Rock Park, the site of the earliest spa development, is an artfully wild, well-strewn oasis at the centre of town. The bathhouse is now a complementary health centre and the pump room a conference centre. Fill your bottle at the rusty-looking, salty Chalybeate Spring (donated to the public by the Lord of the Manor in 1879) beside the Arlais Brook – apparently the iron-rich water is good for treating gout, rheumatism, anaemia and more.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.88 MILES
Surrounded by magnificent gardens, the redbrick Powis Castle was originally constructed in the 13th century by Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn, prince of Powys,…
24.76 MILES
Ascending Pen-y-Fan (886m), the tallest peak in the Brecon Beacons, is one of the most popular hikes in the park (around 350,000 people make the climb…
27.66 MILES
Halfway up a thickly forested hillside in the Vale of Eywas, this tiny 11th-century church is like a time capsule of Welsh faith and culture, buried too…
25.17 MILES
Halfway along the impossibly beautiful Vale of Ewyas lie the atmospheric ruins of this Augustinian priory, set among pasture and wooded hills by the River…
23.19 MILES
More than 6000 vines are now planted over 2.4 hectares of the former Pentreheyling Roman Fort, where pottery and metalwork have been uncovered and are…
26.02 MILES
Originally the home of the Vaughan family, Tretower gives you two historic buildings for the price of one: the sturdy circular Norman keep, now roofless…
24.38 MILES
Evocative Norman St Nicholas' Church dates from 1226 and boasts a vaulted ceiling decorated with intricate coloured bosses, a beautifully carved pre…
29.36 MILES
Perched in an ideal defensive location atop a cliff above a crook in the river, the town castle was built to ward off the marauding Welsh – or to enforce…
Nearby attractions
0.22 MILES
Housed in the art nouveau Automobile Palace, the National Cycle Museum comprises more than 250 bikes. The exhibits show the progression from clunky…
0.24 MILES
Small and low-key, rather like the town itself, this museum offers a taste of local social history, archaeology and palaeontology. Radnorshire was a…
6.8 MILES
Focusing on local history and life in and around Rhayader, this small museum uses artefacts, film and more than 50 oral histories to explore everything…
15.75 MILES
To call it a mini Big Ben is an exaggeration, but this dinky clock tower has been keeping Hay shoppers punctual since 1884.
15.79 MILES
This open-sided market hall has stood here since 1833, although the dairy produce has now given way to bric-a-brac.
15.8 MILES
Standing in considerable decrepitude in the town centre, Hay's battered castle is closed to the public but there are various interesting shops to explore…
19.91 MILES
Perched on a hill above the River Honddu, Brecon Cathedral was founded in 1093 as part of a Benedictine monastery, though little remains of the original…
19.92 MILES
Housed in a restored 15th-century tithe barn within the cathedral grounds, this centre has displays on the complex's history and some interesting objects,…