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This special place would be a village if it were not for its cathedral and important links with the fondly remembered St David, whose remains are buried here. The late 12th-century cathedral can hardly be considered a landmark since one of the major preoccupations of its builders was to hide the structure from passing Norse raiders. The building has an atmosphere of great antiquity, with its drunken floor (the result of an earthquake in 1248), Norman nave, shrine and permanently reserved monarch's stall. In the Middle Ages, two pilgrimages to the shrine were said to equal one to Rome. Apart from drinking in the antique ambience, there are several tours of St Non's Bay which visit nearby islands.
For a taste of that faded grandeur which wintry seaside resorts do so well (all you need is 'Every Day is Like Sunday' by Morrissey playing in the background), head for Llandudno. A traditional and immensely popular seaside resort in northwestern Wales, the town owes its unique Victorian air to its architecture, lengthy pier and imposing promenade. The donkeys plodding up and down the sands also belong to a previous era. Llandudno is beautifully situated between two sweeping beaches, dominated seaward by the Great Orme (a spectacular limestone headland) and landward by the mountains of Snowdonia. Llandudno has an Alice in Wonderland connection: the Liddell family, whose daughter Alice was the source of Carroll's inspiration, spent many summers in the town.
Picturesquely dominated by its classic castle, Conwy is one of the best European examples of a medieval walled town. Conwy Castle has eight massive crenellated towers, its shape largely dictated by its rock-bound foundations. The best view is from across the River Conwy, with the Snowdonia Mountains providing a dramatic backdrop. Three-quarters of a mile of the town's walls remain intact, topped off with 22 towers and three original gateways. The Smallest House in Britain, the 14th-century, timber-and-plaster Aberconwy House and Bodnant Garden, 13km (8mi) to the south and one of the finest gardens in Britain, round off Conwy's collection of sights.
This popular park measures only 15 miles (24km) from north to south and 45 miles (72km) west to east, yet it comprises four mountain ranges and a variety of terrain: privately owned slopes grazed by sheep and yet more sheep, mining valleys and bare escarpments. Most visitors are walkers heading for Offa's Dyke Path, which passes along the eastern border, or the Taff Trail, heading south from Brecon. Principal centres include the historic market town of Brecon, the self-styled 'Gateway to Wales' town of Abergavenny and eccentric Hay-on-Wye. Offa's Path runs through the Black Mountains, which boast the best views, with sights such as the ruins of Llanthony Priory, the River Honddu, the pretty church at Patrishow and the highest peak at Waun Fach. The highest point in the bare-crested hills of the Brecon Beacons is Pen-y-Fan.
Hay-on-Wye has sloping lanes, Norman and Jacobean ruins, a market-town buzz and the world's largest collection of second-hand bookstores. Publicity stunts such as its 1977 declaration of independence from Britain and its vigorous self-promotion make this border market town like no other. There are more than 30 bookshops, some specialising in subjects so esoteric they can't be categorised, as well as auctions and out-of-print book search services. Not the place to go if your backpack's already gouging highways across your shoulder blades.
Lovers of poetry, romance and a good tipple won't need to be pushed in the direction of Laugharne, the most important stop on the Dylan Thomas trail. You can visit the boathouse where the befuddled bard lived and wrote, the pub where he drank (Brown's Hotel) and the churchyard where his pickled liver was buried. The house is preserved as a shrine, with photographs, manuscripts and recordings. Laugharne itself is a pleasant Georgian township, with the remains of a 12th-century castle nearby.