Llandovery

The whistle of the Heart of Wales railway line echoes through this small market town where Welsh culture runs deepest. Llandovery feels properly Welsh - not the tourist-board version, but the real thing where Welsh is the first language in most shops and pubs.

St. Michael's sits at the town's heart, while the statue of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Fychan reminds visitors this was once a place of real political significance. The town centre is compact enough to cover in an hour, but it's what surrounds Llandovery that makes it special.

Mountains rise on all sides. Mynydd y Llan and Fedw Fawr offer cracking walks without being too demanding, while the more adventurous can tackle Y Pigwn or Cefngarreg for proper hill country views. The Red Kite Feeding Station draws the crowds - these magnificent birds wheel overhead in numbers that would have seemed impossible thirty years ago.

Usk Reservoir provides a different kind of escape. It's a bit of a trek to reach, but worth it for the solitude and fishing. The Roman Fort at Alabum proves this valley has been important for millennia, though there's not much left to see beyond earthworks.

Getting here means either the scenic railway from Swansea or driving the A40 through some of Wales's loveliest countryside. Llandeilo is the nearest proper town, twenty minutes east.

Staying at one of the camping spots or glamping sites scattered around makes perfect sense. You're bang in the middle of the Brecon Beacons' western reaches, with Coed Nant yr Hogfaen and Allt Caefeiri forests providing excellent walking. The town itself might be small, but it's an ideal base for exploring this less-visited corner of the national park.