Top 10 hotels, B&Bs and hostels in Wales for walkers

Y Talbot, Tregaron

Walkers have been resting weary soles at this Ceredigion inn for centuries or, rather, drovers have. Since at least the 17th century cattle would be herded from this small town over the Cambrian mountains to markets in London and the Midlands. These days any stomping around the hills is done for pleasure; Tregaron is a Walkers Are Welcome town and the inn’s owners are seasoned hikers, happy to suggest routes, pack picnics, recommend organised local walks, point guests in the direction of local guide, Dafydd or show you to the dedicated drying room.
• Doubles from £80, B&B, 01974 298208, ytalbot.com

Trericket Mill, nr Builth Wells

Ideal for day hikes into the Brecon Beacons, and a stopping off point on the Wye Valley Walk, this veggie B&B in Powys caters for all but carnivorous walkers. If you’re passing through you can choose between B&B or bunk accommodation. Or opt for a riverside self-catering cabin and stay for a few days of day hikes. Stoke yourself up on freshly-laid duck or hen eggs at breakfast and book in for hearty, home cooked evening meals; there’s a choice between more elaborate three-course dinners (£20) or simple casserole-style suppers (£9).
• Bunks from £34 for two people, doubles from £69, B&B, 01982 560312, trericket.co.uk

Oriel Milgi, St Dogmaels

An indulgent place to start or finish the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, this stylish, dog-friendly B&B comes with vintage furniture, contemporary art, kingsize beds, show-off showers and cooked-to-order breakfasts with local jams and artisan loaves. The owners are passionate walkers and can recommend routes, supply maps and guides, point you in the direction of hop-on, hop-off coastal buses for day walks along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path or help with luggage transfers if you’re tackling a longer route. The village is home to a brilliantly retro fish and chip shop and an atmospheric waterside pub.
• Doubles from £80, B&B, 01239 612556, orielmilgi.co.uk

The Harbourmaster, Aberaeron

Part of Ceredigion’s Cab a Bag scheme, where accommodation providers and taxi companies along and around the Wales Coast Path take walkers’ bags from place to place, this chic waterside hotel has long been a favourite with hikers. After a few days of trail-stomping, the Frette sheets, Melin Tregwynt blankets and cafetiere coffee in its 13 decadent bedrooms (all named after ships built in the adjacent harbour in the 19th century) feel like just rewards. If you’re sick of marmite sandwiches, the hotel’s restaurant offers respite in the shape of Welsh beef, locally caught crab and loin of Brecon venison.
• Doubles from £110, B&B, 01545 570755, harbour-master.com

Hiraeth Bunkhouse, nr Llanwrda

A recently converted mill designed with walkers in mind, this contemporary, 20-bed bunkhouse in Carmarthenshire is a good choice for families, who pay the same rate whether it’s the school holidays or not. A member of the Association of Bunkhouse Operators in Wales, it comes with a designated drying room, large farmhouse kitchen and wet rooms with underfloor heating. As well as walks from the door (the owners will happily recommend suitable routes and lend guides and maps) try the six-hour hike around the ‘Lady of the Lake’; the start is 15 minutes’ drive away. Packed lunches can be ordered and there are some excellent local pubs nearby.
• Bunks from £15pppn plus £2.50 for bedding, 01550 777144, thehiraethcentre.com

Pwll Deri Hostel, Castell Mawr

Wake up at this Pembrokeshire youth hostel and the soaring, edge-of-the-cliff views will have you itching to lace up your boots. Like most YHA hostels there’s a drying room and laundry facilities available but, in this case, no food – it’s self-catering only. Stride straight out on to the Wales Coast Path and along to the lighthouse at Strumble Head or explore the trails around Garnfawr, National Trust land just behind the hostel; these include a suggested barefoot walk around the Pen Anglas headland.
• Beds from £18pppn, 0845 371 9536, yha.org.uk/hostel/pwll-deri

Parc Le Breos, Parkmill

The Gower may be known as a surfing destination but it’s as easy to get around by foot as by surfboard. As well as the Wales Coast Path there are plenty of great hikes to be had around the peninsula, not least the Gower Way, which was designed to take hikers inland. Book in at Parc Le Breos B&B and you’ll find a lounge filled with hiking guides and OS maps, a laundry to wash and dry muddy clothes, home-cooked dinners made with fruit and veg from the kitchen garden and occasional guided walking weekends. Book one of the traditional rooms in the main house or go for The Quabs, a log cabin in the grounds that’s also rented on a B&B basis. Walks, both from the door and further afield, can be downloaded from the website.
• Doubles from £90, B&B, 01792 371636, parc-le-breos.co.uk

Gladstone’s Library, Hawarden

Founded by William Gladstone this residential library is now open to writers, thinkers and (as long as you wipe your boots on the mat) walkers. Stylish rooms, laundry facilities and OS maps are available and, if you’ve ticked off Wales’ better-known walking regions, this is a good spot for new discoveries. As well as a five-mile walk from the doorstep - residents can also walk in the woods around Hawarden Castle – it’s close to the Flintshire coast and lesser-trodden trails in the Clywdian Range and north-east Wales. The library is open until 10pm daily if you want to enrich mind and spirit as well as body.
• Dinner, B&B from £89 per double, 01244 532350, gladstoneslibrary.org

Dolfannog Fach, nr Dolgellau

To escape the snow-suited and Dubbin-booted crowds tackling Snowdonia’s lustrous peaks you need local knowledge. Which is where Sara and Carl, the owners of this luxury farmhouse B&B come in. As well as providing picnic lunches, homemade evening meals, post-hike saunas and a purpose-built ‘bikes and boots’ room for drying and storing wet gear, they also host walking holidays in association with Wild Walks Wales. If you’d rather go it alone, the Minffordd Path up Cadair Idris starts 10 minutes’ walk from the door.
• Doubles from £70, B&B, 01654 761235, dolffanogfach.co.uk

The Seacroft Hotel, Anglesey

The Anglesey Coastal Path is one of the quietest walking trails in the UK but also one of the most rewarding, taking in beaches, lighthouses, sea cliffs and arches, the Menai suspension bridge, ancient churches, nature reserves and Penmon Priory. It also passes this laid-back New England style pub, home to six smart bedrooms, a bar stocked with some great wines and a restaurant specialising in wood-fired pizzas and grilled local steaks, lamb and seafood. There’s also a wet room for drying everything from wetsuits to walking boots.
• Doubles from £80, B&B, 01407 860348, theseacroft.com