719 walks across Wales

• Cardiff and the Vale

  Mynydd Margam

  The hills behind Margam Park, with hillforts, standing stones and a view over Swansea Bay from the ridge.

  5.0 mi2 hr 50 Demanding
• Gower

  Cefn Bryn from Penmaen

  The long way onto the Gower ridge from the southern coast, across common and farmland, with both sides of the peninsula in view from the top.

  4.3 mi2 hr 25 Moderate
• Carmarthenshire Coast

  Millennium Coastal Park

  Fourteen miles of level surfaced path along the Loughor estuary on reclaimed industrial land, with Gower across the water the whole way.

  3.4 mi1 hr 45 Easy
• Tywi Valley and Carmarthen

  Castle Woods, Llandeilo

  Ancient woodland on the bluff between the town and Dinefwr castle, managed as a nature reserve, with the Tywi looping below.

  2.8 mi1 hr 35 Moderate
• Carmarthenshire Coast

  Pembrey Forest and the Long Beach

  The full length of Cefn Sidan and back through the pine forest, on one of the longest beaches in Britain with Gower across the bay.

  5.0 mi2 hr 35 Moderate
• Tywi Valley and Carmarthen

  The Tywi Forest at Ystradffin

  Forest tracks above the upper Tywi below Llyn Brianne, in country where the red kite survived when it was gone everywhere else.

  4.3 mi2 hr 35 Demanding
• South Pembrokeshire Coast

  Wooltack Point and the Deer Park

  The headland opposite Skomer, with the tide race running through Jack Sound below and seabirds streaming past all summer.

  2.5 mi1 hr 30 Moderate
• Bannau Brycheiniog: Central Beacons

  Corn Du by Cwm Llwch

  The northern approach to the main summits, past a glacial lake and up the steep back of Corn Du, far quieter than anything from the A470.

  5.6 mi4 hr Strenuous
• Bannau Brycheiniog: Fforest Fawr and the Waterfalls

  Llwyn-on Reservoir

  Level path along the shore of the lowest of the Taf Fawr reservoirs, with the Bannau escarpment ahead and forest behind.

  3.4 mi1 hr 50 Easy
• Rhondda and the Western Valleys

  The Ogmore Valley Ridges

  Open mountain above the Ogmore valley, with the Bwlch pass road crossing the ridge and old tramroads on the slopes.

  5.0 mi2 hr 55 Demanding
• Caerphilly and the Eastern Valleys

  Silent Valley

  Beech woodland at over 400 metres, among the highest in Britain, on the side of a valley that was solid coal a lifetime ago.

  2.8 mi1 hr 40 Moderate
• Caerphilly and the Eastern Valleys

  Aberbargoed Grasslands

  The largest area of marshy grassland left in the south Wales valleys, protected for a butterfly that has almost vanished elsewhere.

  2.5 mi1 hr 25 Moderate
• Severn Valley and Newtown

  Pwll Penarth

  Former gravel pit and sewage works beside the Severn turned into a lagoon reserve, with hides and a surprising amount of birdlife.

  2.2 mi1 hr 15 Easy
• Radnorshire

  Pwllpatti

  Unimproved hay meadow and wet grassland by the Wye, the sort of flower-rich field that used to be everywhere and now barely exists.

  2.5 mi1 hr 25 Moderate
• Bannau Brycheiniog: Black Mountain

  Allt Rhongyr

  Limestone grassland on the slopes above the Tawe, with a hillfort next door and some of the richest plant communities in the Bannau.

  2.8 mi1 hr 40 Demanding
• Rhondda and the Western Valleys

  Pwll Waun Cynon

  Pond and marsh in the middle of the Cynon valley, formed by mining subsidence and now one of the best wetland sites in the coalfield.

  2.2 mi1 hr 15 Easy
• Rhondda and the Western Valleys

  The Cynon Trail

  A level surfaced route down the Cynon valley on the old railway and canal line, entirely traffic-free between two towns with stations.

  3.4 mi1 hr 45 Easy
• Usk Valley and Abergavenny

  Cwm Clydach Beechwoods

  A national nature reserve of beech woodland on the steep sides of the Clydach gorge, at the western limit of the species in Britain.

  3.1 mi1 hr 55 Demanding
• Upper Wye Valley

  Llanwrtyd Wells and the Irfon Hills

  Hill paths above the smallest town in Britain, which is also where people race horses against runners and bog-snorkel for sport.

  4.3 mi2 hr 35 Demanding
• Cambrian Mountains

  Cwmystwyth Mines

  Hillside stripped bare by four thousand years of metal mining, with Bronze Age workings, Victorian engine houses and almost nothing growing on the spoil.

  3.7 mi2 hr 15 Demanding
• Elan Valley and Rhayader

  Claerwen Reservoir

  The largest and emptiest of the Elan reservoirs, with a track along the northern shore leading into some of the least visited country in Wales.

  5.6 mi3 hr 10 Demanding
• Cambrian Mountains

  The Teifi Pools

  A scatter of lakes on the Cambrian plateau where the Teifi rises, in open country with no shelter and very few visitors.

  5.0 mi3 hr Demanding
• Ceredigion Coast

  Pen Dinas and the Miners’ Trail

  The longer trail from Nant yr Arian, climbing out of the forest onto open hillside past old lead workings with the whole coast in view.

  5.0 mi2 hr 55 Demanding
• Ceredigion Coast

  Pen Dinas

  The hillfort between the two rivers at Aberystwyth, with a monument to Wellington on top and the whole of Cardigan Bay from the ramparts.

  2.8 mi1 hr 35 Moderate
• Ceredigion Coast

  Cors Fochno

  One of the largest raised bogs in Britain, still growing, with a boardwalk out onto a surface that has been accumulating peat for six thousand years.

  3.1 mi1 hr 45 Moderate
• Dyfi Valley and Machynlleth

  Ynys-hir

  Oak woodland, wet grassland and saltmarsh on the Dyfi estuary, with hides throughout and one of the best bird lists of any reserve in Wales.

  3.7 mi2 hr 10 Moderate
• Dyfi Valley and Machynlleth

  Aberdyfi Panorama Walk

  A steep climb out of the village onto the hills behind, with the Dyfi estuary below and Cardigan Bay running away west.

  3.7 mi2 hr 20 Demanding
• Eryri: Cadair Idris and the Mawddach

  Tywyn and the Broad Water

  The beach and the tidal lagoon at the mouth of the Dysynni, with waders on the water and Cadair Idris behind.

  3.7 mi2 hr Easy
• Eryri: Cadair Idris and the Mawddach

  Castell y Bere and Bird Rock

  Welsh castle on a rock in an empty valley, with a crag nearby where cormorants nest four miles from the sea.

  3.1 mi1 hr 50 Moderate
• Eryri: Cadair Idris and the Mawddach

  Nant Gwernol

  Wooded ravine at the end of the Talyllyn Railway, with waterfalls, slate inclines and paths through the trees.

  3.1 mi1 hr 50 Moderate
• Eryri: Yr Wyddfa and Llanberis

  Mynydd Mawr

  The elephant mountain west of Llyn Cwellyn, quiet even in August, with the best side-on view of the Nantlle ridge there is.

  5.6 mi4 hr Strenuous
• Eryri: Yr Wyddfa and Llanberis

  Y Garn and the Nantlle Ridge

  The eastern end of the finest ridge walk in Eryri, with a steep pull onto Y Garn and scrambling along the crest beyond.

  5.0 mi4 hr Strenuous
• Eryri: Yr Wyddfa and Llanberis

  Dinorwig Quarry Terraces

  Up through the terraces of what was once the second largest slate quarry in the world, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and largely silent.

  3.1 mi2 hr Demanding
• Eryri: Ogwen and the Carneddau

  Bethesda and the Penrhyn Quarry

  Around the town built by the largest slate quarry in the world, with the terraces above and the Ogwen running through.

  3.7 mi2 hr 10 Demanding
• Anglesey

  Newborough Beach

  The straight version: out along the sand with Eryri filling the horizon, and back through the pines. Shorter than the full Llanddwyn circuit.

  3.1 mi1 hr 40 Easy
• Anglesey

  Beaumaris and the Strait

  Level walking along the Menai Strait from the castle and pier, with the Carneddau rising directly across the water.

  3.1 mi1 hr 40 Easy
• Anglesey

  North Stack

  The quieter half of the Holyhead cliffs, with a fog signal station on the headland and some of the biggest sea cliffs in Wales.

  3.1 mi1 hr 50 Moderate
• Conwy Valley and the North Coast

  RSPB Conwy

  Lagoons and reedbed on the Conwy estuary, made from spoil dug out for the road tunnel, with hides, level paths and the castle across the water.

  2.5 mi1 hr 30 Easy
• Conwy Valley and the North Coast

  The Little Orme

  The smaller limestone headland east of Llandudno, with a seal haul-out below the cliffs and quarry faces full of nesting birds.

  3.1 mi1 hr 50 Moderate
• Conwy Valley and the North Coast

  Bryn Euryn

  Limestone hill above Colwyn Bay with a ruined hall at the bottom, woodland on the slopes and the whole north coast from the top.

  2.2 mi1 hr 20 Moderate
• Clwydian Range and Vale of Clwyd

  Ruthin and the Clwydian Foothills

  Out of a medieval town into the fields below the Clwydian ridge, with the whole escarpment ahead and almost no other walkers.

  5.0 mi2 hr 55 Demanding
• Clwydian Range and Vale of Clwyd

  Llandegla Forest

  Forest and moorland edge on the eastern Clwydians, with Offa’s Dyke Path crossing and black grouse on the open ground.

  4.3 mi2 hr 30 Moderate
• Dee Valley and Llangollen

  The Horseshoe Falls

  Level towpath from the town to the weir that feeds the whole canal, a curving stone crescent across the Dee built by Telford.

  3.4 mi1 hr 45 Easy
• Dee Valley and Llangollen

  Chirk Aqueduct and Tunnel

  Over the Ceiriog on Telford’s aqueduct with the railway viaduct alongside, then straight into a quarter-mile canal tunnel with a towpath through it.

  3.1 mi1 hr 40 Easy
• Severn Valley and Newtown

  The Severn Way from Newtown

  Level riverside walking downstream from the town on the long-distance path that follows the Severn from Pumlumon to the sea.

  3.4 mi1 hr 50 Easy
• Montgomery and the Border

  The Montgomery Canal at Welshpool

  Level towpath through the town and out into the Severn valley, on a canal that is a protected site for its water plants.

  3.7 mi1 hr 55 Easy
• Berwyn and Lake Vyrnwy

  Above Pistyll Rhaeadr

  The steep path to the top of the highest single-drop waterfall in Britain, looking down the full 240 feet of it.

  1.9 mi1 hr 15 Demanding
• South Pembrokeshire Coast

  Lawrenny and the Daugleddau

  Oak woodland running down to tidal creeks on the hidden estuary behind Pembrokeshire, where the two Cleddau rivers meet.

  3.1 mi1 hr 50 Moderate
• South Pembrokeshire Coast

  Little Milford Woods

  Ancient woodland on the Western Cleddau with limekilns on the shore and the remains of small coal workings among the trees.

  2.5 mi1 hr 30 Moderate
• North Pembrokeshire Coast

  Southwood Estate

  Small fields, hedge banks and wooded valleys running down to the cliffs above St Brides Bay, farmed in a way that is now unusual.

  3.7 mi2 hr 10 Moderate

These are route guides, not turn-by-turn directions. Take the relevant OS Explorer map, check the weather, and tell someone where you are going.