Island fields

The fields around Island spread across the valley floor near Brecon like a proper working landscape - no visitor centre, no gift shop, just the rhythm of farming life and the Wye Valley doing what it's done for centuries. You're looking at pastoral Mid Wales at its most genuine: open meadows, the river nearby, and views that stretch towards the Black Mountains without a theme park in sight.

Walkers get the most from Island. The terrain is straightforward - flat to gently rolling - which makes it ideal for those wanting to cover distance without the leg-shattering climbs you get elsewhere in Powys. The fields themselves are less of a destination and more of a stage for exploring the wider valley. Families with young children won't find rides or attractions, but that's rather the point. There's space to roam, fields to cross, and a genuine sense of being in agricultural Wales rather than a sanitised heritage site.

This works brilliantly as part of a walking holiday based at 68 Degrees West Glamping, just down the road. You can string together valley walks, head up into the Black Mountains proper when you fancy it, or simply spend an afternoon ambling through farmland without seeing another soul. The nearest serious facilities are in Brecon itself, about six miles away - shops, pubs, the works.

Timing-wise, spring and early summer are best. Winter can turn the fields boggy, and there's nothing worse than trudging through mud when you could be somewhere with a roof. Admission is free because there's nothing formal to charge for. Allow as long as you want - it's that kind of place.