Happy Valley has to be one of the most spectacular valleys in mid-Wales and my favourite place to amble on a sunny day – a vast verdant ridge on the edge of Snowdonia National Park, dotted with old stone farmhouses and sweeping views of the Dovey estuary and coastline.

The aptly named Panorama Road winds along the ridge of Happy Valley and leads to a path crossing fields of grazing cows, through a wood where the air is rich with the smell of pine, to the estuary and an ocean of blue where the sky meets the sea and you’re enveloped in a glorious panorama of mountains and coast. You eventually emerge onto the old ‘Roman Road’ and tip-toe along the rocks to be rewarded with a beautiful secluded bay overlooking a turreted island where the only disturbance is the sound of lapping water and the familiar cry of a seagull. When the weather’s good, there’s no better place to swim in the estuary or just paddle in the pools and pick mussels off the rocks.

The path hugs the rocks and leads to the wonderful village of Aberdovey where brightly coloured sailing boats bob on the water and an old wooden pier is crammed with children at high tide fishing for crabs.

Images courtesy of James Stringer & Mike1971 on Flickr