River Severn

The Severn starts its life up here in the Powys hills, hardly more than a mountain stream tumbling down from the moorland above Llanidloes. It's easy to miss if you're just passing through - no visitor centre, no car parks with signs pointing you toward a "viewpoint". You have to actually know where to look, or stumble across it while walking the ridges.

This is where Britain's longest river begins, and there's something quietly satisfying about standing at its source and watching water that will eventually reach the English Midlands and the Severn Estuary as barely a trickle at your feet. Walkers get the most from it - the surrounding moorland and forestry tracks around Llanidloes offer proper routes, and following the river downstream as it gains strength is a good half-day expedition. It's not a honeypot attraction; there's no entrance fee, no crowds, no facilities to speak of.

If you're based at one of the caravan parks nearby - Clywedog Riverside or Dol-Llys Farm are within walking distance - it's worth incorporating into a longer walk rather than treating it as a destination in itself. The real appeal emerges once you understand what you're looking at: the modest beginning of something that matters. The river valley itself is lovely, especially in autumn when the mix of deciduous and conifer woodland turns colour. Give yourself two or three hours to wander and take it in properly. It won't dazzle you, but it will stay with you.