TRAVEL GUIDE TO WALES

Shwmae, or welcome in English. Wales may be small, but the nation sure packs a punch.

Under appreciated and under visited this small slice of Britain is unique in so many ways, but that’s not such a bad thing as you’re most likely to have some of its most famous spots almost to yourself.

Shaped like a pigs head and around half the size of Switzerland, Wales is surrounded by the coast on three sides.

The awe inspiring country is filled with breathtakingly rugged landscape and adrenaline fuelled adventure; with 870 miles of continuous rugged coastal path to roam, dramatic mountain ranges to climb, rolling valleys to wonder, ancient castles to explore and jaw-dropping waterfalls to stand beneath.

Wales is also an outdoor enthusiasts dream. Throughout the country you'll have the opportunity to try all manners of adventurous activities, including trampolining in an underground cavern or flying head first at over 100mph on Europe's longest zip line.

It’s also a place where can also surf in the ocean (or on land..) and climb a mountain in the same day.

I’ve called upon the 26 of the 30 years that I have live in Wales to help write this detailed and adventurous travel guide which will hopefully help you understand the country of Wales a little better and provide you with some helpful tips and inspiration for any future visits.

I’d bet the little money that I have that you won’t be disappointed if you come visit, in fact you’ll love this little nation so much that you will be itching to come back.

AREA GUIDES

Below I have provided guides to each of the key areas within Wales. Each region is special in its own way, worthy of your time and can be explored as part of a long weekend or across an entire week. Just do your research, don’t cram, and remember to pray to the weather gods for sunshine.

KEY INFORMATION

Capital: Cardiff
Language: English & Welsh (Cymraeg)
Population: 3.1 million
Time Zone: GMT
Number of sheep per person: 3
National Day: St David’s Day, 1 March
National Dish: Cawl (Lamb, Vegetable & Potato stew)
National symbols: The dragon, daffodil & leek
3 National parks: Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons & Pembrokeshire
5 areas of Outstanding natural beauty: Anglesey, Gower, Wye Valley, Llŷn Peninsula and the Clwydian Range

REGIONS

I have divided Wales into four distinct regions in order to help you understand the geography of the country easier.

South Wales (Green)

Home to the capital city of Cardiff, full of history, culture and a thriving food and drink scene. The gorgeous Gower; An incredible coastal peninsula which was designated as Britains first area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB). The breathtaking Brecon Beacons National Park; home to flat topped peaks and jaw-dropping waterfalls.

West Wales (Red)

Home to Pembrokeshire National Park. The UK’s only national park which is entirely situated on the coast. Here you will find some of the finest beaches and coastal landscape not only in the UK, but the world.

North Wales (Blue)

Home to the sensational Snowdonia National Park, Wales’s biggest, oldest and highest national park. Here you’ll find 15 peaks over 3,000 including Wales highest mountain, Snowdon. The lovely Llŷn Peninsula, and the amazing Anglesey, Wales’s largest Island and home to numerous historical sites and beautiful beaches.

Mid Wales (Yellow)

Home to the Cambrian mountain range, the elegant Elan Valley, and the Ceredigion coast.

Best time to visit Wales

Like any place in the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere, the best times to visit are during summer months (June-August), when you’ll find the most sunshine and the least amount of rainfall.

As well as supposedly getting the better weather you’ll also find plenty of festivals and events on including; Green man, Festival Number 6, The Eisteddfod and Abergavenny Food festival.

Late spring (April & May) & early Autumn (September) are also great times to visit as you will not only have some decent weather but the country won’t be as busy a summer months. That being said, does it even get busy here in Wales? it’s not exactly a tourist hotspot.

My personal recommendation would be to visit in late spring/early summer before the Welsh schools break up in July.

In recent years, the summer weather has tended to come early before pissing it down (a Welsh term for heavy rainfall) for six weeks when the school summer holidays start.

Although Wales can be beautiful during the winter months, especially when it snows, I wouldn’t recommend travelling long distances to visit then.

You’ll likely be greeted by a copious amount of rain and short, dark days which will only put a dampener (no pun intended) on the wide array of outdoor activities which are available.

How to reach Wales

By plane

Wales has only one major airport, Cardiff, which is located 12 miles outside of the city. The airport is served by a number of airlines including KLM, Qatar Airways, Ryanair, TUI Airways and Vueling. Direct internal flights from the UK to Cardiff Airport are available From Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland and Newcastle in England. From the airport there are easy and direct train and bus links into the city centre.

By Car

From London and the south east of England, Cardiff is easily reached by taking the M4 motorway westwards across the Severn bridge and into Wales. Journey times from central London to Cardiff are usually around 3 hours, although if you’re travelling from Heathrow you can sometimes shave up to an hour off this time. The rest of the UK is also very well connected to Wales via the M5, M6 and M56.

By Train

Cardiff central station is easily accessible via train from all over the UK, especially from London. First Great Western operate routes from London Paddington every half hour and you can reach the capital of Cardiff in two hours and Swansea in three and half, from here you can continue westwards to Pembrokeshire.

Other parts of Wales can also be reached with the extensive rail network that connects with the rest of Britain. There are direct trains from London Euston and Manchester to Llandudno and Bangor; from Birmingham to the North Wales coast and the Llŷn Peninsula; from Manchester to Newport.

Unfortunately long distance train prices are generally very high unless you have a rail card or book months in advance. For times and prices check the National Rail Journey Planner.

By Bus

Despite the longer journey time, I’d recommend using the cheaper bus service over the train. National Express operate regular services London Victoria Coach Station to various destinations in Wales, including Cardiff, Swansea, Pembrokeshire. They also offer services from Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, to North Wales. Megabus offer a regular and dirt cheap service from London & Bristol to South and West Wales.

Getting around Wales

The best way to travel around Wales is by car because it will provide you with maximum flexibility and allow you to reach the majority of the must see destinations with little fuss and in minimum time.

In addition some of the roads through the national parks and along the coastline are extremely picturesque and driving them is part of what makes wales so captivating.

Getting around South of the country is extremely easy with Wales’s only motorway (M4) stretching from Newport in the east to Carmarthen in the west. North Wales is also very easy to navigate with plenty of A-roads linking the major towns and villages.

The central part of Wales however is quite mountainous and there are no major roads running from north to south, this dramatically affects journey times so factor this in if you are planning to get from North to south in a hurry.

If using a car isn’t an option then there is an extensive public transport system in North, South, and West Wales, especially during the busier summer months.

If you are going to be be using public transport, consider purchasing an Explore Wales Pass, which gives you four days travel within an 8 day period to anywhere in Wales by train and selected buses, or a Rover and Rangers pass, which gives you unlimited day travel with a specific region.

For more information on how to get around via bus and train head over to the Visit Wales website.

Weather

Like the rest of the UK, Wales has a temperate climate meaning it never really gets very hot and never gets really cold.

It will rain, as that is is one of the few guarantees that you have when you come to Wales. However don’t let that put you off visiting as the country is beautiful whatever the weather and when the sun does come out to play, Wales will certainly put on a display. (Lyrical genius)

During the summer months there is plenty of sunshine, In fact the village of Dale, located in Pembrokeshire, is one of the sunniest places in Britain with over 1,800 hours of sunshine a year. Temperatures generally stay around the mid 20’s but have been known to rise in excess 30 degrees so do be optimistic and pack some sunscreen.

History & Culture

Although Wales shares many customs with the England, it also has its own distinct traditions and culture.

Wales acquired its popular image as the "land of song", in part due to the National Eisteddfod, an annual Welsh festival of music and poetry which has helped keep the Welsh language alive. We are a soulful bunch and love a sing song, especially during sporting fixtures and after a couple of beers.

Alongside Leeks and Daffodils (don’t ask), dragons have long been associated with Wales. The red dragon, y ddraig goch, which features prominently on the national flag has been used as a symbol of Wales throughout the centuries.

As it is quite possibly the best flag in the World (just a touch of Welsh bias there), you’ll frequently see the red dragon flown across the country from monuments and back gardens. The flag is very prominent on the 1st of March. This is St Davids Day, Wales’s national day which celebrates the country's patron saint.

Speaking of monuments, there used to be more than 600 castles here in Wales, more per square mile than anywhere in the world. Some have been lived in continuously for a thousand years, while others are nothing but a pile of ruins,if you are into your history then there are plenty for you to explore.

Rugby union is considered the national sport and has become a symbol of Welsh identity for many. In recent years we have become bloody good at it despite having such a small population. Attending a Welsh international game at a packed-out Principality Stadium in Cardiff is one of the must do things if you visit the cities capital as it will be an experience like no other.

Language

In Wales we have our own language; Welsh, or Cymraeg to give it its official name.

Welsh is one of Europe’s oldest living languages that dates back thousands of years. Its ridiculously difficult to speak, contains some hilarious and silly words and looks like it’s been written by someone who might have had far too many beers. To prove how old and strange sounding it actually is, JRR Tolkien (The bloke who wrote The Lord of the Rings) actually based a versions of the Elvish language on old Welsh.

The language isn’t spoken by everyone though with only a quarter of the population being fluent in the native tongue. That being said, TV and radio stations broadcast in it, all children learn it at school, and its presence will be evident everywhere you go, especially on road and street signs, which are written in both Welsh and English.

In the south east you will rarely hear people speaking Welsh however the further west and north you venture you’ll definitely begin to hear locals conversing in the Welsh Language.

Visitors aren’t expected to speak Welsh as everyone speaks perfectly good english, but it will be greatly appreciated by locals in north and west wales if you do try attempt some of the more popular phrases below;

Shwmae (Shoe-my) - Hello

Bore da (bore-eh-dar) - Good Morning / Good Day

iechyd da (Yach-ee-dar) - Cheers / Good health

Diolch (Dee-olch) - Thank you

Rydym yn casáu'r Saesneg - We hate the english (This one is a joke)

Guide to the Brecon Beacons