The Welsh town where oddity is a virtue

Our Great British Getaways series visit Llanwrtyd Wells, the Welsh town that swapped spas for snorkels. 

I’ve heard it’s a bit odd

It is – in every sense of the word. But little Llanwrtyd Wells has big ideas. This town below the Cambrian Mountains was once a booming spa resort. But health tourism waned post-Victorians and, by the Seventies, locals realised they couldn’t survive on sheep farming alone. So, to attract a different sort of visitor, they invented bog snorkelling: “swimming” through a peat trench in mask and flippers. In 1985, Llanwrtyd hosted the first World Bog Snorkelling Championships. And in 2012, Llanwrtyd held the first World Alternative Games, with its programme of worm charming and finger jousting. This August sees the fourth outiing.

Sounds... entertaining?  

Llanwrtyd claims to be the smallest town in Wales but there’s almost nothing you can’t do here if you visit during the Alternative Games (Aug 11-27; worldalternativegames.com). Some 67 events will be staged over three weekends, including gravy-wrestling, wife-carrying and more sporting silliness. Events are open to anyone over 16, with some, such as space hopper racing and egg throwing, suitable for kids too. The marquee event is the Bog Snorkelling Championships on Aug 26, when hundreds of hopefuls will tackle two lengths of the 180ft (55m) Waen Rhydd peat bog.

How do I get there?

Before you bury yourself in bog water, you need to reach Llanwrtyd, which is most fun aboard the Heart of Wales Line (heart-of-wales.co.uk). This countryside-slicing railway, which runs from Shrewsbury to Swansea and stops in Llanwrtyd, is celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2018, and is a scenic treat; one of the highlights, the 108ft high, 18-arch Cynghordy Viaduct, is six miles south of the town.

And what do I do there?

Once you’ve arrived in Llanwrtyd, a good place to start is the Heritage & Arts Centre (history-arts-wales.org.uk; free). The centre tells the history of the town and features voice recordings of residents and local artwork. Guided walks run during the World Alternative Games.

If you’re feeling peckish, grab good coffee and cake at Caffi Sosban (facebook.com/caffisosban). Alternatively, devoted foodies could enrol at the J&R Cooking School (food-food-food.co.uk; from £165) which runs courses including Big Welsh Game, focusing on local ingredients. There’s no spa in Llanwrtyd now. For wellness and pampering you’ll need to head to the Lake Country House Hotel & Spa in Llangammarch (see below). Or take the train a few stations along to Llandrindod Wells, where you can still drink from the purportedly health-boosting Chalybeate Spring in restored Rock Park (therockpark.org).

I’d prefer a good walk

Llanwrtyd is a good base for exploring. There are miles of trails in the surrounding area, from riverside walks to hill climbs and hikes along old drovers’ roads. Mid Wales My Way has some great suggestions (midwalesmyway.com/cambrianmountains activities). If you want more direction, enlist Dafydd Morgan (twmstreks.com; from £15pp), who leads trips in the Cambrian Mountains. 

Pont-Rhyd-y-Fferau, the original Llanwrtyd settlement, can be reached via a walk along the river Irfon. Keep an eye on the skies: red kites, the official bird of Wales, can be seen freewheeling overhead. For a closer encounter, head to Gigrin Farm, where the birds are fed daily during summer (gigrin.co.uk; £7/4 adult/child).

For a short summer walk near Llanwrtyd, head to Vicarage Meadows (welshwildlife.org/nature-reserve/vicarage-meadows; free), where orchids and devil’s-bit scabious encourage butterflies. Or take a drive (or cycle) westwards up the steep Devil’s Staircase to cross Abergwesyn Pass. From here you can access wild Abergwesyn Common (nationaltrust.org.uk/abergwesyn-common), which is dotted with Bronze Age and medieval remains, or veer south to Llyn Brianne reservoir, a good starting point for walks and mountain-biking, including the legendary single-track through the Doethie Valley.

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Now I’m hungry

All that exercise made you peckish? Then head to the highly regarded Drovers Rest Restaurant (food-food-food.co.uk; mains from £15), which has a homely feel, a riverside balcony and strong green credentials. The menu is packed with local produce, including Welsh cheeses, Brecon venison, and beef, lamb and vegetables.

The Neuadd Arms Hotel (neuaddarmshotel.co.uk; mains from £8) is the epicentre of Llanwrtyd’s quirkiness and offers honest pub food, with curries a speciality. Wash down a korma with a Heart of Wales beer, brewed on site; try a pint of Boggled, an ale made for bog snorkelling season.

Where can I sleep it off?

A little east of Llanwrtyd, the tucked-away Lake Country House Hotel & Spa (doubles from £205) is a stylish mock-Tudor manor in expansive grounds, with classic and contemporary rooms and a restaurant heavy on local produce. Originally a hunting lodge, today’s award-winning spa has a Scandinavian feel.

Located on Llanwrtyd’s Station Road, Ardwyn House B&B (ardwynhouse.co.uk; doubles from £80) was built in the 1900s to serve travellers arriving by train and retains many belle époque features. Rooms are comfortable and breakfasts generous. Ardwyn’s owners also run two nearby self-catering cottages: Bronfelin (sleeps five) and Troed y Rhiw (sleeps four). The 19th-century cottages have all mod-cons and views of the Irfon Valley (midwalesholidaycottage.co.uk; from £300 for two nights).

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Reading list 

Canadian writer Victoria Dunn used Llanwrtyd as the setting for her 2012 horror novel, Alice Hearts Welsh Zombies, in which the World Bog Snorkelling Championships is being plagued by the undead.

Watch list

Short-lived BBC sitcom The Magnificent Evans (1984), starring Ronnie Barker as a Welsh photographer, was filmed in Llanwrtyd.

A distinctly British sense of fun

Man vs Horse (early June), is a 22-mile (35km) mountain race pitting runners against riders. Results are surprisingly close. For a full calendar of Llanwrtyd lunacy, see green-events.co.uk.

One more thing...

Sosban Fach, a Welsh folk song and rugby anthem, was composed in Llanwrtyd.