Put a spring in your step!

A new 'Britain's Best Villages' guide, by Country Living Magazine, details scenic walks in and around 11 villages which all won honours in last year's Calor Village of the Year competition for England and Wales.

And one of the prettiest walks of all is within easy driving distance - Llanddarog, near Carmarthen.

Llanddarog also won the regional category prize for young people, and was presented with its plaque, certificate and cash prizes by HRH The Princess Royal at a prestigious awards ceremony.

The pretty conservation village - a past winner of the Best Kept Village title - is steeped in Welsh culture and traditions, and has two lovely churches - St Twrog and Capel Newydd of the Presbyterian Church in Wales.

Walks around the area include routes past Paxton's Tower and along the banks of the River Gwendraeth. The National Botanic Garden of Wales, set in the beautiful parkland of Middleton Hall, is also within walking distance of Llanddarog village.

To refresh walkers at the end of the their travels, there is the Butchers Arms, which serves real ales and food, and the thatched White Hart Inn.

Llanddarog is on the B4310 east of Carmarthen. Motorists can park in the village centre - rail passengers disembark at Carmarthen and catch one of the regular buses.

If you fancy heading across the border, another walk not too many miles away is Ashton Keynes, near Cirencester, where you can wander through an intricate maze of streets in the Cotswold village, or follow the River Thames on a scenic three-mile route through pastures, two lakes and the 15th century Horse and Jockey pub.

Ashton Keynes is on the B4040 Malmesbury road and has car parking in the village centre.

There are also regular buses between Cirencester and Swindon. The short walks booklet features a host of delightful walks - none of which is more than five miles in length - around the award-winning villages. The guide is available now from most newsagents.