Maen Mawr

A bronze age cairn sits on open moorland between Swansea and the Brecon Beacons - that's Maen Mawr, and it's the kind of spot you'll walk past without noticing unless you know it's there. The stone itself is modest, really: a weathered pile of rocks that once marked a burial mound, now reduced to what looks like a natural outcrop if you're not paying attention.

What makes it worth the trip is the walk itself. The moorland around here is proper exposed, rolling country with views that stretch for miles. On a clear day you can see right across the Beacons. It's not a destination that'll eat up your morning - fifteen minutes looking around and you're done - but it works brilliantly as a waypoint on a longer moorland walk, or if you're already camping in the area.

Historically minded visitors will get a kick out of the fact this predates Roman Britain by well over a thousand years, though there's not much interpretation on site, so you'll want to read up beforehand. Families with young children might find it bit anticlimactic on its own - the landscape does the heavy lifting here, not the monument itself.

It's free and accessible year-round, though the moorland gets boggy after rain. If you're staying at Aber Glamping or Brecon Beacons Camping just down the road, it's absolutely worth factoring in as part of a half-day walking loop rather than a standalone visit. The real appeal is the wild, windswept walk, not the cairn itself.