Machynlleth

This market town 9f 2,200 people (2011) was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and was the "ancient capital of Wales"; there is an exhibition on Owain where the parliament building once stood.

Since the founding of the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in 1973, the town has acted as a magnet for people interested in an alternative lifestyle. It has developed a thriving Bohemian community and is at the centre of a network of organic farming settlements.

• 🌍 The Centre for Alternative Technology, Pantperthog, Machynlleth (frequent bus service from the clock tower (in Machynlleth) to the centre), ☏ +44 1654 705950. This internationally known centre for the development of alternative technology was founded in 1973 as a testbed for sustainable living. In 1975, it opened as a visitor centre, so that the practises developed here could be showcased to the public. The centre is a very interesting place to spend the day, especially for families. The centre shows its sustainable credentials right from the word go, as the car park and bus drop off are located at the bottom of a steep hill below the centre. Visitors use the gravity-powered cliff railway to reach the centre from here. The carriages are fitted with water tanks, which are filled at the top and emptied at the bottom, so that the heavier top car slides down the hill, pulling the other car up as it goes (via a cable and pully system). From the top station it's level walking all around the centre, taking in displays on sustainable homes, transport, water, power generation, agriculture and more. The restaurant serves good, tasty food, but don't expect burgers and hot dogs here. Adult £9.50; child (4-16 years) £4.50; students, people over 60 years and unemployed people £8.50, child (under 4) free. Reduced prices Nov-Mar. 50% reduction on production of a train ticket to Machynlleth, £1 reduction for anyone arriving by bike, foot or bus. (updated May 2023)
• 🌍 Royal House and Parliament buildings, Maengwyn Street. Located in the centre of town, these historic buildings are believed to be built on the site of the first Welsh parliament and related buildings of that period. 
• Y Tabernacl (Art Gallery and concert venue), Heol Penrallt, ☏ +44 1654 703335. M-Sa 10AM-4PM. A small museum of modern art - worth having a quick peak if you're in town. Admission free. 
• 🌍 Dyfi Furnace, Furnace, Eglwysfach (next to the main A487 Aberystwyth road, about 6 miles out of Machynlleth). Open access - generally open at least 10AM to 4PM. Travellers passing by on the main road understandably tend to assume that this mid-18th-century stone building with its large wooden water wheel must have been a mill. In fact, the water wheel powered the bellows of a blast furnace which was used to smelt iron, and Dyfi Furnace is the best-preserved example of an 18th century charcoal-burning blast furnace in the UK. The iron ore was shipped in from Cumbria, while the charcoal to fire the furnace came from the ample local forestry. The building is well-preserved and there's plenty of interpretive displays to help you imagine what it must have looked like when it was fully functioning. Free entry. 

• Mountain biking. There are a number of marked trails in the Dyfi Valley, centred around Machynlleth, including the purpose-built CliMachx route. 
• 🌍 Ynyshir Reserve (Wildlife reserve managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) (Take the A487 towards Aberystwyth. At the village of Eglwysfach the reserve is signposted from the main road. You can also walk or cycle the 3 miles to the reserve from Dyfi Junction railway station.), ☏ +44 1654 700222, ynys-hir@rspb.org.uk. Reserve 9AM-9PM, or dusk if earlier. Visitor centre Apr to Oct: W-Su 9AM-5PM; Nov to Mar: W-Su 10AM-4PM). Ynyshir has interest for the ornithologist at any time of year due to its mixture of habitats, including Welsh oak woodland, wet grassland and saltmarsh. The reserve has 2 waymarked nature trails and 7 observation hides. £2 car parking charge for non RSPB members.. 
• 🌍 Cors Dyfi Reserve (Wildlife reserve managed by the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust) (take the A487 towards Aberystwyth; the reserve is about 3.5 miles outside Machynlleth, just south of Morben Isaf caravan park), ☏ +44 1938 555654, info@montwt.co.uk. Open year round. Cors Dyfi is home to one of only 2 pairs of Osprey in Wales. The Osprey Project is open from 10AM until 6PM, April to September. Free admission. 

Every Wednesday since it was granted a royal charter in 1291 Machynlleth town centre has played host to a street market. Still well worth a browse - even if you don't buy anything the bustling atmosphere is an attraction in itself.

Early Closing day in Machynlleth is Thursday, when most shops do not open after lunchtime.

• Wynnstay Hotel, Maengwyn Street, ☏ +44 1645 702941. It serves fantastic food (in the restaurant or bar) that would out-compete many a top London restaurant, and the bar is also friendly toward people with well behaved dogs. It has an excellent list of unusual wines and great beers. If you can't stretch to the restaurant price tag (about £12 for a main course) then they have an excellent pizzeria at the back (the oven for which was imported from Italy). 
• Quarry Cafe (Wholefood Cafe owned by the Centre for Alternative Technology), Heol Maengwyn, ☏ +44 1654 702624. M Tu Th-Sa 9AM-4PM, 7-11PM; W 9AM-2PM, 7-11PM; closed Su. 

• Cefn Coch Farm Self Catering Holiday Cottages, Glaspwll (A few miles into the hills above Machynlleth), ☏ +44 1654 702068. Two beautifully presented holiday cottages in an amazing location on a hill farm. Each cottage has two bedrooms and one also has a double sofa bed. 
• Yr Hen Stablau (The Old Stables), Yr Hen Stablau, Pantlludw, ☏ +44 1654 703428, stablau@poptel.org.uk. Self-catering renovated stables. £360-640 per week. 
• Dolbrodmaeth Riverside Hotel (Gwesty Dol-brod), Dinas Mawddwy, ☏ +44 1650 531333, riverside@dolbrodmaeth.com. 11-bed country house hotel. £55 - 99. 

• The popular seaside resort of Aberdyfi, with its yacht harbour and championship golf links, is 10 miles (16 km) to the west, accessible by the A493 road or by Cambrian Line trains.
• Only 4 miles beyond Aberdyfi is Tywyn, home of the Talyllyn Railway. If you are travelling by car then on the return journey to Machynlleth, take a left turn off the road just 1 mile south of Tywyn, to pass through the picturesque Happy Valley. The road rejoins the A493 at the village of Cwrt.
• Corris, just a few miles away on the Dolgellau road, is a pretty former slate-mining village and a focus for arts and crafts. There is a pottery in the village, and a variety of different shops and workshops at the purpose-built Corris Craft Centre, next to the main road on the hillside overlooking the village, which has ample car parking. The interactive visitor attractions of King Arthur's Labyrinth and the Bards Quest are accessed from the Craft Centre site. Corris is also home to the narrow-gauge Corris Railway and museum.