LLANWRTYD WELLS
 This historic small town lies at the heart of some of the most beautiful scenery one is likely to encounter in one’s travels. It stands at the southern gateway to a 14 mile scenic moorland route from Abergwesyn to Tregaron across the ‘roof’ of Wales. Welsh ‘cowboys’ used to drive their cattle across this barren terrain to the English markets.
It is surrounded by rough, rugged mountains, rolling hills, quiet lanes, riverside paths, streams and footbridges. One immediately senses a feeling of being at one with nature. Llanwrtyd Wells attracts not only those who enjoy its rural mountain setting, but also those attracted by more energetic pursuits such as mountain biking, fishing, water sports, bird watching and pony trekking.
A diverse array of unusual events are held annually including Four Day Walks, the Mountain Bike Marathon, Man Versus Horse contest, the World Bog Snorkelling Championships and the Mid Wales Beer Festival to name a few.
With a population of approximately 600, Llanwrtyd Wells holds the title of Britain’s smallest town. Yet despite its peaceful and secluded nature, it is alive and buzzing with a sense of activity.
 The railway arrived at Llanwrtyd in 1867 when the Heart of Wales line linking Shrewsbury and Swansea was opened. There are regular services connecting to Cardiff in the south and to Crewe and Birmingham from Shrewsbury. There is easy access by road from Brecon, Merthyr Tydfil and the M4 motorway in South Wales.
In the eighteenth century, William Williams, leader of the Methodist Revival in Wales and a poet and hymn writer lived in Llanwrtyd Wells. He is perhaps best remembered for his hymn “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehova”.
 In the nineteenth century, the town became renowned for its spas. It was the westernmost of a chain of Mid Wales spa towns which, in Victorian times, promoted health and pleasure to visitors who flocked in on the new railway line. The sulphur and chalybeate spring waters, discovered in 1792, brought visitors to the town in droves. The Dol-y-Coed Hotel, formerly a country house, was home to the original Fynnon Drewllyd (Stinking Well) found in 1732.
Most of the buildings in Llanwrtyd Wells date from around 1884. Only a few signs remain as reminders of the Spa’s popularity: the 19th century terraces lines with tall gables houses, and names such as ‘Victoria Square’, and Dol-y-Coed itself, home to the stinking well.
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