Traveling Wales | Great Britain's Hidden Gem | Passport to Adventure

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Traveling Wales, Great Britain's Hidden Gem

The contemporary Millennium Center overlooks the old Cardiff docks, where Welsh coal was once shipped to the world

Get your Bearings:

So, where is Wales? First lets clarify - it is NOT in England! This distinction is not only correct, but is immensely important to the Welsh who cherish their unique language and culture.

Wales is a part of Great Britain, along with Scotland and England. The U.K., or United Kingdom, includes the countries of Great Britain as well as Northern Ireland.

A good place to start your trip to Wales is in the bustling, cosmopolitan capital, Cardiff. A large bay laps quietly next to contemporary hotels, the huge Millennium Center and the old harbor. The

centerpiece of the city is the 12th century Cardiff castle.

Award-Winning Episode

This episode won the Visit Britain travel journalism broadcast award in February 2008.
See: And, The Winner is ... Passport to Adventure

"Oh, did I forget to mention golf?

Get your Kicks:

Cycle single track, hike ancient Roman roads, explore castles and villages to discover the true heart of Wales.

The natural landscape of Wales is incredibly diverse and offers something for everyone. There are bike rental shops in every village and hundreds of miles of trails designated by the National Cycle Network. Using traffic free routes combined with charming country roads you can criss-cross the entire country under your own power - it is wonderfully set up for cycle touring.

Pembrokeshire Coastline.

The Brecon Beacons Park is an ideal place for mountain biking, horseback riding and hiking. Scenery includes a gorgeous herd of wild horses, and, not far away, we discovered something rather unusual in the national park - a whiskey distillery!

The 230 square miles of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is the adventure (link to http://www.adventure.visitwales.com/), mecca of Wales. Outdoor enthusiasts can explore the headlands on foot, bicycle or pony treks, or take to the sea for sailing, kayaking, surfing and coasteering, among other things. You can hike the entire coastal route in 15 days, stopping at charming B & B's along the way - there are companies that will send your baggage along for you.

Coasteering. For the really adventurous, the Welsh have made good use of the craggy Pembrokshire coastline and come up with their own sport - Coasteering It's a combination of rock climbing and scrambling, all done in the surf!

Leaving Pembrokshire behind, we headed up the coast for the seaside resort of Aberystwyth, with its elegant promenade and storybook buildings. From the station in the center of Aberystwyth, an authentic steam train ascends 12 miles through the scenic Rheidol Valley. The renovated 1920's carriages cling to the winding, narrow tracks to make the climb to Devils Bridge and the roiling Mynach Falls. The train will wait for an hour while passengers hike down to the falls, or you can spend the day, and take the last train back in the late afternoon.

Llangollen Canal passes through rural countryside and villages.

Mark & Julie crossing the aquaduct - in a "narrow boat" 100 feet above the river below!

There are over 2000 miles of canals that were once used to haul goods throughout the UK. The most scenic stretch, near the town of Llangollen (Khlan-gokh-len) is popular with people from all over Europe. They master the piloting of a "narrow-boat", cruise the rural waterways, living aboard, relaxing and enjoying the constantly changing scenery.

If you don't have the time to enjoy a narrow-boat vacation, you can still tour the canals on a day trip. The route takes you across an aqueduct, 307 meters long and an amazing 38 meters high! Being suspended over 100 feet in the air, in a boat, is a very strange feeling!

Learn how cheese is made and sample it at the
Llangloffan Farmhouse

Get Cultured:

The pristine Welsh countryside is giving rise to cottage industry - cheese, wine and all sorts of delectable specialties are being created on farms throughout Wales After you have earned a good meal hiking or cycling, you will find many places to sample these excellent products.

Welsh Folk Museum

Local specialties to sample

In spite of its reputation for being clean, green and environmentally focused, the rural lifestyle in Wales has suffered in the high tech age. Young people moved to the cities, and farmers struggled to continue their way of life. Thanks to various government incentive programs, and people opting out of the rat race, cottage industries are slowly returning to the countryside and revitalizing rural communities. We visited a Pate factory, a cheese maker and the whiskey distillery!

To step back into the past, we visited the Museum of Welsh Life, where restored buildings from all over Wales represent various periods of history. Animals graze, shop windows display the wares of the day, and homes feel as if the ironworkers will be home for dinner any minute.

Welsh History Notes

Isolated archeological discoveries show there were people in Wales 250,000 years ago, and the Welsh countryside is littered with Neolithic monuments. Stone burial chambers can be found along many a country road - guarding the entombed as they have for thousands of years.

Around 600 BC the Celts began settling in Wales, where they prospered for 500 years until the arrival of the Romans. The defiant Celts were never really conquered, they were able to live side by side with the Romans, all the while preserving their traditions and language.

Neolithic Site

There are 3,000,000 people in Wales today and 20% still speak Welsh, one of the oldest languages in Europe, the rest of the population uses the more convenient English.

Like their ancestors, the Welsh today have tremendous pride in their culture and resist domination by their bigger, stronger neighbors. There is an active movement to secure their identity as a separate nation, with a localized government, and to ensure the preservation of the Welsh language.

Food & Shelter

A highlight of your trip to Wales will be the dining and accommodation, especially if you like small, intimate B & B's with gourmet restaurants. You will enjoy contemporary cuisine that uses the freshest local ingredients. I was surprised to find that there are also wineries in Wales, some that are equipped with guest rooms - so be sure to add that to your list!

Accomodation recommendations

Wolfcastle Country Hotel: a cozy inn with a lively bar & restaurant, don't worry, it's not a noisy crowd.

Llanerch Vineyard B & B: Very comfy, modern rooms with grapevines and a tasting room right out the door.

Tyddyn Llan : A charming Georgian country house with a gourmet restaurant, run by a couple who fled hectic London.

In Cardiff, for those with pounds (as in currency,

not weight!) to spare, you will find the St.David's Hotel & Spa to be a luxurious, contemporary oasis on the bay.

Traditional Welsh food is hearty, savory and soulful.

Go to the local pub and look for:

Welsh Rarebit, yes, it means rabbit, but there is no rabbit involved in this yummy snack, as far as I could tell. It's basically melted cheese on toast - the kids will be happy!

Lava Bread, or Laverbread was really strange sounding - "oatmeal and seaweed" - but it's actually really good, and healthy - reminded me of a homemade, veggie patty, or what we call a "veggie burger", just a bit less dense, more moist.

Cawl: A lamb and vegetable stew, of which there are apparently many different versions.

Cockles, not mussles, alive, alive oooo... A coastal favorite And, yes, CURRY, a national favorite, again with different 1000's of recipes.

Local specialties to sample:

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