Gorsedd Park

The moorland around Gorsedd Park rolls on endlessly, heather-brown and utterly quiet. It's a proper nature reserve in Powys - the kind of place where you go to actually hear yourself think, which sounds lovely until you realise there's a lot of wind up there. You're looking at open moorland with footpaths threading through, bog in places, and views that stretch all the way towards the Brecon Beacons on a clear day. It's not a manicured park with benches and a visitor centre. This is the raw stuff.

Walkers will get the most from it, honestly. If you're the sort who enjoys a three-mile tramp across exposed terrain, watching red grouse dart about and maybe spotting a kestrel overhead, you'll find it rewarding. Bring a map and proper boots - it's boggy and the ground is unforgiving. Families with young children might find it a bit relentless after forty minutes of trudging. The nearest proper town is Swansea, though it's a fair drive away, so plan accordingly.

If you're already camped at Brecon Beacons Camping & Caravan Park just down the road, Gorsedd Park makes a solid morning's walk before heading back for lunch. It's the sort of place that works best in autumn or winter when the weather's dramatic and you've got the moorland largely to yourself. Summer weekends can get busier with day-trippers from Swansea. Free access, as far as I can tell, though there's nothing there to stop you anyway.