Make a break for rolling hills and quiet valleys on the Welsh border.

THE RAMBLING OLD county of Radnorshire is home to some ravishing scenery, but today it’s hard to believe that the sleepy village of New Radnor was once its main administrative centre. The former town hall is still there but, just a few miles over the border from Herefordshire, the focus is now very much on the surrounding hills and the glorious local landscape. It makes a great base for a weekend’s walking, with fine views in every direction, the tall shady cascade of Water-break-its-neck and the oldest rocks in the whole of Wales at nearby Stanner Rocks, where the granite and gabbro dates back more than 700 million years.

Kick things off with pudding-shaped Whimble: a perfect little mountain, rising straight above the woods near the old castle. For a second serving of history the next day, the ancient earthworks of Offa’s Dyke are just down the road. Deep valleys – called dingles – cut through the high moorland plateau behind the village and this former royal hunting ground is known as Radnor Forest. A traditional tale says that four churches were built around the boundary of the estate to help contain the last Welsh dragon.