Builth Wells

Right in the middle of Wales, you’ll find a small town bursting with millennia of history.

Arrive in Builth Wells from the West and the most colourful part of its history meets you straightaway, right by the river. The huge shop-side mural at the beginning of Broad Street depicts the last days of the last Welsh born Prince of Wales, Llewelyn The Great. In 1282, he fought for the very last time in this town, the Marcher Lords from England having snuck over the river downstream, and laid a trap for the Welsh.

This was the Battle of Irfon Bridge: follow Broad Street for two-thirds of a mile to get to the site of the bridge itself, but stop on the way for some sustenance. Welsh breakfasts get you battle-ready at the 14th century Fountain Inn, whose old locals might have remembered Llewelyn’s medieval woes.

If you want more Llewelyn lore and have brought your best walking boots, keep going out of town and walk two miles to Cilmeri, the site of where Llewelyn finally fell. A tall granite monolith elegantly marks the place where he died, while steps nearby lead you to the well where his severed head was said to be washed before it was sent on to Edward I. That grisly thought can be cleansed from your mind by a pint from Cilmeri’s Prince Llewelyn Inn (check opening hours before popping along).