Borth

Borth's hotel and B&B scene is small and largely independent, in keeping with the size of the village. Most accommodation lines the main street facing the sea, with guesthouses and B&Bs offering straightforward, comfortable rooms and often the best view in the house over the beach and Cardigan Bay. Self-catering cottages are common too, many of them former fishermen's or railway workers' houses squeezed between the beach and the hillside behind.

Because Borth itself is compact, some visitors choose to stay in Aberystwyth instead, seven miles south, where there is a much larger choice of hotels, from seafront Victorian terraces to budget chains, along with more restaurants and evening entertainment. This works well if you want to explore Borth, Ynyslas and the Dyfi estuary by day but prefer a livelier base at night. Wherever you stay, book ahead for the summer holidays, when both the beach and the Animalarium draw steady family traffic and rooms fill up quickly.

Whichever option you choose, Borth's appeal is that almost everything is within easy walking distance: the beach, the station, the pub and the shops are all on or just off the same short main street, so a car is useful for exploring further afield but not essential for a stay in the village itself.

Borth rewards slow visits rather than tick-box sightseeing, but there is plenty to fill a few days.

• Borth beach — Nearly three miles of sand and shingle running the length of the village, backed by a sea wall that doubles as a promenade. Good for a bracing walk whatever the weather.
• The submerged forest — At very low tides, especially after storms have shifted the sand, the stumps of pine, oak, birch and willow trees dating back around 4,500 years are exposed on the beach. They are the source of the local legend of Cantre'r Gwaelod, a mythical sunken kingdom said to lie beneath Cardigan Bay.
• Borth Wild Animal Kingdom — Formerly known as the Animalarium, this family-run zoo at the northern end of the village cares for rescued and rehomed animals from around the world, from monkeys to reptiles.
• Ynyslas dunes and Dyfi National Nature Reserve — A vast dune system at the mouth of the Dyfi Estuary, part of a reserve that also takes in the Dyfi saltmarsh and the raised bog of Cors Fochno. The dune slacks are known for wild orchids in early summer, and the Ynyslas visitor centre has displays on the reserve's ecology.
• Cardigan Bay — The bay is one of the best places in the UK to spot bottlenose dolphins, and boat trips run from nearby Aberystwyth and New Quay in season.
• Borth Bog (Cors Fochno) — One of the least disturbed raised peat bogs in Britain, reached via a boardwalk trail and important for rare plants and insects.

The Railway Inn, a short walk from the station, is the village's long-standing community pub, serving food from its own kitchen alongside a beer garden and a Sunday carvery. Elsewhere on the High Street you will find Sand's Bistro for breakfast, lunch and evening meals, and Borth Tandoori for Bangladeshi cuisine. For a simpler stop, several cafes along the seafront serve the usual mix of fish and chips, ice cream and cooked breakfasts to walkers coming off the beach.

Wild camping is not legally permitted in Wales without the landowner's explicit permission, so campers heading to Borth should stick to one of the established sites rather than pitching on the dunes or beach. That said, the area has a good spread of proper campsites and caravan parks, several of them right on the edge of the beach or looking out over the Dyfi estuary towards Ynyslas, making it easy to fall asleep to the sound of the sea.

The terrain around Borth is a mix of flat coastal ground, dune systems and the low-lying peat bog of Cors Fochno, so most sites sit on firmer ground just back from the water rather than among the dunes themselves, which are protected as part of the Dyfi National Nature Reserve and should be treated with care. Cardigan Bay's weather can turn quickly even in summer, so a sturdy tent and decent waterproofs are worth packing whatever the forecast looks like on the day you leave.

Late spring through early autumn is the most comfortable window for camping here, with June and July bringing the best chance of calm weather and coinciding with the dune orchids flowering at Ynyslas. Those who would rather skip the tent-pitching altogether have a growing choice of glamping options nearby, from static caravans and pods to fully equipped safari tents, giving a taste of the same estuary and beach views without needing your own kit. Whatever you choose, Borth's position between the mountains and the bay makes it a rewarding, if occasionally windswept, base for a coastal camping trip.