Kites, ponies and castles
Enjoy the undulating fairways and beautiful waters of Lakeside Golf Course, wend your way through Welsh history at Powys and Montgomery Castles, and discover follies, bridges and towers at Hawkstone Park Follies. Watch the red kites get fed at Gigrin Farm. Hack ponies with Long Mountain. Or ride Sabrina serenely along the Severn.
Country kids
Kids love the coast and the Welsh one’s full of wonder. Head to spectacular beaches at Penbryn, Ynyslas and Borth, with its 4000-year-old forest that’s revealed at low tide. Nearer home, get down to Gigrin Farm in the afternoon to watch the ritual red-kite feeding. Stick around for the bike trails and the café.
Need a flicks fix? There’s cinema in Newtown and Shrewsbury. Travel by traditional steam on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in charming balconied carriages over a viaduct and river bridge and up the super-steep Golfa Bank. Or enjoy miles of off-road hacking with Long Mountain Pony Trekking.
A visit to Llanfyllin Workhouse comes at your favourite price – free. It’s the only workhouse museum in Wales and offers a glimpse into Victorian times, with a half-hour film presented by the ghost of the first master, a visitor trail and loads of interactive activities for kids.
Stay at the workhouse for the pirate-themed Roomination Escape Rooms. Find clues, solve riddles and complete puzzles that will help you escape. Great landscaping features and the latest weaponry make Black Hawk Laser Games memorable. And take the Sabrina boat along the Severn with commentary and snacks.
For the grown-ups
Swim and gym at the Flash Leisure Centre in Welshpool. Enjoy the contoured greens, undulating fairways and beautiful lakes of the nine-hole Lakeside Golf Course in Gartmyl or try to focus on the fairways rather than the mountain vistas at Welshpool Golf Course. Or try wakeboarding and water-skiing at Lake Vyrnwy and Clywedog Dam.
Wend your way back into Welsh history visiting castles at Montgomery and Dolforwyn, and enjoy the significant collection of Indian artefacts, silver and gold at Powys Castle, then potter around the Italianate terraces and clipped yews. Or enjoy the five-acre lake, cascading water garden, woodland walks, walled garden and more at Glansevern Hall.
Shop quirky independents in Montgomery and Welshpool or hit the high street in Shrewsbury. Stick around to take a self-guided tour of Shrewsbury Prison, or take another one around the town, to see where Charles Darwin grew up and found his inspiration. Or book an Owl Experience at Shropshire Falconry.
Take a walk through 100 acres filled with magical follies, bridges, towers and caves at Hawkstone Park Follies. Take in the view from the top of Stiperstones Nature Reserve and refuel in The Stiperstones Inn. Or visit Powysland Museum covering everything from local railway history to canal-building, and farming to fashion.
Happy hens
Stay on site for the ten-seat hot tubs, cocktail bar, games room, firepit and stargazing. Or pop out to the picturesque village of Berriew for the independent pubs, restaurants and deli. Walk Offa’s Dyke National Trail, bike the Montgomery Canal to the Pond Nature Reserve, head out to foodie Ludlow, Tudor Shrewsbury, and historic Ironbridge.
Take a tour of Wroxeter Roman Vineyard and enjoy 90 minutes of pleasant chat with your knowledgeable host, then tuck into afternoon tea and fresh sandwiches. Pamper yourself with magical me-time at Imagine Spa, with specialist face, massage and body treatments, including a Serail Mud Chamber.
See the lighter side of the beautiful game with bubble football at Shrewsbury Sports Village. Go back a few decades to the days of egg-and-spoon and wheelbarrow races with an Old School Sports Day in Shrewsbury. Or ride the beautiful Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway and dig into afternoon tea as you admire the views.
Chuck axes at TimberJack’s. Fire for the bull with Bowbrook Archers. Head to Riverbank Bar and Kitchen for a cocktail masterclass. Learn the history of cocktails, then make and taste your own. Sign up for Bongo’s Bingo at The Buttermarket. Or find cocktails and clubbing at Ten and Six, The Alb and Albert’s Shed.
