Welshpool, Y Trallwng in Welsh, a market town of 6,500 people on the River Severn in Powys, the border country of Wales, is not on the list of the great Welsh destinations. The list is Snowdonia, the Pembrokeshire coast, and the castles of Edward I (Conwy, Caernarfon, Harlech, and Beaumaris, the “iron ring” of the 13th-century English conquest). Welshpool is the Wales that the tours do not reach: the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (the narrow-gauge steam railway, the 8-mile journey through the Severn Valley, and the most beautiful short railway journey in Wales), the Powis Castle (the medieval fortress of the Herbert and Clive families, the Clive Museum, the loot of the British Empire, the swords of Tipu Sultan, and the largest collection of Indian art outside India, and the garden, the terraces, the yews, and the most beautiful garden in Wales. ~£14, and the view from the top terrace, the Severn Valley, the Breidden Hills, and the border of England), and the Montgomery Canal (the restored canal, the narrowboats, the herons, and the most peaceful afternoon in Mid Wales). Here are the attractions of Welshpool.

Welshpool Attractions

• Powis Castle, the most beautiful garden in Wales: The castle, a medieval fortress transformed into a Baroque country house by the Herbert family in the 17th century, sits on a ridge above the Severn Valley, and the garden, the terraces descending in four levels, the yew hedges clipped into shapes that look like clouds, the statues, the orangery, and the view of the valley, is the best garden in Wales (a strong claim, and the competition, Bodnant, Plas Brondanw, and Aberglasney, is fierce. Powis wins on the terraces alone). The castle interior: the Clive Museum (the collection of Robert Clive, “Clive of India,” the general who conquered Bengal for the East India Company in the 1750s. The loot, the golden sword of Tipu Sultan, the Mughal jade, the ivory, and the textiles, is magnificent, and the museum, the largest collection of Indian art outside India, is the most surprising museum in Wales), the State Rooms (the Long Gallery, the portraits, and the sense of the wealth of the British Empire concentrated in a single house), and the Robert Adam-designed rooms (the 18th-century interiors, the plasterwork, and the most beautiful rooms in Mid Wales). Entry: ~£14 (National Trust). Allow 2–3 hours. The tea room, the scones, the clotted cream, and the view of the terrace, is the essential post-castle experience. More UK →
• The Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway, the steam train: The railway, built in 1903 to connect the market town of Welshpool to the village of Llanfair Caereinion (the name, “St Mary’s church in the field of the white hazel”, is the longest place name in Europe, and the station sign is a photograph stop for the entire train), was closed in 1956 and reopened as a heritage railway in 1963. The journey: 8 miles of the Banwy Valley, the narrow-gauge steam locomotive, the carriages open to the air, and the 45-minute journey that is the most pleasant hour in Mid Wales. The railway runs from April to October, the return fare is ~£15, and the experience, the steam, the whistle, and the sense of travelling through the Welsh countryside at the speed of a bicycle, is the best railway journey in Wales. Essential tip: book the “Driver Experience” (the course, the instruction, and the 30 minutes of driving the steam locomotive. ~£150, and the essential gift for the train enthusiast)
• The Montgomery Canal, the narrowboat: The canal, built in the 1790s to transport the lime, the coal, and the agricultural produce of the Welsh borders, was abandoned in 1936 and is now partially restored: a quiet, green, and beautiful waterway that runs for 33 miles from the Llangollen Canal to Newtown, the herons, the kingfishers, and the narrowboats that move at 3 mph through the Welsh countryside. The essential experience: hire a narrowboat for the day (the day hire from Welshpool, the canal boat, the instruction, and the journey. ~£150 for the day, and the experience, the lock, the tiller, and the silence of the canal, is the best day out in Mid Wales) or walk the towpath (the path from Welshpool to Llanymynech, 7 miles, the canal, the wildlife, and the pub at the end. Free, and the most beautiful walk in the Welsh borders)