Europe > United Kingdom > Wales > Welshpool
Welshpool is a Mid Wales market town with one outstanding reason to stop: Powis Castle, a red-walled medieval fortress turned grand country house, with terraced gardens that spill down the hillside like something much further south.
The town itself is practical rather than pretty in every corner, but it has enough texture for a good spare day. The Montgomery Canal runs through the centre, the old wharf now holds Y Lanfa and Powysland Museum, and the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway steams west into the Banwy valley from Raven Square.
Welshpool works best as a gentle base for Mid Wales rather than a big-ticket city break. Spend the morning at Powis Castle, take the railway if it is running, and leave time for a towpath walk along the canal before heading on toward Montgomery, Shrewsbury, or the hills.