The Travelling Mule

Walkers will be in their element with a choice of waterside routes. Take gentle kid-friendly meanders along the tree-shaded Montgomery Canal Towpath, or follow the River Severn Path into Newton (90 minutes’ walk), stopping off to watch for kingfishers and grebes at Pwll Penarth Nature Reserve (55 minutes) along the way. Learn up on Powys history on a visit to the photogenic hilltop ruins of Dolforwyn Castle (five minutes’ drive), built in 1273 to defend the Severn Valley against attack from over the border in England. There’s more Welsh heritage to be seen at National Trust-owned Powis Castle and Garden (20 minutes), where you can nose around sumptuous interiors and have a wander through formal gardens planted with 300-year-old yew hedges. See a Welsh craftsman at work in the Andrew Logan Museum of Sculpture (10 minutes, book in advance), where there’s an eccentric collection of colourful installations and bespoke jewellery made from recycled glass, papier-mâché and textiles. Round off the day in Powys by sampling some sparkling rosé at Kerry Vale Vineyard (15 minutes), open for tours of the vines and tastings at the cellar door.