Central wales - Gales Central

Central wales an unofficial region of Welsh, United Kingdom.

Destinations

Counties

Towns

• Aberystwyth (Ceredigion)
• Brecon (Powys)
• Builth wells (Powys)
• Cardigan (Ceredigion)
• Hay-on-Wye (Powys)
• Lampeter (Ceredigion)
• Llanidloes (Powys)
• Llandrindod wells (Powys)
• Machynlleth (Powys)

Other destinations

• Brecon Beacons National Park (Welsh:Bannau Brycheiniog)

Understand

Mid Wales is the sparsely populated heart of Wales, covering more than a third of the country's total area, but containing only about 1/15 of its population, with the university town of Aberystwyth being one of the few settlements of significant size. . It stretches from the periphery of Snowdonia in the north to the edge of the industrial zone of South Wales and from the border with England to the Irish Sea.

Much of the region consists of the remote area of ​​the Cambrian Mountains. They are not high by UK or international standards - the highest point is Pumlumon Fawr, at 752 meters or 2,467 feet. But they are wild and remote, with only a few small towns and isolated farms, and crossed by only a handful of roads; the land is largely useful only for sheep farming and forestry. Several of the valleys were also flooded in the 1950s and 1960s to create reservoirs that primarily serve England, which was controversial at the time. The mountains also act as a barrier between the more English-speaking county of Powys in the east and the predominantly Welsh-speaking county of Ceredigion in the west. The areas towards the English border and are lower, more fertile and more populated, particularly in the valleys of the Severn, Wye and Usk rivers, all of which rise in the mountains. While the Central Welsh landscape may not match Snowdonia's rugged grandeur, it has an appeal of its own: softer and greener, but much emptier and less devoted to tourism.

Talk

As in other parts of Wales, English is universally understood. However, Welsh is widely spoken in western Powys and Ceredigion, and predominates in many parts of the latter. Visitors are not expected to speak Welsh, but respect for the language and at least an attempt to pronounce place names, etc., goes a long way to helping Welsh speakers.

To get

By car

The main routes to central Wales are the A470 (from North and South Wales), the A483 (from Swansea and Wrexham) and the A40, A44 and A458 (from across the border in England). They are all one-lane roads - a demonstration of the remoteness of central Wales is that there are no motorways or dual carriageways in the area except for a small ring road around Brecon.

By train

Arriva Trains Wales operates the Cambrian Line from Shrewsbury (with some services from Birmingham) to Aberystwyth, via the towns of Welshpool, Newtown and Caersws in the Severn Valley. Arriva Trains also runs the famous Heart of Wales line from Swansea to Shrewsbury. This service takes almost 4 hours to make the 120-mile journey through central Wales due to the many slopes and turns. It is popular with tourists but also provides an essential service to rural communities along the route.

By plane

There are no airports or air services in central Wales. The closest airports are in Cardiff and Birmingham.

Travel

Watch

• Strata Florida Abbey near Pontrhydfendigaid
• Devil's Bridge Waterfall
• Ynyslas Dunes near Borth
• Machynlleth Alternative Technology Center
• Powis Castle and Garden, near Welshpool

Do

Work on organic farms : Wales is home to many communes and organic farms, and WWOOF can arrange for volunteers to work for free at some of these locations in exchange for room and board. It's a great way to experience life in the Welsh countryside, make friends, and at the same time learn a little about organic farming.

• 1 Glyndlyr's Way 135 mile (217 km) trail on an extended loop through Powys between Knighton and Welshpool.

To eat

To drink

Stay safe

Next destination

• North wales
• southern whales
• West Midlands (region)