Garnwant Brecon Beacons - Fun Days Out

Barry Island Pleasure Park is an amusement park on the coast of the Vale of Glamorgan, about 10 miles south west of Cardiff. It sits opposite the sandy beachfront and has fairground rides, games and stalls, and food outlets. Rides range from high-energy thrill rides to classic ones the whole family can share, and you pay for what you ride using tokens.

The park has a long history as a seaside fairground, and the surrounding area, known locally as Barry Island, has more shops, bars and restaurants, plus several amusement arcades. That makes it easy to combine rides with time on the beach and a meal nearby.

It suits a lively, old-fashioned seaside day out: try the rides, test your skill on the games and soak up the fairground atmosphere.

Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary sits between Caehopkin and Abercraf in Powys. It began as a hill farm and grew into a final home for unwanted primates, including chimpanzees, baboons, spider monkeys, capuchins and marmosets. Its first chimpanzees arrived in 1999, when seven were taken in from Penscynor Wildlife Park after it closed.

You can also see non-primates such as meerkats, wolf dogs, horses, donkeys and pigs. The animals cannot survive in the wild, so the aim is to make the rest of their lives as enjoyable as possible, and the sanctuary does not breed any of them. It is a registered charity and receives no government or council funding, so it relies on donations and entrance fees. It suits animal lovers who want to see rescued animals and support the work.

Caerphilly Castle is the largest castle in Wales and the second-largest in the UK. Gilbert de Clare began it in 1268, and its concentric rings of walls, large twin-towered gatehouses and wide artificial lakes inspired Edward I's castles in North Wales. Historian Allen Brown called its water defences "the most elaborate water defences in all Britain".

Inside, the inner ward is an open courtyard with a well in the centre. The great hall, remodelled by Hugh Despenser the Younger in 1320, is the most richly decorated part, with tall windows, carved corbels and a large fireplace. You can also see the ruined chambers and the sandstone walls that were restored in the 20th century. The castle suits anyone interested in medieval history and in how castles were designed and defended.

Zip World Tower is an adventure park on the site of Tower Colliery near Aberdare, which was the oldest continuously working deep-coal mine in the UK until it closed in 2008. The preserved mining structures surround the rides, so you get a good look at the history as you go.

Phoenix is the world's fastest seated zip line, reaching up to 70mph. The Tower Coaster is the only 2-seater coaster of its kind in Europe, and Tower Climber is the UK's largest adventure course of its kind. There is also Tower Flyer to try.

The Cegin Glo Bar & Bistro sits in the middle of the site, with floor-to-ceiling views of the South Wales countryside and mountains. Well-behaved dogs are welcome, as long as they are looked after by someone who isn't taking part in the adventures.

Tip: Book in advance, and arrive 30 minutes before your start time. Wear warm clothes with boots or trainers, and no sandals or open-toe shoes.

Big Pit is a real coal mine and one of Britain's leading mining museums, standing on the heather-clad moors above Blaenavon. It worked as a colliery from 1880 to 1980 and opened to the public in 1983. The star attraction is the Underground Tour, which takes you 300 feet down with a real miner to see what life was like for the men who worked the coal face.

Back on the surface, there's a multi-media tour of a modern coal mine with a virtual miner in the Mining Galleries, plus exhibitions in the Pithead Baths and the historic colliery buildings. The museum sits within the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is an anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It's an informative day out for all ages.

Tip: Underground tour places on the day aren't guaranteed a time slot and queues can build when busy, so book a timed Job-A-Knock ticket in advance to secure your spot.

Castell Coch, Welsh for "red castle", is a 19th-century Gothic Revival castle above the village of Tongwynlais. Its conical-roofed towers rise out of the ancient beech woods of Fforest Fawr, and it has often been voted a favourite building in Wales. The architect William Burges rebuilt it for the third Marquess of Bute on the remains of a 13th-century fortress built by Gilbert de Clare.

Cadw looks after the site, and there is an on-site exhibition, an audio guide and a gift shop with guidebooks. The highly decorated High Victorian interiors are the main draw, and you can still trace the medieval remains beneath the Victorian rebuild. The surrounding beech woods are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Conservation work is under way to repair water damage, so check Cadw's visitor notice before you go.

Tip: The castle car park is free during site opening hours, and booking online saves 5% on tickets. Check Cadw's visitor notice for conservation work first.

National Museum Cardiff is Wales's national museum of art and natural history, housed in a grand building in the civic centre of Cathays Park. Admission is free, kept so by Welsh Government funding, though some exhibitions, events and activities may be charged for.

The art collection includes Old Master paintings, among them Rembrandt's Portrait of Catharina Hooghsaet, along with landscapes in the classical tradition and a gallery devoted to 18th-century British patronage. The wider collections also cover botany, geology and zoology. The Clore Discovery Centre offers hands-on exploration of items normally kept in storage, including insects, fossils and Bronze Age weapons. There is a café in the Main Hall for drinks and snacks, and lockers for storing bags.

Tip: Book a free day ticket in advance to get key visit information and updates. There is a car park behind the museum off Museum Avenue, or Cathays station is about a 5 minute walk.

Raglan Castle sits just north of the village of Raglan in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. Built and rebuilt between the 15th and early 17th centuries by the Herbert and Somerset families, it was once a luxurious, fortified home, and its large hexagonal keep is known as the Great Tower or the Yellow Tower of Gwent.

Today it is a romantic ruin, and a good place to picture how grand it once was. The castle was surrounded by parkland, water gardens and terraces, and was considered the equal of any other in England or Wales. Its story includes a Civil War siege, when Parliamentarian forces took it in 1646 and deliberately damaged its walls. It's a rewarding stop for anyone who enjoys castles and wants to explore a piece of Welsh history.