Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 01591-610264;
www.food-food-food.co.uk
; Y Sgwar; mains £16-20; 10.30am-3.30pm & 7.30-9.30pm Tue &
Thu-Sat, 12.30-2.30pm Sun)
This snug little restaurant serves up the best of local produce and
lots of fresh fish mains. The owners also run regular one-day cooking courses (£150 to
£185) including a Welsh cooking day and a big Welsh game course featuring venison,
pheasant and wild game. There are also a few simple but cosy rooms (single/double £30/
60), though not all are en suite.
Getting There & Around
Lôn Las Cymru, the Welsh National Cycle Route (Sustrans Rte 8), passes through Llan-
wrtyd Wells, heading north to Machynlleth and east to Builth Wells. There's excellent
mountain biking in the surrounding hills; enquire at the Drovers Rest.
Bus 48 heads to Builth Wells (27 minutes).
Llanwrtyd is on the Heart of Wales Line, with direct services to Swansea (£10.10, two
hours), Llandeilo (£4.80, 45 minutes), Llandrindod Wells (£3.90, 31 minutes) and Shrews-
bury (£12.80, two hours).
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
CAMBRIAN MOUNTAINS
The Cambrian Mountains are a rather desolate but starkly beautiful area of uplands covering the region roughly
between Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons. Largely unpopulated and undeveloped, this wild, empty plateau of
high moorland is the source of both the Rivers Severn and Wye. Hidden in the folds of the hills are lakes, water-
falls and deserted valleys as well as hill farms home to thousands of sheep. The region sees relatively few visitors
except for around the Elan Valley and if you wish to get away from it all there is no finer place in Wales in which
to hike or bike in utter solitude and tranquility. Many tracks criss-cross the area including the long-distance Cam-
brian Way; you can find details of routes on
www.walkingbritain.co.uk
or more information about the region on
TOP OF CHAPTER
Rhayader (Rhaeadr Gwy)
POP 2090
Rhayader is a handsome small and fairly uneventful livestock-market town revolving
around a central crossroads marked by a war-memorial clock. It's a place that appeals to
walkers visiting the nearby Elan Valley and tackling the 136-mile Wye Valley Walk.
Rhayader is deserted on Thursdays when businesses trade for only half a day, but market
day on Wednesdays attracts a crowd.
