Brecon Beacons, GB

Shaun Hill's Michelin-starred restaurant in Llanddewi Skirrid, a couple of miles out of Abergavenny, serving precise, unfussy modern British cooking that lets the produce do the talking. This is the region's destination dinner, low on theatre and high on flavour.

A Bib Gourmand small-plates restaurant tucked in a sunny Abergavenny courtyard, run by a couple who came up through The Walnut Tree. The menu is a short, seasonally shifting run of Mediterranean-leaning sharing plates that punch well above the modest setting.

A family-run restaurant with rooms in the hamlet of Cross Ash outside Abergavenny, holding two AA rosettes for seasonal modern British cooking built on local produce. It's the quieter, countryside alternative when you want a serious dinner away from the towns.

A 17th-century coaching inn between Brecon and the Black Mountains, part of the Inkin brothers' eat-drink-sleep trilogy and a long-running Bib Gourmand. The kitchen leans on its own garden and local farms for unpretentious, properly cooked plates in a relaxed beamed room.

A 500-year-old coaching inn anchoring Crickhowell's high street, family-run and famously dog-friendly. Eat modern British comfort food in the rambling oak-beamed bars with their open fires, or the quieter dining rooms - it's the social heart of the foodie town.

A family-run burger restaurant a mile outside Brecon at Bishops Meadow, with big windows looking out to the Beacons. It built its name on creative burgers using local suppliers - Welsh beef, Alex Gooch buns, Llanfaes Dairy ice cream - and draws a steady crowd despite the out-of-town location.

An unfussy family-run pub in Brecon town that calls itself a pub that does food, with generous plates, a big grassed beer garden and welcoming owners. It's the locals' choice for a relaxed meal that won't break the bank after a day on the hills.

A tiny cellar bar and restaurant built into the ruins of a 12th-century priory deep in the Llanthony valley, with food aimed squarely at hungry walkers. The setting under ancient stone arches does half the work; honest pub plates and local ale do the rest.

A warm, busy Italian on Abergavenny's Frogmore Street turning out the comfort classics - lasagne, seafood pasta, freshly fired pizza - in generous portions. It's the go-to in town when you want something hearty, family-friendly and reliably good.

A long-running, family-run Thai restaurant in Abergavenny and a rare bring-your-own-bottle spot in the area. Authentic, generously portioned curries and stir-fries make it a low-key local favourite for a change from pub food.

A modern Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant in a converted Brecon pub, well regarded for carefully presented curries and friendly service. It's the town's reliable curry stop, equally good for a sit-down dinner or a takeaway back to your stay.

An independent cafe and bookshop in converted barns by Brecon Cathedral, named best cafe in the national park. Artisan coffee, homemade savouries and a proper Welsh rarebit make it the spot for a slow morning with something to read.

A farm shop and cafe just off the A40 at Bwlch, between Brecon and Crickhowell, looking out over the owners' deer. The all-day breakfast and the venison burgers and steaks are the draw, all sourced from the farm and surrounding hills.

An independent cafe, deli and gift shop in Crickhowell's tucked-away Courtyard behind the car park. Locally roasted coffee, big-flavoured brunch plates and deli treats make it a relaxed daytime stop away from the high street bustle.

A cosy, well-loved cafe in the heart of Abergavenny doing breakfast, light lunches and a counter of homemade cakes. It's the warm, good-value daytime spot locals send you to when you want a proper feed without the fuss.

An all-day kitchen inside a restored 16th-century townhouse and 19th-century chapel in central Abergavenny, paired with an art shop and gallery. Seasonal breakfast and lunch plates plus daily-made cakes, with gluten- and dairy-free options handled with care.

A Brecon ice cream parlour and dairy churning gelato on site, rarely with fewer than fifty flavours on the counter. Locals and walkers come for cones, sundaes and the sheer range - some flavours rival anything you'd find in Italy.

The most direct climb to the South Wales high point, starting from the A470 and pushing straight up the well-trodden path to the 886m summit. It's a steady, lung-testing ascent with huge views as a reward, and the busiest hill walk in the park.

The big day out in the central Beacons, a roughly 16km circuit linking Corn Du, Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Fan y Big around the Taf Fechan valley. Quieter than the tourist path, it strings together the four main peaks along an airy ridge.

The classic loop through Waterfall Country near Ystradfellte, taking in Sgwd Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd y Pannwr and Sgwd yr Eira - the one you can walk behind. Wooded gorges, river crossings and slippery descents to the falls make it the park's best water walk.

A moderate circuit up the distinctive cone of Sugar Loaf above Abergavenny, climbing through St Mary's Vale woodland to a 596m top with views to the Black Mountains, the Bristol Channel and the English border. A satisfying half-day hill without the central-Beacons crowds.

A shorter, sharp climb up the cleft-topped Skirrid near Abergavenny, the Holy Mountain whose landslip-split ridge is wrapped in legend. The out-and-back delivers a lot of view for modest effort, looking over the town and the Black Mountains.

A short, steep woodland walk down to the foot of South Wales's tallest waterfall near Coelbren, with the option to extend along the Nant Llech gorge. Big payoff for little distance, on National Trust paths through atmospheric Graig Llech woods.

The flat, accessible towpath walk from Brecon basin toward Talybont-on-Usk, following the contour-hugging canal past aqueducts, locks and marinas. The easiest proper walk in the park and the obvious choice for a gentle day, a pushchair or a rest from the hills.

A short pastoral loop on the park's western edge that circles the limestone crag beneath the dramatic ruins of Carreg Cennen. Field paths and farm tracks give changing views up at the castle on its cliff before you climb to explore it.

Wales's flagship whisky distillery on the park's southern edge, the first new Welsh distillery in over a century when it opened in the early 2000s. The award-winning visitor centre runs tours through the single-malt process and finishes with a tasting - a solid rainy-day and adult-leaning stop.

A narrow-gauge steam railway that climbs from Pant into the heart of the park, running alongside the Pontsticill and Taf Fechan reservoirs up toward Torpantau. Vintage locos and open observation cars make it an easy, scenic outing that kids and grandparents both go for.

A vast cave complex at Dan-yr-Ogof in the upper Swansea valley with three separate cave systems, plus a dinosaur park, a farm and play areas. It's the region's big family day out and a dependable rainy-day backup, with the kilometre of decorated passages the real highlight.

A long-established adventure centre by Llangorse Lake combining an indoor climbing arena, a treetop high-ropes Sky Trek course and a Wild Pursuits arena, plus lake boats and canoes. The all-weather mix makes it the go-to for active families and groups.

Beyond the dramatic ruins, this Cadw castle on its western limestone crag is an experience in itself thanks to the torch-lit passage tunnelling down to a natural cave under the cliff. Add the working farm, tearoom and rare-breed animals and it's a proper half-day for families.

Gentle canal cruises from the Brecon basin by Theatr Brycheiniog, drifting along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal past an aqueduct and a working lock. The roughly two-and-a-half-hour trip has a refreshment bar aboard and is an undemanding way to see the valley from the water.

A Cadw double act near Crickhowell pairing a ruined Norman round tower with an unusually complete late-medieval manor house and galleried courtyard. The recreated period garden and audio-guided rooms make it an easy, low-crowd cultural afternoon.

Brecon's riverside arts venue on the canal wharf, programming touring theatre, music, comedy and film for the town. It's the area's main evening cultural stop and a reliable indoor option, with a cafe-bar overlooking the canal basin.

At 886m this is the highest peak in South Wales, the flat-topped summit that dominates the central Beacons skyline. Most people climb it from the Storey Arms or Pont ar Daf car parks on the A470 for the wide views over the reservoirs and the Bristol Channel on a clear day.

The 'Fall of Snow' in Waterfall Country near Ystradfellte, where a natural rock ledge lets you walk right behind the curtain of water. It's the showpiece of the Four Waterfalls area on the Afon Hepste, reached on foot through wooded gorges.

The tallest waterfall in South Wales at 27m, dropping into the wooded Nant Llech gorge near Coelbren. Film fans know it as the Batcave entrance from The Dark Knight Rises; everyone else comes for the short steep path down through National Trust woodland.

A 13th-century ruin perched on a limestone crag nearly 100m above the Towy Valley on the park's western edge, run by Cadw. The draw beyond the dramatic setting is the torch-lit passage carved into the rock that leads down to a natural cave under the cliff.

The largest natural lake in Wales, a quiet stretch of water at the foot of the Black Mountains steeped in folklore about a drowned city. It's a low-key spot for paddling, pike fishing, birdwatching and an easy lakeside wander between Brecon and Talgarth.

Free-to-roam ruins of a 12th-century Augustinian priory deep in the remote Vale of Ewyas, with gothic arches framing the Black Mountains. A Cadw site with a cellar bar tucked into the old monastic buildings, it's the kind of place you have largely to yourself on a weekday.

A former Benedictine priory church on a rise above Brecon town, all medieval stone and a peaceful close. The grounds hold a heritage centre and a well-regarded cafe, making it an easy stop on a wander round the market town.

A rare pairing near Crickhowell of a ruined Norman round tower and a remarkably intact late-medieval manor house, both managed by Cadw. The fortified court with its galleried courtyard and recreated period garden shows how Welsh gentry lived once the fighting stopped.

A contour-hugging canal that runs from Brecon south through the park, threading aqueducts, locks and wooded cuttings along the Usk valley. The towpath is the flat, accessible spine of the area - good for a stroll, a cycle, or a narrowboat day out from the Brecon basin.