Penrhiwsych

There’s much to do within an hour’s drive, from traipsing around the Welsh Cae Hir Gardens – with a bit of Dutch history thrown into the mix (15 minutes’ drive) – to panning for precious metals at the Roman-era Dolaucothi Gold Mine (25 minutes). It’s also not far from the coast: dolphin-spotting boat trips leave from New Quay, 35 minutes away, and the town of Cardigan edges the big bay of the same name for coastal walks with epic views. Other famed urban areas close by are Carmarthen (35 minutes), the start-off point for rides on the antique Gwili Steam Railway through gorgeous west Wales countryside, and Aberystwyth (50 minutes’ drive). Eat fish and chips on the harbour in front of the colourful townhouses here, then dawdle over to The National Library of Wales, the biggest in Wales housing more than 6.5 million books and periodicals. If that sounds a bit too stuffy, the sweeping landscapes of Snowdonia National Park are an hour and 20 minutes to the north.