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- Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon — Wales’ highest peak; you get brutal, changeable mountain weather, brilliant ridgeline views (you can see Anglesey on a clear day) and a proper sense of place. Do the quieter Llanberis or Moel Cynghorion routes if you want fewer crowds than the train-topping tourists.
- Pembrokeshire Coast National Park — cliff paths that drop straight into wild seas, secret coves, dramatic headlands and fishing villages. Walk the coastal path between St Davids and Strumble Head, or take a boat to see caves and seals that you won’t find on a typical beach holiday.
- Portmeirion — an Italian-style village plonked into the Welsh hills by Clough Williams-Ellis. Colourful façades, hidden gardens and quirky architecture make it feel like nowhere else in Britain. (Personal favourite — it’s equal
- Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon — Wales’ highest peak; you get brutal, changeable mountain weather, brilliant ridgeline views (you can see Anglesey on a clear day) and a proper sense of place. Do the quieter Llanberis or Moel Cynghorion routes if you want fewer crowds than the train-topping tourists.
- Pembrokeshire Coast National Park — cliff paths that drop straight into wild seas, secret coves, dramatic headlands and fishing villages. Walk the coastal path between St Davids and Strumble Head, or take a boat to see caves and seals that you won’t find on a typical beach holiday.
- Portmeirion — an Italian-style village plonked into the Welsh hills by Clough Williams-Ellis. Colourful façades, hidden gardens and quirky architecture make it feel like nowhere else in Britain. (Personal favourite — it’s equal parts oddball and peaceful, great for wandering with a camera.)
- Bannau Brycheiniog / Brecon Beacons — rolling heather moorland, cavernous waterfalls and the broad summit of Pen y Fan. Dark-sky status, caving and easy ridge walks mean you can go hardcore or just sit by a waterfall with a flask.
- Skomer Island — a wildlife island off the Pembrokeshire coast: puffins on the cliffs, carpeted spring flowers and no cars. Day trips are limited so it feels wonderfully un-touristy when the boats run.
- Hay-on-Wye — the book town that’s actually worth the hype: scores of secondhand and specialist shops, tiny arty cafés and a bookish atmosphere year-round (festival aside, you can still browse for hours and find odd treasures).
- Pontcysyllte Aqueduct — an engineering masterpiece carrying the Llangollen Canal high over the Dee valley. Walk the towpath or book a narrowboat trip for a slow, improbable ride across the aqueduct and proper views of the valley below.
- Elan Valley Reservoirs (hidden gem) — dramatic Victorian dams and empty lanes in the heart of mid-Wales. Great for cycling, long quiet walks and honest B&Bs; locals treat it like a weekend retreat rather than a packaged attraction.
- Llyn y Fan Fach (hidden gem) — a remote, haunting lake in the Black Mountain with a local legend (the Lady of the Lake) and raw upland scenery. It’s a proper hike to get there, which keeps most day-trippers away and rewards you with solitude and big skies.
- Pistyll Rhaeadr (hidden gem) — one of Britain’s tallest single-drop waterfalls, tucked into Powys countryside. It’s an easy stop that still feels wild and uncommercialised; better on a weekday when the lane is quiet.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past decade, I’ve backpacked through 80+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.