Brecon

Market day brings this agricultural town to life with proper Welsh farmers selling everything from lamb to leeks. Brecon sits in a valley where the Rivers Usk and Honddu meet, surrounded by the dramatic peaks of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The town feels refreshingly unspoilt - no chain stores dominating the high street, just independent shops that have served locals for decades.

Court-y-Gaer Hillfort offers spectacular views across the valley, though it's a bit of a climb from the town centre. The Iron Age earthworks are well preserved, and on clear days you can see right across to Pen y Fan. Closer to town, Brechfa Pool provides a gentler walk through woodland, popular with families feeding the ducks.

Sobremesa brewery has put Brecon on the craft beer map, producing excellent ales that you'll find in pubs across Mid Wales. Their taproom gets busy at weekends with walkers coming down from the mountains. The town's churches tell stories of its nonconformist past - Bethlehem Presbyterian Chapel and Tabernacle Baptist Chapel both date from the 19th century when Welsh chapels were the heart of community life.

Getting here is straightforward from Cardiff or Swansea, though the mountain roads can be slow. Abergavenny is the nearest proper town with rail links. Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense - you're ideally placed for tackling the Beacons' highest peaks while having a proper town with shops, pubs and restaurants within easy reach. The surrounding countryside is some of Wales' finest walking territory, with ancient hillforts and mountain lakes scattered across the landscape.