Spring is the perfect time to get out and explore somewhere you’ve never been before. There are plenty of gorgeous small towns here in the UK, with one location standing out for its unique blend of tranquillity and adventure.

Tregaron is one of Wales’s oldest market towns. It’s home to independent retailers, coffee shops, and the elegant Y Talbot, a Grade II-listed hotel, pub, and restaurant, positioned right in the town square’s centre. From here, you can embark on an exhilarating road trip along a former drover’s track that showcases hairpin turns through wild terrain.

The Abergwesyn Pass is a 20-mile single-track route stretching from Llanwrtyd Wells to Tregaron. Along this isolated road, you’ll encounter a notorious section dubbed “The Devil’s Staircase”, reports Wales Online.

This is the fittingly named portion of the Abergwesyn Pass, showcasing hairpin bends and steep hills that are certainly not suited to anxious drivers.

If you are a bold driver, you’ll love navigating one of Wales’ most isolated stretches of countryside, encountering sheep and gnarled trees and rocky formations. The road is exceptionally steep, with a maximum gradient of 20.1%, and cuts through thick forests to miles of expansive, barren valleys, providing a climb that will push your brakes to their limits.

Take it gently and steadily, and take in the scenery as you journey through the wilderness of the Cambrian Mountains, where you might not encounter a single person for the entire journey.

As well as the Abergwesyn Pass, Soar y Mynydd, the most isolated chapel in Wales, is well worth a brief detour. This is the most isolated chapel in Wales, a modest, whitewashed church built in 1822 to serve farmers.

It’s a quiet place to have a picnic, as there’s often no one else there.

Llyn Brianne Reservoir is also worth a visit to witness a massive dam. This striking stone-built dam is the tallest in the UK, towering 91 metres (300 ft) above the River Tywi.

Containing a staggering 64 million cubic metres of water at nearly 300 metres (990 ft) above sea level is an impressive engineering achievement. Building began in October 1968, and the dam was constructed from crushed rock, larger rock, and clay, all sourced locally.

At night, it’s a stargazing hotspot in the Cambrian Mountains, so you can also attempt some astrophotography here.

Further south, beyond Llyn Brianne reservoir, is the delightful RSPB Gwenffrwd-Dinas reserve. The reserve contains important habitats of oak woodland, wet alder woodland, and scrubland, all characterised by high rainfall and fast-flowing rivers.

These conditions are ideal for woodland birds, and also provide the perfect habitat for important lichens and bryophytes. Whether you begin or finish the route at Tregaron, you should take the time to explore this small Welsh-speaking town.

Here, you’ll find a livestock market, the Tregaron Red Kite Centre and Museum, and locally sourced food and cask ales in a lovingly converted 16th-century Welsh inn.

Y Talbot is an independently owned hotel and Michelin Guide-listed restaurant with 2 AA Rosettes. This charming boutique hotel simply exudes a ‘cosy country inn’ atmosphere with its slate floors and inglenooks.

The location is said to be the final resting place of a circus elephant that died in 1848 and lies beneath what is currently Y Talbot’s beer garden.

The establishment, run by head chef Dafydd, who trained under Marco Pierre White, offers locally sourced ingredients, including lamb, beef, and cheeses from the Teifi Valley, fish from Milford Haven, and shellfish from Cardigan Bay.

Nearby, you’ll also discover a deserted Welsh abbey where princes lie buried. Strata Florida Abbey (Ystrad Fflur in Welsh), near Tregaron, is a notable location in Wales where history, royalty, and spirituality intersect.

Established in 1201 by white-robed Cistercian monks, this hallowed ground was once one of medieval Wales’s most prominent religious and cultural hubs.

It’s also the burial site of numerous Welsh princes, including the renowned Llywelyn the Great, who famously convened a council here to guarantee his son Dafydd’s succession as the legitimate heir to the Welsh throne.

The exquisitely carved western entrance to the Abbey continues to stand alone and provides a view along the nave towards where the high altar once was.

You can still see some of the ornate tiles that would have adorned the church floors, along with elaborate stonework throughout the site.