Aberystwyth is an excellent base for exploring mid-Wales. The surrounding countryside offers some of the most dramatic and least-visited scenery in Britain, and most of the key destinations are within an hour's drive.
The Vale of Rheidol Railway is itself a day trip, running 12 miles up the wooded gorge to Devil's Bridge, where three stone bridges span a dramatic gorge and series of waterfalls. The return journey takes most of a day and is one of the best steam railway experiences in Wales.
North along the coast, the village of Borth has a long sandy beach backed by sand dunes and, at low tide, exposes the remains of a prehistoric submerged forest — a haunting sight. Machynlleth, about 20 miles north, has a good arts centre (MOMA Machynlleth) and is the gateway to the Dyfi Valley.
South, the Ceredigion coast road passes through Aberaeron — a Georgian harbour town with a compact grid of painted houses and some of the best ice cream in Wales — and on to New Quay, a small fishing village with Atlantic-facing beaches and grey seal colonies visible from the headland.
Inland, the Elan Valley — a chain of Victorian reservoirs in the heart of the Cambrian Mountains — is about 40 miles east and makes a striking half-day drive. The reservoir road is one of the most scenic drives in mid-Wales.