you and the forest doing what it's been doing for decades. Most people allow an hour to ninety minutes depending on how far they venture; it's easy enough to loop back whenever you fancy it.

Families with older kids will manage fine here, though toddlers might find it harder going underfoot, especially after rain when the whole place turns boggy. Dogs love it, which is worth knowing if you're weighing it against other local walks.

What makes it worth the detour from an Aberystwyth base is the contrast it offers to the coast. Stay at Cambrian Coast Holiday Park or Searivers Caravan Park and you've got both landscape types within easy driving distance. The forest isn't dramatic or showy - it won't take your breath away like some mountain walks do - but there's something grounding about a proper Welsh woodland that makes for a restorative afternoon.