Aberaeron

The pastel-painted houses lining Aberaeron's harbour look like someone spilled a box of sweets along the waterfront. This Georgian coastal town in Ceredigion was actually planned as a purpose-built port in the early 1800s - unusual for Wales - which explains its neat grid layout and those distinctive candy-coloured terraces.

Strolling the harbour quayside remains the main event here. Fishing boats bob alongside pleasure craft, while the cafes and galleries occupying the ground floors of those famous painted houses provide plenty of excuses to linger. The town's compact size means you can walk from one end to the other in ten minutes, but somehow Aberaeron manages to feel both intimate and spacious.

Castel Cadwgan offers a proper ramble up the coast if you fancy stretching your legs beyond the harbour walls. The medieval remains aren't much to look at, but the coastal views are cracking. Alternatively, Llandewi Aberarth Church sits just inland - worth the short detour for its surprisingly elaborate interior.

Cardigan Bay stretches endlessly westward from here, while the Cambrian Mountains rise inland through a patchwork of green fields and stone walls. Getting here by car means following the A487 coast road - it's about 40 minutes south of Aberystwyth and a similar distance north of Cardigan.

Staying at one of the nearby parks like Aeron Coast Caravan Park or Wide Horizons Holiday Park puts you within easy reach of both the harbour's ice cream shops and the broader Ceredigion coast. The surrounding countryside feels genuinely rural - sheep outnumber tourists by a considerable margin, even in summer.