Sardis Chapel

You'll find this small, rather austere chapel sitting alone in the Powys countryside near Crickhowell, looking rather less impressive than you might hope. Sardis Chapel is a plain Methodist meeting house that tells you far more about 19th-century Welsh religious life than it does about architecture or grandeur. The interior is whitewashed and simple - wooden pews, a modest pulpit, the sort of no-frills space where congregations gathered for honest worship rather than spectacle.

It's genuinely worth a visit if you're interested in social history and how ordinary people worshipped, but don't expect anything visually arresting. The real appeal here is understanding the nonconformist movement that shaped rural Wales. You can usually access it, though hours aren't formal - it's very much a working chapel rather than a tourist attraction with opening times.

History types will get the most from this; families with young children might find it rather dull after ten minutes. Allow 20 to 30 minutes, maybe longer if you want to read through any information boards. It works well as part of a walking route around Crickhowell rather than a destination in itself.

If you're staying at Cwmdu Campsite or Pencelli Castle, both just a few miles away, this fits neatly into a day exploring the area on foot. Park the car and walk the lanes - that's how you'll get the sense of why this chapel mattered to the people who built it.