Forest bathing at Hafren Forest

Hafren Forest lies six miles west of Llanidloes on the eastern slopes of Pumlumon, Mid Wales' highest mountain. The Forestry Commission planted it in the 1930s and named it after Afon Hafren, the Welsh name for the River Severn, which rises in a peat bog just beyond the forest edge. Tall conifers line the river as it tumbles over cascades and the Severn-Break-its-Neck waterfall, and the sound of water is with you on most of the walks.

All the trails start from the free Rhyd-y-benwch car park. The Cascades Walk is an accessible half-hour loop down to a riverside boardwalk and viewing platform. The Blaen Hafren Falls Trail goes further up the river on gravel paths, and the strenuous Source of the Severn Trail climbs over boggy moorland to the carved post at the source. Roads in are narrow, and the higher ground is exposed, so the riverside paths under the trees are the better choice in wind or rain.