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Welcome to one of Wales’ best outdoor destinations you’ve never heard anyone rave about. Welshpool’s red-brick Georgian buildings are handsome, but as a base for exploring the Wales-England border’s seldom-travelled countryside, it is exceptional. As for long-distance paths, you’re on the Offa’s Dyke Path, running all along the border, and on the Glyndŵr's Way, a trail tracing the legacy of Welsh revolutionary hero Owain Glyndŵr’s cross-country route to Machynlleth. Meanwhile, Powis Castle sits outside town, while scenic cycling and narrowboating can be done on the Montgomery Canal. Caravan parks are set outside town on the River Severn.
The partially navigable Montgomery Canal threads between Frankton Junction in England and Newtown in Wales, running right through Welshpool. Meandering almost parallel is the River Severn, and the sleepy countryside in between makes the waterway a very pleasant place to walk or cycle along the towpath or go narrowboating. This level, lush terrain has excellent camping possibilities, too.
Trundling along a ravishing ridgetop with Wales on one side and England on the other, this ancient route follows the route cattle drovers once travelled in centuries gone by. It spans 15 miles between Kerry in Wales, 13 miles south of Welshpool, and Bishop’s Castle in England. Camping options include comely sites set in rolling fields, as well as glamping pods.
A knobbly backbone of ridge crested by rock formations spread-eagled across Shropshire, this flank of the Shropshire Hills AONB is glorious hill country. Long-distance footpaths like the Cross-Britain Way pass through, and there are the compelling legacies of prehistoric settlements and 19th-century mining to uncover. Good camping can be found on the western edge of the NNR.
Just outside the Snowdonia (Eyri) National Park boundary, the Dyfnant Forest area begins 18 miles northwest of Welshpool. You can hike there on the Glyndŵr's Way long-distance path, which bisects the forest, though the whole area promises stunning wild countryside, switching between big spreads of conifer and steep, stark hills. The forest has a remarkably high concentration of beautifully located campsites, too, both traditional and forms of glamping such as pre-pitched safari tents.
Weather in Welshpool is warmer than average for Wales, with the June to August period averaging around 68°F (20°C) while simultaneously scoring some of the lowest precipitation, under 2.36 inches (60mm) monthly. Be warned, though: it can still get mighty wet at any time! This is not a busy part of the country, so summer visits work well. July’s Country Music Festival, held at Powis Castle, is a vibrant time to come.