Aberystwyth could have been tailor-made for outdoor lovers. This likeable, lively town of candy-coloured houses fans out along a long beach, with the isolated uplands of the Cambrian Mountains rising beyond with their many miles of hiking and biking trails. This is a cultural beacon in Mid Wales, too, with one of the nation’s best arts centres, the National Library of Wales, a highly regarded university, and the equally top-drawer dining options, all of which offer plenty of diversion on wet days. The closest pitches to town are south of the Afon Rheidol river in Southgate.