A hefty chunk of Wales is properly remote wilderness, so it’s easy to give the crowds a miss in this country of lonely moors and mountains, cliff-rimmed coastlines, and tucked-away valleys. Mostly, you’ll share the trails with nothing more than the odd unruly sheep.
These are the best hikes in Wales.
Cadair Idris
Best hike for epic mountain views
Six miles (9.6km) round trip, challenging, 5 hours
Snowdon has the height edge, but for equally phenomenal views and far fewer crowds, opt instead for the challenging ramble up to 2930ft (893m) Cadair Idris. Bang in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, this hulking, sheer-flanked, gold-green crag looks like a figment of Tolkien’s imagination. It’s a mountain of myth too, named after a 7th-century giant called Idris. Legend has it that if you sleep on its slopes, you will awaken either mad or a poet. There are several ways to climb it, but the tough six-mile Minffordd Path (allow five hours return) is arguably the most dramatic, with the added bonus of a stop for wild swimming at Llyn Cau, a glacial cirque lake rimmed by ragged 1312ft-high mountain walls.
Llyn y Fan Fach
Best hike for fans of Welsh folklore
Four-mile loop (6.5km), moderate, 2.5 hours
It might feel like the road to nowhere as you swing along the narrow, steeply hedgerowed single-track lane. However, eventually, you will emerge to bleating sheep and a delightfully remote parking lot in Llanddeusant, the trailhead for this spectacular four-mile trail to Llyn y Fan Fach. Located in the Black Mountain range in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Llyn y Fan Fach has a primeval, almost brutal beauty. Glacier-eroded peaks rise above this steel-blue lake, which serves as the backdrop for the Lady of the Lake legend, appearing in the medieval Welsh folk epic, The Mabinogion. Follow the river upstream to the lake, ridge, and upland moors beyond.
The Golden Road
Best hike for discovering Wales’ ancient history
Seven miles (11km), moderate, 4 hours one way
Sheep and wild ponies are more commonly glimpsed than fellow walkers in Pembrokeshire’s deliciously wild and remote Preseli Hills, where scudding clouds cast shadows across the bare moors and crags. Topping out at 1759ft (536m) with the summit of Foel Cwmcerwyn, these hills hide a sensational prehistoric landscape, liberally sprinkled with hill forts, standing stones, and burial chambers. Moreover, it is said that the bluestones of Stonehenge hail from here. The seven-mile, west–east Golden Road, part of a 5000-year-old trade route between Wessex and Ireland, runs along the spine of the hills, taking in cairns and the stone circle of Bedd Arthur.
Ynyslas Dunes
Best hike for beach lovers
Three miles (4.8km), easy, 45 minutes
A spirit-lifting expanse of sky, sand, and pounding surf awaits at Ynyslas in Ceredigion, where rippling dunes form an integral part of the Dyfi Unesco Biosphere Reserve. This nature reserve draws wetland birds like ringed plovers and shelducks, as well as dolphins, porpoises, and otters. Boardwalks thread through the dunes, brushed with breeze-bent marram grass and, in summer, freckled with wildflowers like marsh and bee orchids and sea pink. Consequently, it’s a tranquil place to wander down to the wide, long, shell-strewn beach, with the dark peaks of Snowdonia looming in the distance. Or walk a three-mile (one way) stretch of the Ceredigion Coast Path to Borth, where very low tide reveals the petrified tree stumps of a prehistoric forest.
Dinas Island
Best hike for sea views and dolphin spotting
Three miles (4.8km), moderate, 2 hours
Pembrokeshire is rightly celebrated for its castaway beaches, high cliff tops, and magnificent 186-mile coast path, which marked its 50th anniversary in 2020. However, if you have neither the time nor the stamina for the full coastal adventure, try one of the most memorable short hikes that loops around the headland of Dinas Island. Dodge the high season, and you’ll largely have the three-mile circular trail to yourself. Fringed by jagged, gorse-clad cliffs, the coast bears smugglers’ coves that feel untouched by time. Although most are only accessible by boat, you can enjoy the views from Dinas Head (where dolphins and seals can sometimes be spotted) and Needle Point (occasional puffin sightings). Additionally, in the hamlet of Cwm-yr-Eglwys, you’ll find the ruins of medieval St. Brynach’s Church, making this hike one to remember.
Ystradfellte
Best hike for chasing waterfalls
5.5-mile loop (8.8km), moderate with challenging sections, 3.5 hours
The bald, fin-shaped peaks of the Brecon Beacons, with their glacier-carved valleys and upland moors, top out at 2907ft-high (886m) Pen-y-Fan, where the trails fill when the sun is out. Just one valley over and tucked away among the woods is Waterfall Country. On a fine day, pack sturdy boots to hit the 5.5-mile Four Falls Walk, which dips deep into thick pine forests and ferny gorges that feel straight out of a fairy tale. Steps and footbridges lead you to a series of falls, the most stunning of which is the wispy Sgwd-yr-Eira (Waterfall of the Snow), where you can walk behind the cascading water. Get here early to experience the falls at their quietest and most magical.
Mynydd Rhiw
Best hike for 360-degree panoramas
2.7 miles (4.3km), moderate, 2 hours
The wild Llŷn Peninsula is where Cardigan Bay meets the Irish Sea. The rumpled massif of Snowdonia lies to the east, while Ireland is just a pebble’s throw west across the tempestuous waves. For an exceptional overview, embark on the two-hour, 2.7-mile circular trail to Mynydd Rhiw. Although modest in height at 997ft (304m), this ancient rock formation offers a blend of everything that makes the peninsula special. Starting at the Plas yn Rhiw parking lot, the path climbs over sheep fields, dry-stone walls, and heather-brushed moors to the ridge-top trig point. Here, sweeping views of Snowdonia, the stunning arc of Porth Neigwl (Hell’s Mouth), and offshore Bardsey Island await, where it is said 20,000 saints lie buried. Keep an eye out for evidence of Neolithic axe factories on your descent!
St. Davids Head
Best hike for dramatic coastlines
Four miles (6.4km), moderate, 1.25 hours
Topped off by a gigantic medieval cathedral, St. Davids is Britain’s smallest city (population 1800), and serves as the birthplace of Wales’ patron saint, drawing numerous pilgrims. A four-mile circular walk sidesteps the crowds milling around this coastal honeypot and heads up and over stile and through the kissing gate to St. Davids Head. Beginning at the mile-long Whitesands Bay, the gorse-draped promontory offers a remarkable landscape for a coastal romp, featuring dramatic sea cliffs, wonderfully hidden coves like Porthmelgan, views across the sea to Ramsey Island, an Iron Age hill fort, and a Neolithic burial chamber.
Twm Siôn Cati’s Cave, Cambrian Mountains
Best hike for families
2.5 miles (4km), easy, 1 hour
Barren, sparsely populated, and often silent but for the piercing whistle of red kites wheeling overhead, the Cambrian Mountains are Mid-Wales at its wildest, starkest, and off-the-radar best. In fact, they’re perfect for a bandit seeking a hideaway, such as Twm Siôn Cati, a 16th-century outlaw of Robin Hood–like status. The 2.5-mile circular walk at RSPB Gwenffrwd-Dinas reserve leads you deep into ancient oak and alder woods, misted with bluebells in late spring, alongside a fast-flowing river and into a boulder-strewn valley. Steps rise steeply up to Twm Siôn Cati’s lair at roughly the halfway point. Furthermore, you can scramble into the cave to see elaborately etched graffiti, some dating to Victorian times.
Ynys Llanddwyn, Anglesey
Best hike for romantics
3.5 miles (5.6km), easy, 2 hours
If ever you’re going to fall head-over-heels in love with the Welsh coast, it will surely be at Llanddwyn on Anglesey, with its wide-open skies, shifting sands, and painterly light. The romantic ruins of St. Dwynwen’s Church have attracted pilgrims for centuries due to their association with St. Dwynwen, Wales’ patron saint of lovers (a Welsh St. Valentine of sorts). Beginning at the Newborough Forest parking lot, this 3.5-mile circular walk delves into shady Corsican pine woods where red squirrels scamper, emerging at one of the island’s loveliest dune-flanked beaches, and crossing over to Llanddwyn, a rocky spit of land that becomes an island during very high tides.
Tips for hiking in Wales
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Planning on tackling a few hikes in one trip? It’s advisable to plan your pit stops in advance. Wild camping is illegal in Wales unless you have the express permission of the landowner.
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Popular mountains, including Snowdonia and Pen y Fan, get extremely busy in the summer months (we’re talking lines to the summit). Aim to travel in the off-season or choose alternative peaks.
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Wales is known for its rain, but it pays to be prepared for all conditions, as the weather can be unpredictable and changeable. Therefore, pack sunscreen, a raincoat, and plenty of layers.
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The mountains aren’t the only places where steep, thigh-burning walks can be found. The Wales Coast Path (the world’s first to follow an entire country’s coastline) is plenty hilly too. Completing the Pembrokeshire section alone is said to equate to summiting Mt. Everest, with 35,000ft of ascents and descents.
This article was originally published in July 2020.
