Llyn Fanod

This small reservoir sits quietly in the Ceredigion countryside between Llanon and the surrounding hills - the sort of place locals know about and visitors stumble upon by accident. Llyn Fanod is nothing grand. It's a working water supply dressed up as countryside, with a simple track running alongside it and fields rolling back from the water's edge.

What you actually get here is a decent walk and some proper rural Welsh atmosphere. The water itself is dark and still, reflecting whatever the sky's doing that day. On a clear morning it's genuinely pleasant; when the clouds roll in off the coast it feels properly remote. There's no visitor centre, no cafe, no themed experience - just a lake and the landscape around it.

Walkers will find it worth the detour if you're basing yourself near Llanon. The circuit is manageable without being challenging, and you'll see the kind of Wales that postcards don't bother with - honest and a bit windswept. Families with young kids might find it a bit thin on entertainment; there's nowhere to paddle or mess about. Give it an hour or ninety minutes, depending on how long you want to sit by the water.

From any of the nearby parks - Brynarian, FfosHelyg, Pengarreg or Morfa Farm - it's close enough for a morning outing. Pair it with a walk along the coast at Llanon itself and you've got a proper Welsh day sorted.