Powis Castle and Garden

Powis Castle began around 1252 as the stronghold of the Welsh prince Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn and was never abandoned, passing to the Herbert family in the 1570s; its rooms run from Elizabethan to Edwardian over Tudor floorboards. Below the red sandstone walls drop the Grade I listed Italianate terraces of the late 17th century, where 300-year-old clipped yews tower over herbaceous borders and views of the Severn Valley. The Clive Museum holds more than 300 South Asian objects from about 1600 to the 1830s. Dogs on short leads may walk the garden paths, though not the Great Lawn, East Front or Italianate Terraces, nor the castle and museum. Reviewers love the terraces, the volunteers and the Courtyard Cafe, and note that photography is not allowed inside the castle. Tips from regulars: the postcode misdirects sat navs, so follow the brown signs; weekends get crowded; you can park free on site or in Welshpool and walk a mile up through the park; the terraces have unguarded drops; and the castle rooms are currently closed for rewiring, with garden and museum open.