Efail-fach

The ruins of Efail-fach sit quietly in the Ceredigion countryside, a short drive south of Tregaron. What you're looking at is a medieval forge - literally "small smithy" in Welsh - that once served the local farming community. The stone structure, though roofless now, still reads as proper industrial archaeology: you can pick out the hearth area and water channel that powered the bellows.

It's not dramatic. There's no visitor centre, no interpretation boards, no queue of coaches. You'll find a weathered information board if you're lucky, then you're left alone with the stones and the sound of sheep. That's rather the appeal if you're into medieval rural life - how people actually worked away from castles and abbeys.

Histor types and walkers get the most from Efail-fach. You need to know what you're looking at to feel much beyond "old building", so it's not a stop for restless kids. Allow twenty minutes unless you're photographing it properly. The site is free and sits in open countryside, so access appears unrestricted, though there's nothing formal about it.

If you're camping at Cambrian Mountains Glamping and Camping two miles north, this makes a gentle detour on a local loop walk rather than a destination in itself. The Tregaron area has scattered medieval sites like this - worthwhile for anyone piecing together the region's past, less essential if you're after dramatic views.