Wales tourism

WalesView alesView

14 2014

Coast & Country: award-winning beaches & mountain waterfalls A tale of two cities: an insider’s guide to Swansea & Cardiff Chris Packham: celebrating the natural wonder of Wales Adventure playground: mountain biking in Wales Matthew Rhys: celebrating the life of Dylan Thomas

Plus travel and holiday information –– visitwales.com

For a tiny piece of the planet, there is rather a lot to see and do in Wales.

We like to keep ourselves entertained, with festivals, anniversary celebrations and sporting events. You can see this reflected in the natural enthusiasm of the people of Wales. We use the country as our playground. It provides us with wonderful food and inspires us to create great works of art and literature.

Wales is a modern, diverse country with a great heritage for everyone to enjoy; and we look forward to sharing all these memorable experiences with you.

Front cover Rhossili, Gower Peninsula This page Dylan Thomas’s Writing Shed, The Boathouse, Laugharne

Opposite page, top to bottom Matthew Rhys Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire Mission Gallery, Swansea Conwy Castle, Conwy BikePark Wales Welsh produce

Contents 2

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Dylan Thomas

42 Myths & legends

Actor Matthew Rhys on Wales’s best-known literary figure, kicking off a year of centenary celebrations in 2014.

Magical stories from all over Wales, featuring an assortment of dragons, water monsters and fairies.

Wales on film

Visit the beauty spots that drew Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Dobby the House Elf to Wales.

Follow in the footsteps of royals down the centuries and you’ll end up in Anglesey, former home of Prince William and Kate.

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46 Mountain biking

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Coast & country

BBC television presenter Chris Packham celebrates the wildlife of Wales, alongside your guide to its great gardens, beaches, islands and waterfalls.

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20 A tale of two cities International wheelchair athlete and television presenter Liam Holt explores the visitor attractions of Cardiff and Swansea.

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26 On the town A celebration of the historic market towns of Wales.

46 54 Visit Wales cannot guarantee the accuracy or reliability of the information in this publication and hereby disclaim any responsibility for any error, omission or misrepresentation. To the fullest extent permitted by law all liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or other damage caused by reliance on the information contained in this guide is excluded. You are advised to check all details and information with the business concerned before confirming a reservation. All rights reserved. Material in this publication must not be reproduced in any form without permission from the copyright owners – please contact Visit Wales. Opinions expressed in Wales View are not necessarily those of Visit Wales.

44 Royal connections

Discover why Wales has become a leading destination for mountain bikers from all over the world.

50 Adrenaline Wales Wales View’s youngest contributor tells us what it’s like to fly 500 feet (152 metres) in the air along the longest zip wire in Europe.

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F ood & drink Whether you’re foraging or feasting, the natural produce grown in Wales is unrivalled for freshness and flavour.

28 Events diary

60 In the lap of luxury

Why not book your Welsh break around one of the exciting events taking place here in 2014?

Go on, spoil yourself...

40 The castles of Wales

Travel information, area guides to Wales and FAQs.

An appetising guide to a selection of the 641 historic castles we have in Wales.

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Wales View is published by Visit Wales, the Tourism and Marketing division of the Welsh Government ©2014.

Visit Wales, Welsh Government, QED Centre, Main Avenue, Treforest Industrial Estate, Treforest, Pontypridd CF37 5YR (WG18041) Managing Editors Iestyn George and Charles Williams. Printed by Westdale Press.

Print ISBN: 978 1 4734 0418 2 Digital ISBN: 978 1 4734 0409 0 Crown copyright (2013) Visit Wales

62 Essential information Wales map

Design & photography: Visit Wales Creative Services.

Other photography: Bodnant Welsh Food Centre, Celtic Manor Resort, Grace Elliott, David Frost, Getty Image, Steve Hartley/ CBMWC, Charles Hawes, Gweldd Conwy Feast, Ian Jones, Rainy Day Films, Steve Read, Kiran Ridley, Lee Miller Archives, S4C, Nick Treharne, Universal Studios, Wales Screen Commission, Wright’s Independent Food Emporium and Ynys-Hir RSPB.

This publication is also available in Braille, large-format print, and/or audio from Visit Wales.

info@visitwales.co.uk

Printed on recycled paper

Back cover quotation: from Idyll of Unforgetfulness by Dylan Thomas – © The Trustees for the copyright of Dylan Thomas, 1929.

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Being

Dylan

So why does Dylan Thomas mean so much to Wales?

Who better to ask than Matthew Rhys, the Cardiffborn actor who played the mercurial poet so brilliantly in The Edge of Love.

Interview by Charles Williams

Main Matthew Rhys as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love Opposite clockwise from top left Matthew Rhys and Sienna Miller in The Edge of Love Sienna Miller and Kiera Knightley filming in Wales Best friends Matthew Rhys and Ioan Gruffudd

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n a Sunday morning, a black-clad jogger trots up to the Wales View editorial door. The jogger pulls off his beanie and a mop of curls springs out, a wide smile not far below. ‘I’ve been up the Taff Trail,’ beams Matthew Rhys, who’s just been running along the long-distance path that skirts the Cardiff suburb where he was born. ‘I love it, I run up there whenever I’m back home.’

The 39-year-old radiates health and happiness. He’s a delightful, energising presence, talking quickly in his mellifluous baritone. He throws in impressions and accents for free (many of them American, because that’s where he’s now based, in Los Angeles). He laughs, a lot. Matthew Rhys is not an actor of the tortured variety, clearly.

‘Life is good,’ he agrees. He’s currently the star of one of the world’s biggest TV shows, The Americans, in which he plays a Soviet KGB spy living a chillingly tense undercover existence in Washington DC

during the Cold War. Still, it’s not half as scary as being Dylan Thomas. Rhys played the iconic poet in The Edge of Love, a role which required him to be one-third of a love-triangle with two of the most beautiful stars of British film, Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller. Tough job? Yes, actually.

‘I was terrified!’ laughs Rhys. ‘Everyone in Wales has this incredibly strong sense of who Dylan should be. But there’s no footage of him, we’ve only got his voice recordings. So no-one really knows who he is. When I was researching the role, I tried to read as many people’s accounts of him as I could, to try and get an image of him. I spoke to his daughter Aeronwy as well, who gave me a good few pointers. She said, ‘His hands were like two dead fish,’ which I thought was wonderful!’

As an actor, Rhys is awestruck by Dylan’s dazzling way with words. But does he also think the poet would have

Arts and culture Dylan Thomas

been an interesting chap to share a pint with?

‘I do, actually, although from what I read, not everyone who met him liked him. He had the wit, along with the everpresent Welsh darkness, and very little patience.’

So why does he remain such an iconic figure to the Welsh? ‘Ah, we love our archetypes in Wales,’ says Rhys. ‘The big drinker, the carouser, the no-good-boyo.

Dylan’s image fitted incredibly well. And he was irreverent at a time you weren’t supposed to be, the 1950s. It’s not really in the Welsh DNA. We haven’t got many hellraisers, but Thomas stuck two fingers up at it all and lived the life he wanted.

on full twee overdrive and found this amazing pub in Aberaeron and I got a Welsh folk band in,’ says Rhys. ‘What was so gratifying was how much they loved it. The girls [Knightley and Miller] loved Wales, they were like, “Oh my God, we need to move here!’”

If they had, the local farmers would have remained utterly unfazed by two of the world’s most beautiful actresses, reckons Rhys. They were certainly less impressed by Rhys’s acting than his local farming connections. ‘One farmer said to me, “I know who you are. You’re Kevin Evans’s cousin, aren’t you? He runs a thousand acres up near Aberystwyth, doesn’t he? Beautiful dairy he’s got...”’

‘Thomas lived the life he wanted, on his own terms. That’s quietly admired in the chapels.’

Richard Burton was exactly the same.

They lived their lives on their own terms.

In our nation’s psyche, that’s quietly admired in the chapels.’

There was a modest amount of roistering during the making of The Edge of Love, which was filmed on location in West Wales, land of Rhys’s own ancestors. ‘I was determined to put on a proper Welsh night, so I went

It’s a typical Welsh characteristic – a refusal to be impressed – that never fails to amuse Rhys, even when he’s on the receiving end … which he is, every time he comes back home and goes to the pub with his school friends. ‘They feel almost duty-bound to make sure that if I ever dream of thinking myself above my station, I should be put back in my place – or lower, just to make sure.

i Matthew Rhys grew up in Cardiff, where both his parents were teachers. He went to the same Welsh-language school as his best friend Ioan Gruffudd, and the pair trained together at RADA. He won acclaim in the hit US TV series Brothers & Sisters and currently stars in the spy thriller The Americans. His stage work includes The Graduate with Kathleen Turner, several Royal Shakespeare Company productions, and a recent revival of Look Back In Anger in New York.

For an extended version of this interview, and to find out about Matthew Rhys’s favourite places in Wales, see visitwales.com

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It’s almost like “hazing”, as they say in America. You have to go through the first 15 minutes in the pub where you’re torn to bits, and then you can get on with catching up.’

Rhys went to his local Welsh-language comprehensive school in Cardiff, where he was the year below his best friend, the actor Ioan Gruffudd. They went to the same chapel, and competed in the same school eisteddfod, the performing arts competition in which almost every Welsh child – especially those in Welshlanguage schools – takes part.

‘We’re kicked onto a stage, or into a pulpit, from a young age,’ says Rhys. ‘I didn’t always like it as a child, but when you look back, it’s amazing. That level of celebration of culture, combined with a sense of tradition and history – it’s great, as long as it keeps evolving. And even if you hate being on stage, somewhere in your psyche it will help you. It encourages confidence and teamwork, which sounds like corporate cliché, but I genuinely believe it.’

Rhys followed Gruffudd to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), an experience they found both priceless and shockingly hard. While their friends who went to university seemed to be living lives of raucous freedom, RADA was a gruelling six days’ work a week, plus long nights learning lines.

Rhys is now based in Los Angeles, where he’s part of an entire tribe of

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Welsh actors that includes Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Sheen, Andrew Howard and Catherine Zeta Jones.

I discovered an even greater group of Welshies there during the Six Nations [rugby championship],’ says Rhys.

‘There’s a pub in Santa Monica called the King’s Head that shows the games live, usually at around 5.30am. I remember walking in and there’s a sea of red, and suddenly there’s this ready-made Welsh community. There are a lot of boys from Merthyr Tydfil working in construction there, strangely.’

Welshness – and especially the Welsh language – is still central to who Rhys is.

It’s also why, on this precious weekend off in Cardiff, he doesn’t mind pitching in to help … by opening major festivals at a moment’s notice, for instance, which is what he did the day before at the Welshlanguage festival Tafwyl.

‘I’m happy to support when I can,’ says Rhys. ‘Welsh is my first language, it’s what I speak to my family and to friends like Ioan. But whenever I do something like speaking at a festival, there’s always someone at the back I know, one of my school friends, who catches my eye and does this…’

At this point Rhys mimes a series of magnificently obscene gestures that, mercifully, cannot be recreated in print.

‘It’s the Welsh putting me back in my place.’ He laughs again. ‘Happens all the time!’

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In Country Sleep: where to stay on the Thomas trail

Browns Hotel, Laugharne Dylan’s favourite haunt has been restored and reborn as a boutique hotel and oozes glamour. browns-hotel.co.uk 1 Coastguard Cottage, Rhossili Dylan and his school friends came camping here, but you can stay in this National Trust-run cottage. nationaltrustcottages.co.uk Quay West, New Quay This clifftop holiday caravan park offers lovely views of the harbour town that inspired Under Milk Wood. haven.com Trehyddion Barns, Carmarthenshire Dylan’s summer holidays were spent on rural farms like this, with Llansteffan’s sandy beach and castle on the doorstep. trehyddionbarns.com Ty^ Mawr, near Aberaeron When filming The Edge of Love the stars stayed at this gorgeous Georgian manor in the Aeron valley. tymawrmansion.co.uk Above from left Laugharne Castle, Laugharne Browns Hotel, Laugharne Dylan Thomas

Arts and culture Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas 100

Dylan Thomas is Wales’s greatest poet and writer. To mark the centenary of Dylan’s birth, in a small house in Swansea in 1914, the Dylan Thomas 100 Festival is a yearlong celebration of his life and work. The festival’s Royal Patron is the Prince of Wales, who has joined in the festival spirit by recording a special reading of his favourite Dylan Thomas poem, Fern Hill. There are hundreds of events, here and around the world. These are just a few highlights, but do check the website for the latest info: dylanthomas100.org

The Dylan Thomas Boathouse The poet’s lovely waterside home hosts a variety of events and intimate readings throughout the Dylan Thomas 100 Festival. Also look out for Dylan’s writing shed as it tours the country.

All year, Laugharne and locations across Wales dylanthomasboathouse.com

Peter Blake Exhibition: Llareggub The venerable pop artist Peter Blake is passionate about Dylan’s play for voices Under Milk Wood, and this show includes portraits of each of the 60 characters, and collages depicting the fictional village of Llareggub.

Until 16th March National Museum Cardiff museumwales.ac.uk/en/Cardiff

The Laugharne Weekends Three weekends in Laugharne celebrate Dylan Thomas’s life and work, each themed to echo Dylan’s favourite art forms – just the kind of events Dylan himself would have enjoyed. There’ll be Poetry and Biography, curated by Patti Smith and Simon Armitage (11th – 13th April), Comedy and Radio, curated by Robin Ince and Stuart Maconie (19th – 21st September), and Music and Film, curated by Richard James and Euros Childs (26th – 28th September).

Laugharne dylanthomas100.org

A Dylan Odyssey This series of literary tourism events follows Dylan’s steps to Wales, Oxford and New York. They will involve kayaking, pony trap rides, jazz music, Beat poetry, and the company of contemporary writers such as Owen Sheers and Gillian Clarke.

May – September, Wales and worldwide literaturewales.org /a-dylan-odyssey/

Dylan Thomas Exhibition The National Library of Wales has a major exhibition from its archive of Dylan Thomas material, which includes unique personal items, alongside visiting items from the United States.

28th June – 20th December Aberystwyth llgc.org.uk

Lleisiau/Voices

Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts This annual festival includes the Wales premiere of A Dylan Thomas Trilogy by John Corigliano, and the world premiere of Karl Jenkins’ Three Images from Dylan Thomas with the Russian National Philharmonic Orchestra.

4th – 18th October, Swansea swanseafestival.org

The Dylan Thomas Festival This annual festival, held over an eventpacked two weeks, is the centrepiece of the year-long celebrations that make up Dylan Thomas 100.

27th October – 9th November, Swansea dylanthomas.com

A Child’s Christmas in Wales

Michael Bogdanov’s adaptation of the This live, multi-national event celebrates classic tale will be performed by the Wales the history of vocal and oral traditions. It’s Theatre Company at theatres presented at Chapter in Cardiff, with live all over Wales. streaming from Browns Hotel in Laugharne November & December, across Wales and the Chelsea Hotel in New York. thewalestheatrecompany.com 20th September Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff ‘Dylan Thomas 100 is the perfect way to chapter.org introduce the places and characters in my grandfather’s poetry and prose, and for people to discover why the quirky villages and seaside towns inspired him so much. I hope that the festival will spark a passion for words in a new generation and leave a lasting legacy for Wales.’

Hannah Ellis, honorary patron and Dylan Thomas’s granddaughter

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Hollywood

Sometimes even Hollywood stars have to play best supporting actor to the scenery.

Wales has been the location for hundreds of films. Here we pay tribute to our most scene-stealing performances.

Holy water!

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Whale of a time

Matthew Rhys filmed The Edge of Love (2008) in several locations around West Wales, most notably New Quay. This lovely harbour town was the inspiration for Dylan Thomas’s classic Under Milk Wood, although the 1972 movie version, starring Richard Burton, was filmed down the coast at Lower Fishguard, as was the 1955 film Moby Dick. discoverceredigion.co.uk visitpembrokeshire.com pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk

In the 2012 movie The Dark Knight Rises, the Batcave is hidden behind the 88-foot (27 metre) curtain of thundering water known as Henrhyd Falls, the highest of dozens of cascades in the western Brecon Beacons. midwalesmyway.com breconbeacons.org

The ‘Dai’ Vinci code

Margam Park is an 850-acre country park with its own 12th-century abbey and neo-Gothic mansion. It’s also a slice of sun-dappled Renaissance Tuscany – when they’re filming the hit US drama Da Vinci’s Demons. visitswanseabay.com

Arts and culture Wales on film

to Holyhead Main Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire, the setting for Shell Cottage in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Licensed By: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved

Welsh wizardry

Shell Cottage, in which Harry and his companions shelter in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was built on the edge of Freshwater West’s mile-long (1.6 km) beach, where Russell Crowe also came to film Robin Hood. Key scenes from the 2012 fairytale Snow White and the Huntsman, starring Kristen Stewart, were shot nearby on Marloes Sands ... which also featured in the 1968 historical epic The Lion in Winter, starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn. visitpembrokeshire.com pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk

Dark forces

Our own Nordic-noir-style TV detective series is so good, we filmed it twice. The Welsh version, Y Gwyll, was broadcast on

S4C in 2013 while the English Hinterland, which was shot simultaneously, goes out on BBC4 in 2014. The series location remains the same: the hauntingly beautiful landscape around Aberystwyth. discoverceredigion.co.uk

to film the tragi-comic romp Restoration.

Another key location in the film was Tretower Court near Crickhowell which, in 2004, also welcomed Johnny Depp in The Libertine. thevalleys.co.uk, midwalesmyway.com

Star quality

Twin peaks

There’s a bit in the 2007 fantasy Stardust when its star Claire Danes treks high above a magical lake. That’ll be Llyn y Fan Fach, a beautiful glacial lake on the western edge of the Brecon Beacons. discovercarmarthenshire.com breconbeacons.org

Moat points

Caerphilly Castle is the second largest castle in Britain, and in 1995 Hollywood big cheese Robert Downey Jr was here

So spectacular are the mountains of Snowdonia, film-makers often use them to represent other exotic, far-flung locations: China in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), Kazakhstan for the 1999 Bond movie The World Is Not Enough, and a rather convincing Khyber Pass in the 1968 comedy Carry On Up The Khyber. visitsnowdonia.info eryri-npa.gov.uk visitwales.com

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Main Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire Inset left to right Atlantic puffin Bluebells on Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire Ramsey Island, Pembrokeshire

The thing about islands is that you can’t look at one without wondering, even for a fleeting moment, what it would feel like to be there, standing on its cliffs among the wheeling clouds of seabirds, looking back at where you are now.

Island paradise 8

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Coast & country Islands

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s you meander the 870 mile (1,400 km) Wales Coast Path, you’ll count around 50 Welsh islands. You can walk to some of them at low tide.

Others shimmer tantalisingly on the far horizon. Some are near-impossible to reach, unless you happen to be an expert cliff-climber or, ideally, a puffin. But you can visit many of the best ones, and even stay on a few.

Skomer is a cracking example, part of a cluster of little islands off Pembrokeshire that support some of the world’s most

important bird colonies. It’s a fabulous day-trip across the turquoise waters of Jack Sound, where even the seabed is a protected nature reserve. In summer the island throngs with guillemots, razorbills and puffins, while fulmars and kittiwakes fill the air like flurries of snowflakes. Grey seals bask on the rocks below clifftops that offer one of the most spectacular displays of wild flowers in Britain.

You can land on nearby Ramsey Island too – it’s a beautifully untouched RSPB nature reserve – or take a rib ride around

its reefs and rapids. You’ll definitely see seals, probably dolphins and porpoises, and possibly even whales and sharks.

Back on Skomer, if you stay the night you’ll witness another of nature’s most incredible sights: tens of thousands of nocturnal Manx shearwaters ghosting back to their burrows.

There’s another major colony of these incredible little birds on Bardsey Island, which lies off the tip of the Lly^ n Peninsula. There are eight self-catering cottages on this ‘Island of 20,000 Saints’, which has long been a spiritual refuge.

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Top from left Bardsey Island, Lly^ n Peninsula Llanddwyn Island, Isle of Anglesey

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Water beds

Caerfai Farm, St David’s Cottages, yurts, caravan and camp site, cheesemaking … and all on a stunning clifftop location, just around the headland from Ramsey Island. caerfaifarm.co.uk Cenarth Falls Holiday Park, Cenarth This five-star holiday park has caravans and cottages, plus great facilities for tourers and campers, just a few minutes’ walk from the famous falls on the River Teifi. cenarth-holipark.co.uk Fog Horn Cottage, Flat Holm Don’t forget your toothbrush – it’s a long swim back to the mainland from this stylish three-bed self-catering cottage. flatholmisland.com Plas Rhianfa, Isle of Anglesey This architectural gem has five-star luxury overlooking the Menai Strait on Wales’s biggest island. chateaurhianfa.com Ty^ Newydd Country Hotel, Hirwaun This comfortable hotel is right on the threshold of Waterfall Country, and if you like whisky with your water, Penderyn, Wales’s only distillery, is nearby. tynewyddcountryhotel.co.uk

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Talking of which, there’s still an active monastery of Benedictine monks on Caldey Island, another hugely popular day-trip from nearby Tenby. You can also experience blissful island isolation just five miles (8 km) from Cardiff city centre on Flat Holm, another major seabird sanctuary.

It’s easy to get besotted with Welsh islands. The TV scriptwriter Carla Lane bought a tiny one of her own, St Tudwal’s East, off the southern tip of the Lly^ n Peninsula, and turned it into a wildlife sanctuary. Then the adventurer Bear Grylls bought its neighbour,

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St Tudwal’s West, and – talk about getting away from it all – spends family holidays on its few clifftop acres.

You don’t have to splash out on a whole island, though. You can borrow one of ours. Like we say, there are plenty to go round. walescoastpath.gov.uk welshwildlife.org /skomer-skokholm/ flatholmisland.com bardsey.org caldey-island.co.uk rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/r/ ramseyisland/

Mother love

The biggest Welsh island by far is Anglesey, which was finally joined to the mainland by Thomas Telford’s magnificent suspension bridge in 1826. The island was a stronghold of druids during the Roman invasion, and a vital source of food during later wars – leading to its nickname of Môn Mam Cymru – the Mother of Wales.

Nowadays, it’s a favourite holiday destination, with attractions that include Plas Newydd stately home, a sea zoo, copper mines, the most perfect medieval castle at Beaumaris, and a village called – deep breath – Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

But it’s the 125 mile (201 km) coastline that is the island’s biggest draw, packed with fabulous beaches, nature reserves, and the most romantic spot in Wales, Llanddwyn Island, where there’s an old lighthouse and a ruined chapel dedicated to the Welsh patron saint of love, St Dwynwen. No wonder Prince William and Kate made their first home here. visitanglesey.co.uk

Fall W

hat is it about waterfalls? There’s something surreally magical about a torrent of water plunging off a cliff and into a crystal pool. At the western edge of the Brecon Beacons, in a bit of Wales known as ‘Waterfall Country’, three rivers – the Mellte, Hepste and Nedd Fechan – have carved their way through soft rocks to create steep wooded gorges full of caves and cascades.

It’s popular with white-

water kayakers and, in summer, wetsuit-clad canyoning groups, but it’s also a brilliant place to experience the thrill of walking behind a curtain of thundering water – notably at Sgwd yr Eira, the famous ‘waterfall of snow’.

Although the greatest concentration of falls is here, the highest are up in the high mountains: the Devil’s Appendix in Snowdonia and Pistyll y Llyn in the Cambrian range. And

Coast & country Waterfalls

at your feet Bet you didn’t bargain for a waterfall of snow and the Devil’s Appendix to be among the sights on your visit to Wales.

the most spectacular? Well, that’s a matter of opinion, but the 239 feet (73 metre) high Pistyll Rhaeadr, in the Berwyn Mountains, has the advantage of a car park two minutes’ walk from the base.

And to be fair, it is utterly spellbinding. breconbeacons.org midwalesmyway.com pistyllrhaeadr.co.uk visitsnowdonia.info discoverceredigion.co.uk

Sgwd yr Eira, Brecon Beacons National Park visitwales.com

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perfectbeach The

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Coast & country Beaches

The Wales Coast Path is the longest continuous coastal path in the world. Along its 870 mile (1,400 km) length there are hundreds of harbours, coves, inlets – and, of course, beaches.

Lots of them. And one of them will be your favourite. So which’ll it be? Here are ten to get you started.

Barafundle, Pembrokeshire It’s impossible to pick our prettiest beach, but this Pembrokeshire gem, backed by dunes and pine trees, always crops up. There’s something almost Caribbean about Barafundle, which is all the better for being a half-mile (0.8 km) walk from the nearest car park. visitpembrokeshire.com

Cefn Sidan, Carmarthenshire This whopping eight-mile (12 km) beach has plenty of room for everyone, and young nature detectives can climb the dunes to track down grasshoppers and other mini beasts. It’s all part of Pembrey Country Park, which has play areas and an equestrian centre, dry ski slope and toboggan run. discovercarmarthenshire.com

Barmouth, Snowdonia Huge and picturesque, Barmouth beach is always popular but never overcrowded. Barmouth itself is a proper British seaside resort, complete with trampolines, ice creams, arcade games, donkey rides and a vintage railway. visitsnowdonia.info

Southerndown, Vale of Glamorgan The Glamorgan Heritage Coast’s multilayered cliffs occasionally drop down into sandy bays. This is a favourite with surfers and families, and there’s a great clifftop walk to the ruins of Dunraven Castle. visitthevale.com Tenby, Pembrokeshire We’re cheating a bit here, since there’s not one fantastic beach in Tenby, but three. The Rough Guide to Wales describes this pretty little town as ‘everything a seaside resort should be’ and it was recently voted one of the UK’s top five beach destinations by Tripadvisor. visitpembrokeshire.com

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Benllech, Isle of Anglesey This small holiday town is set on a crescent-shaped bay, with fine sand that stretches for miles. It’s also blissfully easy to get to, even for pushchairs and wheelchairs. visitanglesey.co.uk

Porthdinllaen, Snowdonia Only locals are allowed to drive to this perfect little harbour hamlet. But never mind – it’s a lovely short walk along the beach, or through Nefyn’s famously beautiful golf course, to reach it. It’s an idyllic cove and natural harbour, with the added bonus of a cracking pub, the T^y Coch Inn, which has just been voted one of the world’s best beach bars. visitsnowdonia.info

Rhossili, Gower Peninsula Well, we had to mention our cover star, didn’t we? Rhossili’s three-mile (4.8 km) golden sands come with a genuine shipwreck, and if you time the tides right, there’s a fabulous walk out to the promontory known as Worm’s Head. visitswanseabay.com

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Llangrannog, Ceredigion There’s nothing flashy about the village – it’s just a cluster of houses wedged between two headlands, with waves lapping at their toes. The coastal footpath leads you through clouds of wild flowers that are alive with butterflies in summer. discoverceredigion.co.uk

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Abersoch, Snowdonia There’s always a lively family feel to Abersoch, one of our best watersports centres. It’s at its most vibrant during the August Regatta which, apart from all the serious sailing stuff, features raft-racing, crab-catching and sandcastle-building contests. visitsnowdonia.info

Llwy b

s C a st P o

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Main Ynys-hir RSPB Reserve, near Machynlleth

Wild

Opposite clockwise from top left Dolphin-watching off the Ceredigion Coast Wales Coast Path, near Llangrannog Red kite

at heart

The spiky charm of Chris Packham has made him one of Britain’s best-loved naturalists. And he thinks that what Wales really needs is … well, some beavers.

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here are two things you need to understand about the maverick TV presenter Chris Packham. Firstly, he’s a proper hardcore naturalist, with a phenomenal passion for a subject that he knows inside-out. Secondly, he was an original 1970s punk, with the hair and anti-authority attitude to match.

The 52-year-old from Southampton is now the mainstay of TV wildlife programmes, but the teenage punk is never far beneath the surface. He’s famous for nipping song titles of his favourite bands into his drily witty narration: The Smiths, The Clash, and the Manic Street Preachers have all made unexpected cameos.

Packham even managed to slip 51 David Bowie song titles into the 2012 series of BBC Springwatch, just for the ridiculous joy of it.

The series was based at the RSPB reserve at Ynys-hir, where for three years the BBC carried out its biggest and most complex outside broadcast, with a crew of 100 descending on the impossibly pretty Dyfi Estuary in remotest Mid Wales.

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Coast & country Wildlife

How did you enjoy your time at Ynys-hir?

It was fantastic, a real treat. The RSPB reserve itself is beautiful to look at, and it’s got a range of habitats – fresh water, the coastal water, the estuary, the oak woodland, the bog – all in a relatively compact site.

And this brings with it a great diversity of species, which really paid off, because we had some great stories and contributors, both animals and human.

The RSPB and the local people were extraordinarily hospitable, too, so we very much enjoyed our time there.

So it wasn’t your first time down these parts?

Heavens no! I’ve travelled in Wales a tremendous amount. The first time was when I was 15 years old, in the mid-1970s, when I caught the National Express bus and went to Cwmystwyth to spend a couple of weeks in the spring, to see what remained of the red kites. The same summer I went back to Llangrannog to warden some peregrine falcons, which were very endangered at the time.

Both species have bounced back since then, thankfully.

Red kites are incredibly common in Mid Wales now.

Can you overdo the re-introduction thing?

No. But you have to expect change. We’ve lived through a time when kites were very rare, and that had an impact on all the other creatures around them. When you put an animal back into an environment, everything has to rebalance. Kites are largely scavengers, though, and no science has so far proved that their re-introduction has had a negative impact on other birds. Ultimately what’s right is to have as many species that can live in an area, living in it. That’s why re-introduction is overall a good idea because it’s trying to rebuild the proper biodiversity of that region.

What about beavers? In parts of Wales there’s a campaign to bring them back…

Yes! This ought to have happened years ago! Beavers will be great news for Wales on many counts. Firstly, they will have a profoundly positive impact on biodiversity, making it much better for fish, insects, reptiles and birds of many species. Secondly, they’ll be a great draw for tourism, because people like

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RSPB Ynys-hir

BBC’s Springwatch chose Ynys-hir as its base for very good reason: it’s one of the best places in Wales to see birds, bugs and butterflies in a gorgeous setting of oak woodland with wet grassland and saltmarshes. rspb.org.uk

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beavers and will come and see them.

And further, if they do present a problem to any of our human interests, which is unlikely, we have learned over many years how to manage them. So I really hope this progresses quickly and we get these animals back.

Talking of tourism, what can we do as tourists to reduce our impact on the environment?

If you go to Wales, spend money in Wales! Spend money in the local B&Bs, hotels, pubs and restaurants. Try and put as much money back into the local community as possible. So don’t eat in a restaurant where they’re selling food from the Caribbean, go somewhere where you’re eating Welsh lamb and Welsh vegetables. That’s the responsible thing to do. Make it fruitful for the people who actually live and work there.

Sheep farming is not an easy business, so if you go to a pub where they’re selling genuinely locally-sourced food, then that pays dividends for that landscape.

And it’s the landscape which provides the fundamental building blocks of everything that lives on it and in it.

Some environmentalists think we’ve got far too many sheep, don’t they?

Yes, and they’re right, but it’s not specific to Wales. The whole of the UK is a man-modified landscape. The uplands were cleared of trees a long, long time ago. They’ve been drained and the grassland has been improved for the benefit of sheep. Sheep do overgraze, which prevents the natural regeneration of trees. So yes, sheep have an impact.

Equally, for a long time they’ve been a very important part of farming in Wales, and they play a role, too. It’s about trying to balance the benefits and needs of farming, and the benefits of putting the land back as it was.

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So you’d like to see tracts of Wales restored to what it once was: Atlantic rainforest?

Of course, and ‘tracts’ is the right word.

Not all of it. I’m quite happy to support sheep farmers, too. Obviously I’d like them to modify the way they do some things, and I’m happy to pay for them to do that. But tracts of Atlantic rainforest running in from the Welsh coast would be tremendous. Places like Ynys-hir have tiny fragments, and it would be nice to see them a lot more extensive.

What about our other habitats? Should we treasure our bogs as much as our mountains?

Everyone loves mountains, and they do make a more spectacular postcard than the average bog, but to the average naturalist there’s a lot going on in the less attractive landscapes. I remember going out on Tregaron Bog for the first time in the 1970s and being really excited by that great, open, muddy wetland covered in lichens and teeming with birds. It was fantastic, and equally worthy of protection.

Do you, as a naturalist, try and harness the power of being on the telly?

I don’t consider myself a celebrity, I’m just a bloke who talks about wildlife on TV. But there’s a very strong vocational element in everything I do. I want some of my own enthusiasm and passion for the subject to rub off, because I want as many people as possible to look after our landscape. And ultimately that’s why I get up in the morning and do things like Springwatch. I’m trying to say to that audience, look, this is brilliant, it’s in your back yard, have some of it for yourself.

And when you’ve learnt to love it, look after it. That’s my mantra.

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Chris Packham’s Wales

Wales is a very rich and compact area, so it has a tremendous amount to offer in terms of natural history (I’m also keen on history, by the way, so I’ve been to all the castles, too).

My first trips to Wales were on the bus as a teenager, but as soon as I could drive myself, I was away. I remember with great fondness my first trip to Skomer Island off the Pembrokeshire coast, which was just magical. Nearby are Bosherston Lily Ponds which, in summer, is one of the most beautiful places in the UK, without a shadow of a doubt.

One year I spent a summer looking at all the species of orchid I could find, and I went to the Great Orme near Llandudno to look at dark red helleborine, which are very rare.

Newborough Warren on Anglesey is one of my favourite places in the UK. Sand dune systems are few and far between these days, and Newborough is a beautiful place full of fantastic plants and birds.

There’s so much more to explore, though. I’d love to have a couple of months off with my friend [fellow naturalist] Iolo Williams as my guide, so he could take me to all the places I haven’t been. visitpembrokeshire.com visitllandudno.org.uk visitanglesey.co.uk

Clockwise from top left Dyfi Estuary, near Machynlleth Newborough Warren, Anglesey Presenter, Chris Packham Dolphin, Ceredigion coast Otter Bluebell woodland near Aberystwyth Tintern Forest, Wye Valley

Coast & country Days out

Ten wild days out in Wales Soaring red kites, frolicking dolphins and leaping salmon: Wales has just the kind of wildlife that grabs the imagination. And it’s all easy to spot, says Phil Hurst of Wildlife Trusts Wales. wtwales.org Ospreys Ospreys nest from April to late summer on the Cors-dyfi reserve near Machynlleth. Other birds of prey regularly seen include red kite, honey buzzard and marsh and hen harriers. There’s also a herd of water buffalo that help to manage the wetlands. dyfiospreyproject.com

Dolphins Although dolphins can be regularly seen from the shore, the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre organises boat trips from April onwards. cbmwc.org

Otters Visitors often report seeing otters at the lovely Gilfach Farm reserve near Rhayader. The best time to visit is October to December when otters come to the waterfalls to chase the leaping salmon. rwtwales.org

Seabirds that have migrated 50,000 miles With well over 1,000 nesting pairs of sandwich terns, Cemlyn on Anglesey is an internationally important site for seabirds. The arctic tern, which also nests here, migrates up to 50,000 miles (80,467 km) every year between the Arctic and Antarctic. northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk

A festival of butterflies Over 30 species of butterfly can be found in the dramatic former quarry of Llanymynech, smack bang on the border between Wales and England. Fortunately the local wildflife trust have produced a guide, so you can tell your Grizzled Skipper from your White Letter Hairstreak. shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk

Magical bluebell woods Fields of orchids Situated above the beautiful Wye Valley, the Pentywn Farm reserve provides commanding views. Early summer sees thousands of greenwinged orchids in spectacular wildflower meadows. gwentwildlife.org

Carpets of bluebells cover the ancient woodlands in many parts of Wales, but few reach the dazzling heights of Coed y Felin, just outside Mold in Flintshire. Down south try the Coed Dyrysiog reserve just outside Brecon. northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk, brecknockwildlifetrust.org.uk

Red kites Once on the edge of extinction, there are now an estimated 1,000 breeding pairs of red kites in Wales. Feeding stations where visitors can experience these magnificent birds close up include Gigrin Farm and the Red Kite Feeding Centre in the west of the Brecon Beacons National Park. gigrin.co.uk, redkiteswales.com

Puffins There are an estimated 16,000 puffins and 300,000 Manx shearwaters on the worldrenowned Skomer and Skokholm islands, which are also home to large numbers of grey seals.

Boats run daily from March to December. welshwildlife.org

Autumn leaf splendour For autumnal blazes of colour, the valleys of South East Wales rival the forests of New England. The Silent Valley reserve near Ebbw Vale is a perfect example, while the Pwll-y-Wrach reserve near Talgarth has spectacular autumn colours in ancient woodland running down to plunging waterfalls along the River Enig. gwentwildlife.org, brecknockwildlifetrust.org.uk

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There are far too many lovely gardens and environmental projects to squeeze into this postage stamp of magazine space. But here are some selected highlights.

Everything’s

Dyffryn Gardens, Vale of Glamorgan Imagine a 55-acre house made of plants and flowers. Landscape artist Thomas Mawson created the gardens at Dyffryn as a collection of rooms in the shadow of a grand Victorian mansion house made of more traditional building material. nationaltrust.org.uk/dyffryn-gardens

Pool Garden, Lower and Upper Walled Gardens and Ninfarium – an exotic glass-roofed atrium with orchids, palms and magnolias – inspired by the gardens of Ninfa, south of Rome. aberglasney.org

National Botanic Garden of Wales, Carmarthenshire As if building the biggest, striking single span glasshouse in the world wasn’t enough, the old grounds of 17thcentury Middleton Hall is a great place to discover flora and fauna from all over the world. Behind the scenes there are a whole host of environmental projects going on too. gardenofwales.org.uk Aberglasney House and Gardens, Carmarthenshire The origins of this magnificent Queen Anne style house date back to medieval times. A major restoration project includes an Elizabethan Cloister Garden, 18

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Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion Built by John Nash (architect of Buckingham Palace), the walled kitchen garden of this minor gentry estate functions as it did 200 years ago – providing abundant organic fruit, vegetables and herbs, which you can buy in the shop at the house. nationaltrust.org.uk/llanerchaeron Brondanw, Snowdonia Sir Clough Williams-Ellis is renowned for creating the remarkable village of nearby Portmeirion, which features wonderful exotic woodland well worth visiting.

The gardens of Brondanw are less wellknown, but were another of Clough’s lifetime projects that create a unique atmosphere with creative use of the natural landscape. brondanw.org

Plas Tan y Bwlch, Snowdonia Its less catchy name is The Snowdonia National Park Environmental Studies Centre. This splendid country house, which was lit by electricity from its own hydro-electric source as far back as the 1890s, benefits from striking Victorian gardens featuring sloping lawns, large conifers and bursts of colour from rhododendron and azalea. There are semi-wild woodland areas featuring native flora and fauna intermingled with exotic imports from further afield. eryri-npa.gov.uk/study-centre/gardens Veddw House, Monmouthshire Described as a modern romantic garden, Veddw is the imaginative brainchild of writer Anne Wareham and photographer Charles Hawes. It has won acclaim (Most Original Garden 2012 in Readers Digest magazine) and has courted controversy.

It almost demands a visit so you can make your own mind up about its innovative, environmentally-sympathetic approach. veddw.com

Coast & country Gardens

Gone Green Centre for Alternative Technology, Powys Imagine a one-stop resource of information and demonstration regarding sustainable living.

Now stop imagining, because CAT covers the lot, including several gardens offering inspirational ideas on how you can maintain your own flourishing patch of greenery. cat.org.uk

Bodnant Garden, Conwy Like a giant horticultural stamp collection, a diverse range of seeds and cuttings from all over the world were collected over a century ago to create the gardens of Bodnant. There are formal terraces with views over the Conwy Valley, the river Hiraethlyn runs through the Dell, while the changing seasons offer dramatic varieties of colour in the shrub borders. nationaltrust.org.uk/bodnant-garden Erddig Hall, Wrexham An impressive country house set in over a thousand acres of land, the huge 18th-century walled garden features rare fruit trees, the symmetry of a Victorian parterre and one of the longest herbaceous borders in Britain. Visitors can also book guided environmental learning sessions. nationaltrust.org.uk/erddig/ visitwales.com

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A tale of two cities Our two biggest cities are going places. Swansea and Cardiff now have football teams in the Premiership for the first time in history, so we asked international wheelchair athlete and television presenter Liam Holt to pay a visit and see how both cities line up.

Swansea

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t’s a chicken-and-egg situation. I can’t work out if the style of football Swansea City play – confident, stylish, laid-back – comes from the city itself, or if it works the other way: if some of that footballing panache is rubbing off on the city.

Either way, there’s a definite buzz about the place, which we feel the moment we set foot outside the Swansea Marriott, a waterfront hotel which is perfectly placed for exploring the city’s main attractions.

We start with a history lesson at the National Waterfront Museum, which tells the story of industry and innovation in Wales, now and over the last 300 years.

It’s a very interactive place, with a perfect combination of original artifacts and touch-screen computer displays, which allow people to explore deeper into the exhibits. It’s particularly great for kids, as they can work in a technological environment that appeals to them.

After all that science, we’re in the mood for some art, so we head to the nearby Mission Gallery, which crams a huge amount of creative power into a relatively small space.

The same could be said of Pierre Donahue, a local singer-songwriter who plays percussion for The Dukes Box,

an extraordinary – wait for it – human It’s not just a sports centre, either jukebox. Basically they’ve taken a tiny – there’s a good café, which adds a vintage caravan, sawn off the front and social aspect and opens the beach up replaced it with a Perspex sheet and to everyone from dog walkers to kite jukebox-style buttons. People push a flyers. It’s also worth mentioning the pound into the slot, choose their song, accessibility, too: the beach is normally and the live band play it! the ‘natural enemy’ of the wheelchair The Dukes Box has played festivals all but 360 conquers this with multiple over Europe, and now Pierre has founded accessible toilets and changing rooms, his own left-field event in Swansea, an and it’s the first beachfront venue in alternative Dylan Thomas celebration Wales to have a Changing Places facility called the Do Not Go Gentle festival.

– hoists, changing tables, etc – for those ‘It’s a celebration of the legendary Welsh who need extra support. poet in his home suburb of the Uplands, Sitting at a beach café, right next to Swansea,’ explains Pierre. ‘We aim to be the sand, watching people kayaking and a festival Dylan might have liked, and yes playing beach volleyball – it’s not quite that involves beer, but it also involves how I imagined Swansea to be. But I like cosy and atmospheric venues, great acts it, a lot. and the people of Swansea who first inspired him to write all those years ago.’ marriott.co.uk Right, that’s culture and science ticked, museumwales.ac.uk/en/swansea so now I’m off to get physical. Swansea missiongallery.co.uk is mad about sport, whether it’s regional thedukesbox.com rugby and football at the Liberty Stadium, donotgogentlefestival.com county cricket at St Helen’s, or surfing 360swansea.co.uk on the Gower Peninsula. If you’re an outdoors person and into watersport Clockwise from top left then you have to visit 360, a new 360 Beach and Watersports multisport activity centre that provides Dylan Thomas’s ‘Captain Cat’, Swansea marina beach and watersports all year round, no Mission Gallery matter the weather, just along the beach National Waterfront Museum from the city centre.

Mission Gallery

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Cities & towns A tale of two cities

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Eating out in Swansea

Perhaps more than any other Welsh city, Swansea cares about its food (it boasts the biggest and best covered market in Wales) and this is reflected in lots of deliciously independent-minded places to eat.

Truffle Restaurant (truffle-swansea.co.uk) feels a bit like going to a house party, thanks to its ‘bring your own booze’ policy and utter lack of airs and graces. The staff and customers enjoy a bit of banter (I was made fun of for not ordering a more manly starter!), it’s great value and the desserts were awesome.

I liked Mosaic (mosaicswansea.com) even more: a quirky modern restaurant which in terms of independent businesses just gets it, from the decor to the menu (the names alone

are hilarious!). During the day it’s a laid-back lounge, but in the evening they transform the place into a lively tapas restaurant, with projections on the walls and live music on a raised stage above the bar.

The food at the Grape & Olive (swansea. grapeandolive.co.uk) isn’t as innovative, but given its location – the top floor of Wales’s tallest building – it’s worth a visit just for the amazing views.

Finally, you can’t visit Swansea without a trip to local institution.

Joe’s Ice Cream Parlour (joes-icecream.com) founded in 1922 by the son of Italian immigrants.

Joe Cascarini introduced the family’s secret icecream recipe to the city and it has never left.

Quite simply it’s the most amazing ice cream I have EVER had!

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Clockwise from left Cardiff Castle Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay Millennium Stadium Royal Arcade

Cardiff

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thought I knew Cardiff pretty well.

I moved here nine years ago, and I definitely consider it to be my home. In true fashion though, when a city becomes your home you kind of take it for granted.

You don’t really explore what it has to offer – it’s just there! So it was fascinating to spend a weekend in Cardiff as a tourist again and re-discover just how great it is.

All the icons are correct and present: the castle, the Millennium Stadium which dominates the central skyline, the neoclassical Civic Centre, the shiny new shopping malls.

Since I’m being a tourist, I start at the top of most visitors’ list: Cardiff Castle.

With over 2,000 years of history, it’s an incredible mash-up of all the major historical events that have shaped Cardiff, from Roman times, through Norman conquest, to the fabulous wealth that coal brought here.

The 3rd Marquess of Bute was the biggest influence on how the castle looks today. Bute hired the flamboyant (and expensive) designer William Burges to work with him in the design of his living quarters, which reflect their fascination with all things medieval. With Burges’s vision and Bute’s money, there were no limits to their sumptuous designs.

It’s the little details that you remember, though: I particularly liked the little

statues of monkeys reading books, which were apparently Bute’s way of mocking Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Cardiff itself continues to evolve. The weekend’s highlight for me was exploring the independent businesses that are flourishing in the old arcades which intertwined with the more commercial shops. The eclectic shops within each arcade have a real charm about them, from local skate shop City Surf to Spillers Records (opened in 1894 – the oldest record shop in the world). I even took the opportunity to do some research for my wedding in Hubbard’s Cupboard in Castle Arcade, which was a bit of a dangerous move with my fiancée with me!

And Cardiff isn’t just about the city centre any more: the individual boroughs are emerging strongly and making names for themselves – places like Cathays, Roath, Canton and Pontcanna offer their own high streets by day and an alternative night out for people looking for something a bit different.

A good example of this new generation of pioneers is Simon Thomas, who owns a record shop called Catapult in the Duke Street Arcade. But it’s more than that. It’s also a record label, and a clothing brand.

His latest business is a pop-up restaurant called Chuck’s, which shone brightly last summer in an old disused dairy.

Simon, like many of the bright young

independents in Cardiff, is on a mission: to inspire. ‘I’m not in it for the money,’ he laughs. ‘I do it because I want to. I started Chuck’s simply because it was the kind of place I wanted to eat. But at the same time a business like mine gives the chance to develop the careers of other Cardiff locals, whether they’re musicians on the label or chefs in the kitchen.

‘I’m not against commercial businesses,’ says Simon. ‘I just want people to have the choice of where they eat and shop – a quality, credible alternative to the mainstream.’

Back at the hotel, I’m thoroughly enjoying my tourist trip to my home town. We’re staying at the Park Plaza, a relaxed hotel right in the city centre, with its own spa and health club. After a couple of hours in the steam room and the unique stainless steel pool, I feel like a new man. At least, after the deep tissue massage, I feel like I’ve got a new pair of shoulders. More than that, I’ve seen my adopted home city in a whole new light.

And it feels really, really good.

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millenniumstadium.com cardiffcastle.com citysurfshops.co.uk spillersrecords.co.uk hubbardscupboardonline.co.uk catapult.co.uk parkplazacardiff.com

Cities & towns Access all areas

Access all areas Above Jamie’s Italian

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Eating out in Cardiff

Cardiff has all the big-name chains like Jamie’s and Carluccio’s, as well as a great selection of home-grown independents. Milgi Lounge (milgilounge.com) is a perfect example: a vegetarian restaurant on City Road, a mile or so out of town. It has a real community feel, with locally sourced food and a clientele of all different ages and styles, so no one seems out of place. Their cocktails are amazing, especially the Milgi Mojito, made with elderflower and lychee. It’s not just a restaurant, either: they hold live music and storytelling evenings in the yurt in the rear garden, and art exhibitions and markets in the lane and garages behind.

Mint & Mustard (mintandmustard.com) has a fantastic reputation locally for its South Indian cuisine, and now I’ve been there I can see why! You don’t just go there to eat; you go there for the complete dining experience.

La Cuina (lacuina.co.uk) is a family-run Catalan place that’s a deli by day and a restaurant by night. It’s relatively new but already a hotspot with local foodies (it was packed when we visited). Then there’s Torre Coffee, another family business run by an Italian-Romanian husband and wife team. The cakes are amazing, and they’re especially welcoming for families – and it’s right opposite Cardiff Castle.

For more information on Swansea and Cardiff visit: visitswanseabay.com and visitcardiff.com

Think that a country known for its coastline and castles might be off limits for wheelchair users?

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’m pretty easy going when it comes to things like this. I always approach accessibility with a ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’ attitude.

Over two weekends spent in Swansea and Cardiff I was treated just as any visitor would be – and that’s how I like it. I didn’t encounter any obstacles in terms of wheelchair access. Both hotels had rooms with plenty of wheeling space and the bathrooms had all the necessary equipment.

Staff at all the restaurants were really accommodating by allocating a table that was easy to get to and making sure a chair was removed to enable me to roll straight in!

I was particularly impressed with Cardiff Castle. It’s a Grade I listed building with its origins dating back to Roman times. You don’t really expect to be able to access all areas of the castle, but if there’s a heritage building demonstrating just what can be achieved with a sincere commitment to accessibility, then Cardiff Castle is it. There were lifts installed to allow wheelchair access not only to the castle tunnels but also to the main rooms of the mansion!

360 Beach & Watersports in Swansea offers genuinely innovative levels of disabled access. Suddenly you’ve got none of the usual worries: ‘How am I going to get changed?’ or ‘How am I going to go to the toilet?’ Using a beach wheelchair eliminates further issues by enabling easy access across the sand and into the sea. It’s great to see a visitor attraction offering such levels of inclusivity.

If you’re looking to plan a visit to Wales and you need sound advice regarding accessibility matters: visitwales.com/explore/accessible-wales Above TV presenter Liam Holt 360 Beach and Watersports, Swansea

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48

hours

Where to go, what to do and how to do it

Swansea S

wansea regularly tops ‘student satisfaction’ surveys of university towns, and it’s easy to see why students love it here. The whole city hugs the vast crescent of Swansea Bay, giving a chilledout seaside vibe to the city by day, and one of good-natured indulgence by night, notably in the bars and clubs of Wind Street and Kingsway.

So where to start? The new SA1 area is as good a place as any, a smart waterfront development, crowned with Wales’s tallest building, that has transformed a post-War eyesore that led Dylan Thomas to describe his birthplace as a ‘lovely, ugly town’.

Swansea has changed a lot since Dylan lived here, and the city centre has been thoroughly modernised, undoing the damage done by wartime bombing and, worse, hasty post-War rebuilding. But he’d still recognise several local landmarks: the castle, museum (swanseamuseum.co.uk), the excellent covered market (swanseaindoormarket. co.uk) and, of course, the house in which he was born (5cwmdonkindrive.com).

He might also be flattered to discover that the old Guildhall is now the Dylan Thomas Centre (dylanthomas.com).

Hopefully he’d approve of some of the newcomers, too, like the exotic indoor rainforest that blossoms beneath the striking pyramid hot-house of Plantasia (plantasia.org), the hi-tech LC waterpark

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(thelcswansea.com), and the National Waterfront Museum (museumwales.ac.uk en/swansea), which tells the story of our industrial and sea-faring past as well as our technological future.

Swansea is a coastal gateway to an unspoilt area of wild coastal countryside to rival any other. Head west through the chichi village of Mumbles, with its boutiques and restaurants, and you soon arrive on the Gower Peninsula (visitswanseabay.com/gower), the first place in Britain designated an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1949.

It’s got some truly wonderful beaches, including Three Cliffs Bay and the huge expanse of Rhossili (see cover photo), which are both regular fixtures in lists of the most scenic sights in Britain.

The eastern rim of Swansea Bay is worth a visit, too. Margam Country Park (margamcountrypark.co.uk) has a grand castle, 18th-century Orangery, ornamental gardens, deer park and Go Ape high-wire forest adventure, all set within 1,000 acres of stunning countryside.

Swansea is also the starting point of the Heart of Wales railway line (heartof-wales.co.uk), which potters through our farming heartland before plunging through mountain tunnels on its picturesque journey to Shrewsbury.

Swansea visitswanseabay.com

Cities & towns 48 Hours

Opposite page from top Mumbles, gateway to the Gower Peninsula Swansea vs Manchester Utd, Liberty Stadium, Swansea Swansea indoor market Walking on Rhossili Down, Gower Peninsula This page from top Bute Park, Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Cardiff Bay’s busy waterfront Doctor Who Experience, Cardiff Bay

Cardiff O

kay, you have 48 hours to explore our capital city. So let’s go… shopping. Cardiff’s one of the best retail cities in the UK, thanks to the mighty St David’s centre (stdavidscardiff.com), part of a £700m transformation of the city centre. It has more than 160 stores – including John Lewis – restaurants and cafés, all set snugly in the compact heart of the city. There are also seven historic shopping arcades (visitcardiff.com) and Cardiff Market (cardiff-market.co.uk), a proper old-style glass-roofed jobbie.

There are museums and galleries galore in the city centre. The National Museum Cardiff (museumwales.ac.uk /en/cardiff) tells four and a half million years of Welsh history and also houses one of the finest art collections in Europe. Just outside the city is St Fagans: National History Museum (museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans), a fantastic open-air museum and deservedly one of the most popular visitor attractions in Wales.

The city has more than 2,000 acres of parkland, making it the greenest capital city in Europe. Bute Park (cardiff.gov.uk) is a stunning stretch of greenery that reaches right down into the heart of the city, where it bumps into the ‘Animal Wall’ of sculptures next to Cardiff Castle (cardiffcastle.com).

Cardiff bursts with music and drama too, from venues like St David’s Hall (stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk), Motorpoint

Cardiff

Arena (livenation.co.uk) and the Wales Millennium Centre (wmc.org.uk) to intimate spaces like Chapter Arts Centre (chapter.org) – which also has an excellent café and bar – and Clwb Ifor Bach (clwb.net). There are countless places to relax with good food and drink.

Thanks to the docks of Tiger Bay, this was Britain’s first multi-cultural city, which is reflected in the food: pretty much all cultures are represented, from Brazil to Bengal, along with the best locallysourced Welsh produce.

This is a city that parties every weekend. The clubs of St Mary Street and Greyfriars Road are the epicentre of the action, but you don’t have to look far to find an authentic Welsh pub selling Brain’s beer, like the legendary City Arms (thecityarms.com), or a laid-back bar like 10 Feet Tall (10feettallcardiff.com) which has a great cocktail menu and a DJ crafting a nice groove.

As you’re making a weekend of it, you’ll have time for a little exploration.

Cardiff Bay (visitcardiffbay.info) offers striking architecture to explore – both old and new – as well as plenty of places to eat and drink, plus attractions like the science museum Techniquest (techniquest.org), Dr Who Experience (doctorwhoexperience.com) and the superb Cardiff International White Water (ciww.com).

visitcardiff.com visitwales.com

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Market leaders Away from the big cities and coastal resorts, rural Wales has plenty of fabulous market towns. Like this magnificent seven, for instance…

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Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

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Llandrindod Wells, Powys

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This is a proper market town – three a week, no less – and a fabulous place to poke around home-grown shops and galleries. It’s the gastronomic capital of Wales, too, with Britain’s best food and drink festival held every September.

You can burn off the calories by walking one of the seven hills that enfold the town. visitwyevalley.com, abergavennyfoodfestival.com Where to stay: The Angel Hotel is the kind of coaching inn that every town wishes it had, and its sister restaurant, The Walnut Tree, is the most celebrated in Wales with two adjoining self-catering cottages. angelabergavenny.com, thewalnuttreeinn.com

The Victorians flocked to ‘Llandod’ for its healing spring waters, and its mid-point location still makes it a popular conference town. This means it’s got plenty of things to amuse all year round (including a weekly market) but it really shines during the annual Victorian Festival in August. midwalesmywales.com Where to stay: The Metropole is the biggest of dozens of options in a town geared up for visitors. metropole.co.uk

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Cities & towns Market leaders

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Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire

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Machynlleth, Powys

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Llanrwst, Conwy

The ‘cool capital of Carmarthenshire’, as the London press call it, sits prettily on a hill overlooking one of the loveliest valleys in Wales. There are plenty of boutiques and cafés to graze, and it’s a short walk through a wooded nature reserve to Dinefwr Castle, an ancient royal capital. There are also excellent music, jazz and literary festivals. discovercarmarthenshire.com Where to stay: The Cawdor is the beating heart of the town’s social scene, while Fronlas is the chicest of B&Bs. thecawdor.com, fronlas.com

There’s a lovely vibe to Mach, a handsome market town – the street market is every Wednesday – where local farmers rub shoulders with off-beat hippie influences.

There’s a very good modern art gallery, MOMA, and the nearby Centre for Alternative Technology is a gem. midwalesmyway.com, momawales.org.uk, cat.org.uk Where to stay: The Wynnstay Hotel has a lovely heart-of-the-community feel, and fabulous Ynyshir Hall is a short drive away. wynnstay-hotel.com, ynyshirhall.co.uk

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In 1947 Llanrwst declared itself an independent state and applied (only halfjokingly) for a seat at the United Nations.

It’s still a wonderfully free-spirited market town, at the heart of the Conwy Valley, perfectly positioned for Snowdonia’s coast and mountains. visitsnowdonia.info Where to stay: Plas Maenan, the ‘mansion on a rock’ is a lovely country house with brilliant views of the valley below. plas-maenan-hotel.co.uk

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Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan

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Ruthin, Denbighshire

The Cardiff posh commute from here, the Vale of Glamorgan’s most glamorous address.

Even for all the boutiques, galleries and cafés, Cowbridge remains the heart of the Vale’s farming community, so it still has lots of good honest muck on its wellies. Best of both worlds, really. visitthevale.com Where to stay: The Bear coaching inn can trace its origins back to the 12th century, and is still doing a roaring trade. bearhotel.com

It bills itself as ‘the most charming small town in Wales’, and we’re not arguing. There’s an excellent craft centre, and even the old gaol, which closed in 1976, now offers a warm welcome to its fascinating museum. All in all, the perfect base for exploring the Clwydian hills. northeastwales.co.uk Where to stay: Manorhaus is a boutique restaurant-with-rooms that doubles as an art gallery, while the town’s castle is now a sumptuous spa hotel. manorhaus.com, ruthincastle.co.uk

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Events Diary From beer festivals to major sporting events, cultural celebrations to feasts of food, there’s plenty to keep you occupied in Wales this year. As you can plainly see, we’re not shy of hosting a party.

2014 is the centenary celebration of the birth of Dylan Thomas, the highly influential literary figure of the late 20th century. The Senior Open golf championship is hosted in Wales for the first time at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, following in the groundbreaking footsteps of The 2010 Ryder Cup. Along with literary festivals, numerous music celebrations and, of course, bog-snorkelling championships, why not plan your visit to Wales in conjunction with one of these world-renowned events?

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Events Diary 2014

11th January Saturnalia Beer Festival & Chariot Race, Llanwrtyd Wells Saturnalia was the major midwinter Roman festival. In this version, participants are encouraged to wear Roman dress, eat Roman food, quaff fine ales and party with friends. You can even compete in the World Mountain Bike Chariot Racing Championship. green-events.co.uk

4th – 14th February Quiltfest, Llangollen Anything and everything to do with quilt making: exhibitions, competition, demonstrations and workshops. quiltfest.org.uk

February Classic FM Live in Wales Cardiff Held at the Wales Millennium Centre, Classic FM Live combines the very best international performers with the very best talents in Wales, making classical music accessible to a wide audience. classicfm.com

1st March St David’s Day Parade To celebrate our patron saint’s day, parades and events take place all over Wales. In bigger towns and cities look out for food festivals, concerts and street parties. stdavidsday.org

1st February Wales v Italy, Cardiff The Millennium Stadium hosts the first rugby union international of the Six Nations Championship. As defending champions, Wales take on Italy. millenniumstadium.com

6th – 11th February Abertawe Festival for Young Musicians, Swansea An annual musical event featuring competitive piano, strings, woodwind and ensemble sections. afymswansea.co.uk

1st – 9th March Crickhowell Walking Festival Crickhowell Guided walks of various grades, all led by local experienced guides plus a range of supporting events. crickhowellfestival.com

2nd March The Island Race, Anglesey The Anglesey Half Marathon takes runners across the world famous Menai Bridge and follows the coast road to Beaumaris Castle and back. theislandrace.com 15th March Wales v Scotland, Cardiff The final day of the Six Nations rugby union championship, and the most eagerly awaited fixture of the year at the Millennium Stadium. millenniumstadium.com

Starts on 21st March Wales One World Film Festival Cardiff & Aberystwyth One World explores the edges of contemporary global cinema and gives audiences the chance to celebrate world cinema in all its richness and diversity. wowfilmfestival.com Opposite page clockwise from top left The Porthcawl Elvis Festival Llangollen International Eisteddfod Wales v Italy rugby international, Cardiff St David’s Hall, Cardiff Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells British Speedway Grand Prix, Cardiff Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye This page from left Menai Bridge, Isle of Anglesey Musician, Cardiff Castle St David’s Day Parade

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11th – 13th April RHS Flower Show, Cardiff Held in Bute Park against the backdrop of Cardiff Castle, the show provides an inspirational display of vibrant gardening, floral delights and expert advice. rhs.org.uk

Dylan Thomas This year Wales celebrates the centenary of the birth of Dylan Thomas, born on 27th October 1914 at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, in the Uplands area of Swansea.

He grew up in the city, but paid regular summer visits to his aunt’s farm in Carmarthenshire, whose rural setting inspired much of his work.

Thomas left school at 16 to become a reporter for the local newspaper, and became a regular at local pubs and coffee shops, where he mixed with a group of writers, musicians and artists that became known as The Kardomah Gang.

In 1936 he met a dancer called Caitlin Macnamara in a London pub, and drunkenly proposed to her on the spot.

They married in 1937, and a year later the couple moved to Laugharne, where they raised three children. He died on 9th November 1953 in New York, after a prolonged drinking session. His body was returned to Wales where he was buried in the churchyard in Laugharne.

Thomas is remembered as one of the most innovative poets of the English language. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio – notably the classic ‘play for voices’, Under Milk Wood.

April – September The Dylan Weekends Three weekends to celebrate Dylan Thomas’s life and work, themed to echo Dylan’s favourite art forms: just the kind of events Dylan himself would have enjoyed:

26th – 27th April Wonderwool Wales, Builth Wells A fun and fibre-packed weekend that includes displays, workshops and demonstrations. wonderwoolwales.co.uk

11th – 13th April Poetry and Biography curated by Patti Smith and Simon Armitage 19th – 21st September Comedy and Radio curated by Robin Ince and Simon Maconie 26th – 28th September Music and Film curated by Richard James and Euros Child thelaugharneweekend.com dylanthomas100.org

Above RHS Flower Show, Cardiff Wonderwool Wales, Builth Wells

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Events Diary 2014

2nd – 4th May Machynlleth Comedy Festival Machynlleth An annual live comedy festival brings top comics to this lovely Mid Wales town. machcomedyfest.co.uk 2nd – 5th May Bro Tregaron Walking Weekend Tregaron Walking Club invites walkers of all ages and abilities to join them on guided walks in the unspoilt and stunning Cambrian Mountains. walktregaron.co.uk

3rd – 5th May Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza Llandudno This seaside resort returns to its Victorian roots in an event packed full of steam engines, Victorian musical organs, vintage cars, costumes, curiosities and side shows. victorian-extravaganza.com 16th – 18th May Prestatyn & Clwydian Range Walking Festival, Prestatyn Three days of walking and fun at this 9th annual festival offering 25 themed walks ranging from easy to energetic. prestatynwalkingfestival.co.uk

17th – 18th May Welsh Three Peaks Challenge Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons A unique opportunity to climb three of the most iconic mountains in Wales – Pen y Fan, Cadair Idris and Snowdon. snowdon500.co.uk 17th – 18th May Snowdonia Slateman Triathlon Llanberis A triathlon to remember! Held over two days, the two race options are the Full Slateman (1000m/51km/11km) or the Slateman Sprint (400m/20km/6km). snowdoniaslateman.com

22nd – 29th May Beaumaris Arts Festival, Anglesey This seaside town is the perfect setting for a week-long arts festival.

Events include classical music and jazz performances, talks, theatrical events, poetry reading and art exhibitions. beaumarisfestival.com

22nd May – 1st June Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye Former US President Bill Clinton called Hay ‘ the Woodstock of the mind’, which just about sums up this incredible gathering of the world’s greatest writers and thinkers. There are 900+ events over the ten days, featuring poets and scientists, lyricists and comedians, novelists and environmentalists, politicians and philosophers, actors and astronauts, historians and economists – all coming together to kick around big ideas that will transform your way of thinking. Unmissable. hayfestival.com

23rd – 25th May Aberystwyth Cycle Festival With some of Britain’s top cyclists making a rare appearance in Mid Wales, festival visitors can watch all the action and experience the beautiful and undiscovered lanes of Ceredigion on their own bikes. abercyclefest.com

From left Beaumaris, Isle of Anglesey Welsh Three Peaks Challenge, Brecon Beacons Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye

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24th May Heineken Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Four Heineken Cup finals have been played to date at this world-class stadium. The 2014 finals will see the creation of a European Champions Village, providing a focal point for fans to savour the unique atmosphere of this major European rugby tournament.

You can make a proper weekend of it by showing up for the Amlin Challenge Cup Final, held the day before at the historic Cardiff Arms Park. ercrugby.com

25th – 26th May Abergavenny Steam & Vintage Rally Bailey Park, Abergavenny A marvellous day out for the whole family with steam and vintage vehicles, a children’s playground, a food village, rural crafts and handicrafts. abergavennysteamrally.co.uk

24th – 25th May Really Wild Food & Countryside Festival, St David's A fabulous showcase of locally grown and produced food, with wild ingredients foraged from the hedgerows, coast, beach and river. Loads to see and do, AND to eat of course! reallywildfestival.co.uk

30th May – 1st June Woodfest, Wales, Kinmel Estate near St Asaph This interactive celebration of woodrelated skills and crafts is packed with exhilarating displays including more than 150 outside stands of demonstrations and trade, and six marquees full of unique goods produced in Wales. woodfestwales.co.uk

25th May Welsh Open Stoneskimming Championships, Llanwrtyd Wells Stoneskimming is the ancient skill of bouncing stones as far as possible across water. You can enter the fray or just enjoy other amusing stone-themed events. green-events.co.uk

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26th – 31st May Urdd Eisteddfod, Bala One of the largest cultural youth festivals in Europe, celebrating the best talent in song, dance, drama and design. urdd.org/eisteddfod

June Ruthin Festival, Ruthin An outstanding variety of non-stop music, from traditional folk to classical, as well as the best from the world of jazz and popular music. ruthinfestival.co.uk

4th – 7th June Three Castles Welsh Classic Trial Llandudno Attracting more than 300 classic cars from the early 1900s through to today’s supercars. Stalls, children’s entertainments, refreshments and live jazz. three-castles.co.uk 7th June Big Welsh Trail, Coed Llandegla A half marathon and 6.3 mile (10 km) route will take in awe inspiring trails through the 650 hectares of this beautiful forest. bigwelshtrail.com

13th – 29th June Gregynog Festival, Gregynog Known as the oldest festival in Wales the Gregynog festival is one of the UK’s top rated classical musical events. Held in the beautiful surroundings of the Welsh borders, this festival has a different theme every year spanning a range of music from medieval to chamber, performed by fantastic artists, on authentic instruments. gregynogfestival.org

From left Heineken Cup, Millennium Stadium Foraging in Wales Woodfest, Kinmel Estate, near St Asaph

Events Diary 2014

14th June Man v Horse Marathon Llanwrtyd Wells A unique marathon of 22 miles (35 km) through spectacular countryside where runners and horses compete against each other. A runner has won just twice in the event’s 33-year history. green-events.co.uk

28th June Drovers’ Walk, Llanwrtyd Wells Follow in the footsteps of the drovers who herded their sheep, cattle, pigs and geese across the mountains of Wales to the market towns of England. There’s a choice of walks, all through beautiful countryside. green-events.co.uk

14th – 15th June Snowdonia Arts Festival Betws-y-Coed A celebration of the area’s artistic heritage through workshops and competitions. snowdoniaartsfestival.org.uk

28th June – 6th July Pembrokeshire Fish Week This whopper of a festival has more than 250 events celebrating the county’s great seafood and beautiful coastline. Learn to fly-fish, go crab-catching, tuck into the freshest seafood, get digging in a sandcastle challenge, and much more. pembrokeshirefishweek.co.uk

4th – 6th July Wakestock, Abersoch Europe’s largest wakeboard music festival with free-to-watch wakeboarding by day and music by night. wakestock.co.uk

15th June Etape Eryri, Caernarfon A cycling event not to miss. The route could not be more spectacular, exploring the most breathtaking and scenic roads in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park. etapeeryri.com

July – August Cardiff Festival The capital comes alive for a month of street theatre, live music, comedy, drama and funfairs. It’s all part of the UK’s largest free outdoor festival. cardiff-festival.com

4th – 6th July The Celebrity Cup at Golf Live Celtic Manor, Newport The Celebrity Cup sees celebrities battle it out over two days representing England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, while Golf Live offers an unrivalled range of interactive theatres, where visitors can see the world’s greatest golfers show their talent, pick up on top tips from industry experts and try out the latest equipment. golfliveevent.com

20th – 22nd June Dinefwr Literature Festival Dinefwr Park More than 100 events featuring authors, poets, musicians, artists, actors and comedians. dinefwrliteraturefestival.co.uk

4th – 6th July Beyond the Border, Wales International Storytelling Festival St Donat’s Castle, St Donat’s In the gardens of a fairytale castle by the sea, a magnificent celebration of stories and music from Wales and the World. beyondtheborder.com

From left Man vs Horse Marathon, Llanwrtyd Wells Wakestock, Abersoch Entertainers Ant and Dec, 2013 Celebrity Cup

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Open season Seniors golf is entering a golden age, with many of the greatest golfers in modern golfing history doing battle all over again. What better time to bring the Senior Open Championship to Wales?

24th – 27th July The Senior Open Championship Royal Porthcawl Golf Club It wasn’t that long ago Wales was voted Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year. Now it follows up the success of The 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor Resort by hosting its first Major Golf Championship at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club. The secret is well and truly out now.

The Senior Open Championship takes place between 24th – 27th July and brings some of the world’s greatest golfers of the past 50 years to one of the finest links courses in the world.

Take Bernhard Langer, Germany’s greatest golfer, with two Masters victories to his name and 11 Ryder Cup appearances, including a victorious captaincy in 2004.

He’s still quite handy, having won the Senior Open Championship and its US equivalent in 2010.

'Royal Porthcawl is certainly a wonderful venue and worthy of a Major Championship. I played there many years ago and remember it as a beautiful site and wonderful golf course. I am sure

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the course will be just as challenging and in great shape for us in July.’

English golfer Roger Chapman, winner of the US Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open Champion in 2012, echoes Langer’s endorsement.

‘There are many great courses in Wales and I’ve been fortunate enough to play a number of them – Royal Porthcawl, Conwy, Royal St David’s to name but three – during my professional career.

‘I remember playing in the Amateur Championship won by Duncan Evans at Royal Porthcawl in 1980 and thinking then what a great track it was. I’ve played it many times since and there are some fantastic, challenging holes. You really have to earn your corn there!’

Royal Porthcawl is situated within less than hour’s drive from both Cardiff and Swansea. It’s the perfect venue for championship golf. Past winners of the Senior Open include Gary Player, Tom Watson and Bob Charles. Big name players who will be eligible to join the field in 2014 include Davis Love III, Colin Montgomerie and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Royal Porthcawl will ensure a challenging

Senior Open debut for all Major champions, Ryder Cup heroes and record European Tour winners. The club has a colourful history dating back to 1891 and combines a great respect for the democratic traditions of the game with a refreshing openness towards visiting golfers.

This pretty much echoes the way golf is played in Wales. From courses notched into the sides of mountains to parkland gems; from championship tracks to community-maintained clubs, where you leave your green fees in an honesty box.

Golf in Wales is unstuffy, unhurried and full of pleasant surprises. Like the saying goes: this is golf as it should be.

For tickets and hospitality opportunities, please contact: 0800 023 2557 or senioropengolf.com royalporthcawl.com golfasitshouldbe.com Clockwise from left Royal Porthcawl Golf Club Bernhard Langer Colin Montgomerie

Events Diary 2014

8th – 13th July Llangollen International Eisteddfod Llangollen An extraordinary cultural celebration featuring 4,000 competitors from around the world in song, dance and music. international-eisteddfod.co.uk 12th July British Speedway Grand Prix, Cardiff The Millennium Stadium hosts its 14th consecutive FIM British Speedway Grand Prix. speedwaygp.com 13th July Cardigan County Show West Wales’s premier agriculture show. cardigancountyshow.co.uk

1st – 9th August National Eisteddfod Millennium Coast Park, Llanelli

Aled Haydn Jones is a producer and presenter for BBC Radio 1.

19th July International Snowdon Race Snowdonia One of Europe’s toughest endurance challenges, this race involves running a steep five-mile (eight km) track up and down the highest summit in Wales and England. snowdoniarace.co.uk

26th – 27th July Big Cheese Festival, Caerphilly A celebration of the history, heritage and culture of Caerphilly with an extravaganza of street entertainers, living history encampments, music, dance, falconry, fire eating and much more, all set around Caerphilly Castle, one of the largest castles in Europe. thevalleys.co.uk/whats-on/the-big-cheese

21st – 24th July Royal Welsh Show, Builth Wells This huge agricultural show isn’t just about cows and combine harvesters.

With live music, stunt displays, craft stalls, great food and a host of other attractions, you don’t have to be a farmer (or Welsh) to love it. rwas.co.uk

I’ve been to plenty of festivals in my time: it goes with the territory when you’re a DJ. But there’s still something special about an eisteddfod, which has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Every child in Wales is thrown onto a stage from an early age, especially if you went to a Welsh-speaking school like mine.

If you’re on holiday and you want a proper flavour of Welsh culture, then you should definitely check out the National Eisteddfod. You don’t have to speak – or even be – Welsh, to have a totally brilliant time. There’s such a friendly, welcoming vibe, and so much going on – music, literature, dance, theatre.

It moves around Wales to a different place every year, and it’s in Llanelli in 2014, but the basics are the same.

There’s a field called the Maes, with loads of stalls and activities. In the middle is a gigantic pink tent called the Pavilion where most of the competitions and ceremonies are held.

If you imagine the Edinburgh Fringe crossed with Glastonbury, with a distinctly Welsh flavour – well, you’re nearly there. In some ways it’s very traditional, with all the druids and bards and solemn ceremonies. But it’s also great for families, and for young people.

I’ve seen some brilliant Welsh bands there in the evenings.

More than anything, though, it’s a great place to catch up with friends and make new ones. There’s always a warm welcome for everyone, whether you speak Welsh or not. eisteddfod.org.uk

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August Brecon Jazz World-famous jazz festival set in the beautiful Brecon Beacons, featuring major international names. The 2013 festival included performances from Jools Holland, Acker Bilk and Courtney Pine. breconjazz.com

12th – 13th August Anglesey County Show, Holyhead The largest two-day agricultural show in Wales is a show for every member of the family. More than 350 trade stands, entertainment marquee and country pursuits area, plus much, much more! angleseyshow.org.uk

August Victorian Festival, Llandrindod Wells Step back in time to the 19th century.

The surrounding backdrop of incredible Victorian architecture dating from the spa town’s heyday, in the 19th century, further enhances the festivities. victorianfestival.co.uk

13th – 17th August North Wales Boat Show, Conwy A celebratory festival of all water-based activities. northwalesboatshow.com

9th – 17th August Conwy River Festival If jaunty sailing boats with bright red sails are your thing, then this week of yacht racing and cruising is definitely for you.

Even if it isn’t, there are plenty of shorebased activities to entertain you. Ever fancied dressing up as a pirate? conwyriverfestival.org

14th – 17th August Green Man Festival, Crickhowell There are plenty of festivals jostling for the position of ‘independent’ and ‘alternative’. But Green Man, founded in 2003 as a one-day campfire folk event, still stands out proudly in the left-field.

It’s bigger, that’s for sure – the capacity’s around 20,000 these days – but it still inhabits its own glorious alternative universe.

What makes it special? The setting, for starters: Glanusk Park, a natural bowl in the Brecon Beacons near Crickhowell, that’s easily the most beautiful festival site in Britain. There’s the sheer diversity of entertainment: ten areas, 1,500 performers, 24-hour events, comedy, poetry, literature, art and science, cinema, wildlife walks. There’s lashings of local beer and cider, and excellent gourmet food.

From left Brecon Jazz, Brecon Green Man, Crickhowell Talyllyn Railway, near Tywyn 36

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15th August Orchid Festival National Botanic Garden of Wales, near Carmarthen Featuring specialist nurseries from the UK as well as Europe, with talks and demonstrations from award-winning orchid growers. orchidstudygroup.org.uk/ gardenofwales.org.uk 16th August Race the Train, Tywyn This unique event is a must for all multiterrain runners. It takes place alongside the route of the Talyllyn Railway on its journey to Abergynolwyn and back. racethetrain.com

Then there’s the music: Green Man 2013 featured hip young things like Band of Horses, Kings of Convenience, British Sea Power, The Horrors and Ben Howard, but also legendary icons Patti Smith, John Cale and Roy Harper.

It’s also very much about the people who come here, the most diverse and friendly bunch of humanity you’re likely to encounter, a broad church that welcomes locals, East End hipsters, crusties, hippies, students, Bodencatalogue families, business execs swapping pinstripes for bandanas – and all rubbing along just fine, thank you.

The whole thing peaks, unforgettably, with the burning of a giant wooden effigy of the Green Man himself. Magnificent. greenman.net

Events Diary 2014

18th – 23rd August 2014 International Paralympic Committee Athletics European Championships, Swansea University Around 600 athletes from 40 countries will compete in this first major paraathletics event to be held in GB following the London 2012 Paralympic Games. paralympic.org 19th – 21st August Pembrokeshire County Show Haverfordwest The biggest county show in Wales is also one of the very best of its kind in Britain, whether your interest is cars, food, clothes or animals. pembsshow.org

23rd – 28th August Extreme Sailing, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff Cardiff has established itself as the venue for the UK round of the Extreme Sailing Series global tour and delivers nail-biting racing in a festival atmosphere with thousands of spectators. extremesailingseries.com 24th August World Bog Snorkelling Championship, Llanwrtyd Wells Daring competitors battle it out in a 60-metre peat bog for the coveted title of World Champion Bog Snorkeller.

This has to be the dirtiest water sport of the year! green-events.co.uk

September Festival No. 6 The Manic Street Preachers and My Bloody Valentine were memorable headline acts last year, but this is more than a mere music festival. The fantasy village of Portmeirion comes alive with intimate readings and talks, exclusive film screenings with live soundtracks, standup comedy, art trails through the woods, storytelling in the clearings, master classes, and art installations. festivalnumber6.com

From left The best of county shows World Bog Snorkelling Championship, Llanwrtyd Wells Extreme Sailing, Cardiff Bay

National treasures We don’t have just one National Museum. We’ve got seven. They’re evenly spread across Wales, and between them cover just about every aspect of Welsh history and culture: coal and slate mining, the wool industry, our architecture, technology, folk customs, Roman occupation, farming, seafaring – all brilliantly presented and curated by friendly experts.

At the Big Pit National Coal Museum, you can put on a helmet and descend 300 feet (91 metres) underground into the mine itself, guided by miners who really used to work here. It’s the same at the National Slate Museum, where the slate craftsmen demonstrate skills learnt over generations.

There are more traditional crafts at the wonderful St Fagans National History Museum, where more than 40 original Welsh buildings have been rebuilt in a 100-acre woodland site just outside Cardiff.

And while the National Roman Legion Museum isn’t staffed by real Romans, Caerleon does have the most complete amphitheatre in Britain and the only Roman Legionary barracks on view anywhere in Europe. The National Museum Cardiff, meanwhile, has worldclass collections of natural history and art, including many iconic Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works.

And this is the best bit: all these museums are free to visit. museumwales.ac.uk

Above Big Pit: National Coal Museum Below Impressionist collection, National Museum Cardiff

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6th September Mardi Gras, Cardiff A week-long arts festival leads up to Wales’s biggest celebration of gay and lesbian life. cardiffmardigras.co.uk 7th – 14th September Tour of Britain The UK’s biggest professional cycle race and largest free-to-spectate sporting event, part of which takes the riders through some stunning Welsh scenery. tourofbritain.co.uk

14th September Ironman Wales, Pembrokeshire A 2.4 mile (3.8 km) swim, a 112 mile (180 km) cycle, followed by a marathon, with only 17 hours to complete it all. Just an average Sunday really... ironmanwales.com 18th – 21st September ISPS Handa Wales Open Celtic Manor Resort, Newport A leading event on golf’s European Tour, attracting some of the world’s top golfers, played on the Twenty Ten course, designed for the 2010 Ryder Cup. celtic-manor.com From left Festival No. 6, Portmeirion Abergavenny Food Festival, Abergavenny Ironman Wales, Pembrokeshire 38

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20th – 21st September Abergavenny Food Festival One of the biggest events in the UK foodie calendar, with local produce and international delicacies, celebrity chefs, master classes, tastings and street stalls all on the menu. abergavennyfoodfestival.com 20th – 21st September Mold Food and Drink Festival Showcasing outstanding local produce, celebrity chef expertise and live music to create a fabulous foodie weekend for the whole family. moldfoodfestival.co.uk

26th – 28th September The Porthcawl Elvis Festival Porthcawl Elvis lives, thanks to the thousands of fans and the tribute artists who attend this annual gathering of blue suede shoes, Vegas jumpsuits, and whopping sideburns. elvies.co.uk 28th September My Friend Dylan Thomas, Bangor University School of Music A mini-festival of events encompassing the many musical responses to Thomas’s work from his lifetime to the present day. bangor.ac.uk/music

October SWN Festival, Cardiff BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens is the co-founder and curator of this hip urban music festival, with cutting-edge bands playing venues across Cardiff. swnpresents.com 8th – 12th October Iris Prize Festival, Cardiff Cardiff’s international gay and lesbian short film prize welcomes the best new film-making talent to the capital. irisprize.org

11th – 12th October Anglesey Oyster & Welsh Produce Festival, Beaumaris It started as an informal event where locals would gather to eat oysters and get merry, but now attracts thousands of visitors each year. angleseyoysterfestival.com 25th October 2014 – 22nd February 2015 Artes Mundi, Cardiff – National Museum & Chapter This is Wales’s biggest and most exciting contemporary visual art show. One of the shortlisted artists is awarded the prize of £40,000, the largest art prize in the UK and one of the most significant in the world. artesmundi.org

Events Diary 2014

25th – 26th October Gwledd Conwy Feast, Conwy The medieval town of Conwy is transformed with a weekend festival that boasts the largest celebration of music, art and food of Wales. The quayside, castle and medieval streets burst with flavours, sounds and sights. gwleddconwyfeast.co.uk 27th October – 9th November The Dylan Thomas Festival, Swansea The focus for Dylan Thomas 100 including high-profile events to mark the 100th anniversary of Dylan’s birth.

This event forms the centrepiece of the year-long celebrations over an intensive two-week period. dylanthomas.com

November Wales Rally GB The British leg of the FIA World Rally Championship has been based in Cardiff since 2000. Watch the world’s elite drivers take on the world’s toughest forestry tracks in the Mid Wales mountains, and thrill the crowds at special stages. walesrallygb.com Mid November onwards Cardiff Winter Wonderland & Swansea Waterfront Wonderland Ice-skating and rides, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts – feel-good festivities in Cardiff and Swansea’s Christmas villages. cardiffswinterwonderland.com swanseachristmas.com

Throughout December Santa Steam Specials Father Christmas is the VIP passenger on weekend rides on Wales’s narrow-gauge Great Little Trains. greatlittletrainsofwales.co.uk

18th December River of Light Parade, Caerphilly Join in the annual River of Light Parade in Caerphilly town centre. visitcaerphilly.com/events/item/68889/ River_of_Light_Parade.html

6th – 7th December Blackwood Christmas Market See the town centre come to life with stalls along the high street, funfair rides and traditional entertainment. With real reindeer visiting, Santa will certainly be putting in an appearance! visitcaerphilly.com/events/item/50901/ Blackwood_Christmas_Market.html

31st December Nos Galan Road Races, Mountain Ash This annual race commemorates the 18th-century Welsh runner Guto Nyth Brân (who was supposedly so quick, he could blow out his candle and be in bed before it was dark). There are races for all abilities, street entertainment, funfair, fabulous firework display and a mystery celebrity runner… nosgalan.co.uk

11th December Wrexham Christmas Market This most eagerly awaited event in the town’s calendar attracts thousands of shoppers year after year. Music and entertainment throughout the day. wrexham.com/markets/wrexhamchristmas-market-7829.html

Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in this events listing. All dates and information were checked at the time of going to press. Visit Wales cannot be held accountable for any change to this information.

13th – 14th December Caerphilly Medieval Christmas Fayre With a mix of farmers’ stalls, continental market stalls and genuine food and craft producers the event offers something for everyone. Musical entertainment, children’s workshops, street theatre and a Santa’s grotto ensure an entertaining weekend for all the family. caerphilly.gov.uk/events/

From left Gwledd Conwy Feast, Conwy Wales Rally GB Cardiff Winter Wonderland

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Castle country W

ales has more castles per square mile than anywhere on earth. At the last count we’ve got 641 of them, and they come in all shapes, sizes and states of repair.

Some are faint traces on mountaintops, where our Celtic ancestors built forts 3,000 years ago, or curious ruins in wooded glades, which come with a local legend attached. Others, like many of the thumping great Norman castles built during the conquest of Wales, have hardly changed in 800 years, give or take the odd cannon-ball scar.

There are plenty of wonderful native castles, too, built by the Welsh princes to guard their lands from the marauding Angles, Saxons, Normans and, quite often, each other.

They’re not just fabulous places to visit on a sunny day. If you look a little deeper, the whole history of Wales, and Britain, is written in these ancient stones.

How the Romans came, conquered, and went. How the Celtic people drew back into their western strongholds.

How Welsh princes fought to keep their country intact, and how invading armies established their footholds.

There are new castles, too – the ones built by industrial barons who grew rich on coal, slate and iron, filling their stately homes with fabulous art. Then there’s the legacy of the Georgian and Victorian gentry, who built mansions and hotels among the ruins of older castles (which wouldn’t be allowed now, but we’re rather glad they did it).

With all these castles, it’s impossible for us to pick a favourite. But we’re very happy for you to come and have a go, so here’s a small selection to get you started. cadw.wales.gov.uk

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Main Llansteffan Castle, Carmarthenshire Opposite page clockwise from top left Powis Castle, Welshpool Caernarfon Castle, Caernarfon Dolbadarn Castle, Llanberis Medieval fayre, Caerphilly Castle Beaumaris Castle, Isle of Anglesey Carreg Cennen Castle, near Llandeilo Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly Cyfarthfa Castle, Merthyr Tydfil

History Castles

comforts r Castle You can star in your own fairytale when you spend the night in a wildly romantic Welsh castle.

Brecon Castle Hotel This fine Georgian hotel was woven into the fabric of the Norman castle that was built to conquer the old kingdom of Brycheiniog. breconcastle.co.uk Castell Deudraeth Portmeirion has some of the most quirkily delightful

accommodation in Wales.

This Victorian castellated mansion at the village gate has been given a fabulous contemporary makeover. portmeirion-village.com Home Farm Set on the estate of the old Welsh royal capital of Dinefwr, this restored

farmhouse has an ancient castle and 17th-century mansion just a walk away. nationaltrustcottages.co.uk Roch Castle Roch was largely rebuilt in the 1900s, and given a five-star makeover in the 2000s, but this lush boutique hotel still looks like the proper

Norman fortress it once was. rochcastle.com Ruthin Castle This gorgeous spa hotel is set in a castle once owned

by Henry VIII, Edward I and, according to local legend, King Arthur. ruthincastle.co.uk

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True myths

Just about every lake, rock and hill in Wales comes with its own legend attached. Many of the old stories go back for thousands of years, long before the idea of ‘Wales’ itself – back before the Normans, the Saxons, the Romans, deep into our Celtic past. Over the millennia, history and mythology have become impossible to separate – and that’s the way we like it.

The Red Dragon Near Beddgelert, Snowdonia

Southerndown Common Southerndown, Vale of Glamorgan

The 5th-century King Vortigern was trying to build a castle at Dinas Emrys, but the walls kept mysteriously falling down. A boy wizard – Merlin – identified the problem: two dragons, one red and one white, fighting beneath the castle. The red dragon won, and became the symbol of Wales. nationaltrust.org.uk, visitsnowdonia.info

The Lord of Ogmore’s daughter pleaded with him to allow local people a place to hunt deer. He agreed – but only an area as large as she could walk barefoot before dusk of that day. The area she walked is still common land today. visitthevale.com

Merlin’s Oak Carmarthen

Nant Gwrtheyrn Near Pwllheli, Ll^yn Peninsula

According to local legend, ‘When Merlin’s Oak shall tumble down, then shall fall Carmarthen Town.’ In 1978 the last fragments of the tree were taken to the local museum and sure enough, shortly after, Carmarthen suffered its worst floods in living memory… carmarthenmuseum.com discovercarmarthenshire.com

A game of pre-wedding hide-andseek goes terribly wrong when the bride-to-be, Meinir, gets stuck inside an oak tree. Her skeleton is discovered 30 years later by heartbroken Rhys, and the couple still haunt the beach to this day. nantgwrtheyrn.org visitsnowdonia.info

Devil’s Bridge Near Aberystwyth, Ceredigion This dizzying ravine is spanned by three bridges, one on top of the other.

The Devil supposedly built the 11thcentury original in return for the first soul to cross it. He was tricked by an old woman who tossed a crust of bread onto the bridge, which her dog chased. rheidolrailway.co.uk discoverceredigion.co.uk 42

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History Myths & legends

The Fairies of Pennard Pennard, Gower The picturesque ruins of Pennard Castle were abandoned to windblown sand by around 1400, apparently caused by vengeful fairies. visitswanseabay.com

Twm Siôn Cati Near Tregaron, Carmarthenshire Born in Tregaron around 1530, Twm was a quick-witted rogue whose cave hideaway sits on a steep hillside overlooking the RSPB Gwenffrwd-Dinas nature reserve, which offers one of the most beautiful walks in Wales. rspb.org.uk discovercarmarthenshire.com Lady of the Lake Black Mountain, Carmarthenshire

Barclodiad y Gawres Near Rhosneigr, Isle of Anglesey The stones that built this Neolithic burial chamber were supposedly dumped here by giants: its Welsh name means ‘the giantess’s apronful’. cadw.wales.gov.uk, visitanglesey.co.uk Afanc Near Betws-y-Coed, Snowdonia

Llyn y Fan Fach is home to the beautiful Lady of the Lake, who married a local farm lad with a prenuptial clause that if he struck her three times, she would go straight back to her lake. The marriage ended in tears, but their sons went on to become the first of many generations of herbalists and healers, the Physicians of Myddfai. myddfai.org discovercarmarthenshire.com

The Afanc, a giant water-monster with evil supernatural powers, was captured and taken to Glaslyn, a lake high up on Snowdon, where he still lives. eryri-npa.gov.uk, visitsnowdonia.info Angelystor Near Conwy, Snowdonia

Twmbarlwm Near Cwmbran, South Wales Valleys

Every Hallowe’en, the Angelystor appears at the 5,000-year-old yew in Llangernyw churchyard and, in a booming voice, announces the names of the parishioners who will die in the coming year. churchinwales.org.uk visitsnowdonia.info

This Iron Age hill fort is said to be the grave of a giant, who was buried along with his horde of treasure. Be careful not to dig up the booty, though – it’s said to be protected by a huge swarm of magical bees. thevalleys.co.uk visitwales.com

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Rebel with a cause

^ is still the most Owain Glyndwr iconic Welsh prince, leading a spectacular rebellion that briefly united Wales in the early 15th century. Owain was probably born at Sycharth, near Oswestry, in the 1350s. He studied law in London, and fought for the English king before retiring to his Welsh estates to live out his life peacefully.

However, he was drawn into land disputes with a neighbouring baron, which by 1400 had grown into full-scale rebellion. His supporters proclaimed him Prince of Wales, and in 1404 Owain held his first Welsh parliament at Machynlleth.

It wasn’t to last. French support for the rebellion dried up, and Owain’s armies were squeezed by economic blockades and ruthless counterattacks. Owain Glynd wr ^ was never betrayed or captured: he vanished in 1412, and is believed to have lived out his life in Herefordshire.

Clockwise from top left: Memorial and standard of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Cilmeri; ^ memorial, Corwen; Royal St David’s Golf Club, Pembroke Castle, Pembroke; Owain Glyndwr Harlech; Parliament House, Machynlleth; Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at Llwynywermod; Monnow Bridge, Monmouth; Llanddwyn Island, Isle of Anglesey.

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History Royal connections

Royal Welsh Where does Prince Charles go on his summer holidays? Where did William and Kate spend their first blissful years of married life? And where did Queen Victoria buy her knickers? We celebrate some of our greatest royal Welsh connections.

Last stand Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by Edward I. From his Gwynedd powerbase he controlled most of Wales, until he was killed in 1282 by English soldiers at Cilmeri. There’s a memorial stone commemorating Ein Llyw Olaf (‘Our Last Leader’) where an annual ceremony is still held on the anniversary of his death. visitsnowdonia.info

Battle royal Born in Monmouth Castle in 1386, Henry V spent much of his youth in Wales, fighting against the rebellion of Owain Glynd wr. ^ By the time Henry succeeded his father to the throne in 1413, he was a hard-bitten veteran of battle, which helped him to defeat the French at the Battle of Agincourt, at which Welsh archers played a crucial role. visitwyevalley.com

Tudor rose Henry Tudor was born at Pembroke Castle in 1457, a descendant of several Welsh royal houses. During the War of the Roses he fled to Brittany, returning with a small army which landed near Milford Haven. He gathered 5,000 more soldiers on his march through Wales, and defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth to become Henry VII. The Tudors reigned for the next 120 years. visitpembrokeshire.com

Union official Despite his Welsh ancestry, Henry VIII kept an iron grip on Wales. He passed the 1536 Act of Union, which legally

incorporated Wales into England. The Act banned Welsh-only speakers from public office, but he didn’t manage to suppress the Welsh language, even in his own family: his daughter Queen Elizabeth I apparently spoke fluent Welsh! visitpembrokeshire.com

Royal retainers Queen Victoria’s knickers were supplied

by Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones, who founded the world’s first mail-order company in Newtown, capital of the Welsh flannel industry. His soft flannel knickers were favoured by many of the crowned heads (and bottoms) of Europe, including the Queen of Norway and the Empress of Russia. Queen Victoria no doubt wore hers on visits to her Welsh estate, Ynyshir Hall, which is now a luxurious country hotel. midwalesmyway.com

Bertie’s bolthole The film The King’s Speech told of King George VI’s struggle with his stammer.

But in 1917 the 22-year-old Prince Bertie retreated to the country estate of Clochfaen, just outside Llangurig, to recuperate from a stomach ulcer. midwalesmyway.com

Driving reign Edward VII was a passionate golfer, and he granted Royal status to his two favourite golf courses in Wales: Royal Porthcawl and Royal St David’s. The King’s grandson, the future Edward VIII, was also a keen golfer, captaining Royal St David’s in 1934. visitsnowdonia.info, royalporthcawl.com, royalstdavids.co.uk

Cheeky mare In 1955 the young Queen Elizabeth II made a royal tour of Wales which included a trip to the Brecknock Agricultural Society show. BBC TV footage shows the Queen being introduced to a white Welsh mountain pony called Owain Glynd wr ^ … who tried to eat her bouquet of flowers. midwalesmyway.com

Gold standard When Prince William slipped a wedding ring onto Kate Middleton’s finger in 2011, it was a band of pure Welsh gold, following in a tradition founded by The Queen Mother in 1923. Since then, all major royal weddings have been sealed with Welsh gold. For the early years of their marriage, William and Kate lived on Anglesey, where the prince worked as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot. visitanglesey.co.uk

Home Farm, Llwynywermod When Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall come to Wales on their annual summer tour, they stay at their Welsh farmhouse residence, Llwynywermod, near the village of Myddfai in Carmarthenshire. The 192-acre smallholding was renovated by skilled Welsh craftsmen and women, using local stone, slate and textiles, and the gardens and grounds are managed under organic principles. When the Prince and Duchess are not there, Llwynywermod becomes a highly desirable holiday let. discovercarmarthenshire.com

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Afan Forest Park, Neath Port Talbot

Going downhill fast T

The mountain wilderness of Wales makes it a natural playground for dedicated mountain bikers. But as novice rider Iestyn George discovers, this is a sport that welcomes riders of all ages and abilities.

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he first thing that hits you is the chatter.

A few days of mountain biking in Wales can take you to dense woodland and remote mountain peaks. You’d think that these are the sort of places you’d rarely hear a human voice.

You’d be wrong.

Dave is 67. He started mountain biking because his son said he’d never be any good at it. Ben and his mates are from Lincolnshire. They’ve spent a week biking around Wales and never experienced anything like the trails here. Same goes for Anna and Kris from Sheffield. All ages, all abilities, sharing experiences with mutual enthusiasm.

We begin at Afan Forest Park in South Wales. There are over 62 miles (100 km) of trails across 39 square miles( 64 km2) of woodland clinging to the side of this steep, narrow valley. It doesn’t take long to work out why they call the area Little Switzerland.

Your ride can vary from the 29 mile (46 km) long Skyline trail, featuring a 6,561 feet (2,000 metre) climb, to a couple of rookie trails right in the heart of this natural playground. It’s the kind of place that allows total freedom for visitors. Once you’ve popped your pound

in the parking meter you’re pretty much free to go as you please.

Visitors who want a bit of expert guidance can head straight to Afan Bike Shed, which offers bike hire, repairs, tours and tuition. The living embodiment of all these useful skills is Ben Threlfall, a genial gent from Portsmouth, who has that evangelical love of the place that comes with choosing to make it home for his young family.

Ben leads us to the practice area.

You soon realise that even the slightest undulation or the smallest berm (a banked piece of track) requires confidence to negotiate. Mountain biking, as it turns out, is NOT as easy as falling off a bike.

Ben is patient, and eventually leads the way for some singletrack action. This is really where Afan Forest Park comes into its own. It feels a million miles from anywhere, even though we’re just a few miles from the M4 motorway and less than an hour from the country’s two biggest cities.

First lesson: in order to go down you must first go up, and riding up singletrack trails is a skill in itself, with lots of loose stones, tree roots and sharp turns to negotiate. They call this technical. I call

Adventure Mountain biking

Antur Stiniog, near Blaenau Ffestiniog

‘It’s fantastic to watch these daredevil mountainbikers in action, swooping and soaring like swallows on their way down the trails.’ it hard work, and while exhaling through my ears I quietly vow to get my legs in some kind of order.

The other priceless piece of advice from Ben is that when you’re on a fast descent, it’s not advisable to jam on the brakes. ‘If I hear the squeal of brakes, I know the rider is no longer in control of the bike,’ he says with quiet authority.

We return to the Bike Shed richer for the experience. Ben asks us where we’re heading next. When we tell him, he responds with a knowing smile and a parting: ‘Good luck with that!’

Over a drink at the Afan Lodge Hotel, a wonderful Alpine-style retreat just a stone’s throw from the park entrance, I wonder what Ben meant by that laconic farewell. A few days later it’s vividly apparent. afanforestpark.com The Slate mines of Snowdonia are famous for roofing houses the world over and the Llechwedd quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog is as dramatic a backdrop to a town as you could imagine.

Generations of people have worked hard and played hard here; and the singletrack trails are the embodiment of that way of life. They were set up by Antur Stiniog, a dynamic local

organisation that puts on all manner of activities, including wild camping, fishing, kayaking and walking trips.

For mountain bikers, there’s a superb practice track, a very welcoming visitor centre and a café providing all the necessary carbohydrates to tackle its four trails: two black and two red (rides are graded black-red-blue-green, with black being the toughest). There’s also a van and trailer on hand to offer an uplift service high above Blaenau Ffestiniog, right opposite the famous quarry.

This is where a lot of the chatter happens. Imagine the polar opposite of a London tube journey featuring people wearing body armour with full-face helmets sitting in their laps. There’s so much adrenaline flying around it would come as no surprise if the van itself was fuelled on it.

‘For me, this is what mountain biking is all about,’ says Lincolnshire Ben. ‘The riding is a pure challenge from first to last, the facilities are brilliant and everyone’s smiling.’

Within seconds, he whips his bike off the trailer and he’s off on Y Du, a black run that leads him back to the visitor centre about twice as fast as he got to the summit in the van.

It’s fantastic to watch these daredevil mountainbikers in action, swooping and soaring like swallows on their way down the trails. One of the leading riders in the country, Gee Atherton, raced a falcon down these routes earlier in 2013. Check it out on YouTube – it’s bonkers.

An arthritic snail might have fancied its chances against me, as I grunt and gasp my way down Drafft, the least daunting of the four trails, with tight, speedy twists and carpets of uneven stone slabs.

It’s a truism of downhill mountain biking that the slower you negotiate these kind of runs, the harder it is. There are at least half a dozen points at which I exit a section and wonder to myself, ‘Did I really do that?’

Still, I make it to the bottom without any collateral damage and I’m happy to watch Ben and his mates head straight back up the mountain in search of further thrills and spills from the safety of the café, where an added bonus of making it down to the bottom comes in the shape of the legendary Kurdish pasties from nearby Model Bakery.

Antur Stiniog had succeeded in switching on the hotels and guest houses of Blaenau Ffestiniog to the needs of the mountain biker – chief among them

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‘Its been called the Welsh Whistler, a nod to the revered mountain resort in British Columbia. But BikePark Wales will do just fine, thanks.’ a safe place to store their beloved (and often very expensive) bikes.

We stay in the Capel Pisgah B&B, a converted chapel run by Glenys Lloyd, whose father and grandfather both worked in the colliery. I’m given a warm welcome, a key to the front door and an invitation to come and go as I please. On another day, I’d be heading out to Cell B, a brilliant bar, arts centre and music venue in a former jail and courthouse.

Tonight, though, I can just about muster enough energy to make it to my bed. anturstiniog.com The latest addition to the must-ride list in UK mountain biking is less than 30 miles (48 km) from the centre of Cardiff, where a handful of people have been quietly working away in the dense Gethin Woods above Merthyr Tydfil. The result is the most comprehensive array of singletrack routes and family-friendly trails in the UK. Its been called the Welsh

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Whistler, a nod to the revered mountain resort in British Columbia. But BikePark Wales will do just fine, thanks.

Even at 9am the place is buzzing with people pulling bikes from vans and roof racks, making refinements with complicated-looking tools and diving into the visitor centre for a quick coffee before the first ride of the day.

Again, the chatter is very loud and very friendly. I can spot accents from the far side of London – nudging into Essex.

There’s a gang from Somerset, another from Northampton and a bunch of wellspoken gents from Surrey.

Dave, the OAP biker, lives in Newport, just 30 miles (48 km) away. He goes out three or four times a week and takes monthly trips to North Wales during the summer months. ‘You’ll enjoy today,’ he smiles. ‘This place is special.’

BikePark Wales offers an uplift day pass, or you can pay just a few pounds for a park entry fee and ride up to the top

Top row BikePark Wales Bottom from left Antur Stiniog, Afan Forest Park, Afan Forest Park

of the mountain by road or on the uphill trail, Beast of Burden. From the top you can take your pick of the downhill routes.

What’s particularly smart is that there are several points along the trails where blue, red and black meet up, so you can swap according to your level of confidence (and they’re also hotspots for even more chatter).

The facilities at the visitor centre match the fantastic trails. Where else can you hire a £3,000 bike for a reasonable daily fee and enjoy a massive slab of carrot cake at the same time? I sit outside and soak in the atmosphere, as infant school kids buzz around the practice track with their bright, shiny helmets on.

It’s small wonder that people love this sport. Whisper it, but this mountain biking thing could catch on you know. bikeparkwales.com

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The hills are alive…

Not just with the sound of music, either. Danny Walter, editor-in-chief of Mountain Biking UK magazine, picks out some of the best rides in Wales.

1. Snowdon (Ranger’s Path), Snowdonia Why? It’s Wales’s highest mountain – and every mountain biker should have that peak on their hit list. And its reward is one of the best and most challenging singletrack descents in the UK. Please note the voluntary ban on bike riding between midnight 31st May – 30th September. Added bonus: Pete’s Eats in Llanberis for hearty portions and a legendary breakfast.

5. Brecon Beacons, Powys Why? National Park riding at its best with 14 marked crosscountry routes ranging from basic level to all-day hammerfests.

Loads to explore but get the specific lowdown from Gateway Cycles in Abergavenny. Added bonus: Walking in the stunning Brecon Beacons National Park or taking a ride on the Brecon Mountain Railway.

2. Coed-y-Brenin, Snowdonia Why? The first UK purpose-built trail centre. Great variety of trails for pretty much every level of rider – this is one of the best, not only in Wales but in the UK. Added bonus: Excellent all-round facilities: bike shop, café and toilets. Cool little playground for the kids too.

6. Afan Forest, Neath Port Talbot Why? With four incredible trails in easy reach of the M4 corridor, it’s the easiest ‘remote’ place to get to, making it ideal for weekend adventures. Added bonus: Complete your adrenaline weekend with surfing at Llangennith or Langland Bay on the Gower Peninsula.

3. Doethie Valley, Carmarthenshire Why? Great isolated-feel natural riding without actually being miles away from everything! It features one of the longest stretches of singletrack in the country. Added bonus: Clive Powell Mountain Bikes is the shop of choice with a famously good restaurant and catered weekend tours offered.

7. BikePark Wales, Rhondda Cynon Taf Why? It’s the hottest new mountain bike spot in the UK and the first true Bike Park to boot. Fantastic range of tailor-made trails for all levels of rider, whether you’re just starting out or fancy taking on a bigger challenge on the uplift. Added bonus: A cracking visitor centre, with all the facilities and expert advice on hand you could wish for.

4. Cwmcarn, Monmouthshire Why? Widely known for its DH track and rapid-fire uplift service, but for those in the know it’s also an XC/trail bike paradise. The nine mile (15.5 km) Twrch Trail is one of the most engaging loops around and its final descent is in many ways more entertaining than the actual downhill one. Added bonus: Fine food provided by Welsh dinner ladies in the trail centre café. Plus quality shop PS Cycles is just around the corner.

8. Nant yr Arian, Ceredigion Why? It has three great trails across exposed moorland, and tight twisty singletrack through woodland – ranging from 5.5 miles (9 km) to 21.7 miles (35 km). Added bonus: The George Barrow hotel is less than a mile (1.5km) from the centre, and is a great mountain biking friendly place to stay.

All these trails and many more can be explored at mbwales.com

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Kid On A Wire What’s it like to soar five hundred feet through the air at one hundred miles per hour? Just ask 13 yearold Finlay George, who took an unforgettable trip on the longest zip wire in Europe.

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‘It’s one thing standing on top of the world. It’s another when you know you’re just about to throw yourself off it at 100mph.’

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didn’t really expect this. Two weeks ago I was finishing school for the summer. I don’t think I got out of my pyjamas for the first few days of the holidays. But here I am standing on the edge of nothing in this weird suit about to fly 500 feet (152 metres) in the air for a mile (1.6 km) above a quarry in North Wales. I can see the island of Anglesey from here.

There is a group of about 15 of us, all ages. We’re kitted out in a cross between a spacesuit and the overalls you see prisoners wearing. It’s not a great look, but we’re all in this together.

Zip World is based at Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda, where slate has been mined for over two centuries. This was the biggest quarry in the world at one time and it employed two thousand men. Now it employs two hundred people and the two zip lines stretch across areas of the quarry that are no longer in production.

We’re briefed by Helen and taken to the Little Zipper, which is still the third longest zip wire in Britain. This is just an appetiser. We get familiar with

the routine of being hooked up to the mechanism that transports us across the 1,640 feet (500 metre) zip line at around 40mph (65 kmh) at a height of 72 feet (22 metres). Rather than dangle from the wire, you lie flat, which gives you a brilliant sense of flying through the air.

The Little Zipper calms any potential nerves and gets everyone’s adrenaline really going for the Big Zipper. We’re driven slowly up the winding ascent to the top of the quarry in a red truck, all clutching our helmets and goggles like amateur astronauts. Everyone chatters, glassy-eyed with excitement, cheering when Kristiaan the driver bungles a couple of hill starts.

As we near the top we can see Penrhyn Castle and its grounds in nearby Llandegai – a 19th-century mock castle built on the original 15th-century fortified manor house.

The Dawkins–Pennant family owned Penrhyn Quarry and now the castle is in the hands of the National Trust. But it’s fair to say that our thoughts are not focused on the one-ton bed made of

Adventure Zip Wire

slate that was created for the visit of Queen Victoria in 1859. After all, it’s one thing standing on top of the world.

It’s another when you know you’re just about to throw yourself off it at 100mph (160kmh).

So here I am, right back where we started. There’s a lot of drama going on. Two way radios crackle as the well-rehearsed procedure of strapping me up and putting me in position is communicated firmly and with authority.

There’s no messing about. As I lie down and prepare myself to be released, I realise my destination is way out of sight.

I can feel the blood pumping just that little bit faster around my system.

The radio crackles again and formalities are exchanged between operators at the bottom and the top of the line.

The safety clip is released on the wire.

‘Big base, safety is off,’ says Mark, the instructor.

‘Are you ready?’

I’m ready.

‘Three… Two… One… Go!!’

The first thing you experience is

an exhilarating whoosh of noise. The speed literally knocks the breath out of my chest and I can’t help myself, but cough out a laugh like a madman.

It feels like I’m cutting through the air.

It’s overwhelming, I think about how small I am and how I’m tearing through centuries of hard work by others.

I’m flying – hurtling above the gigantic steps of the quarry below, soaring above the vivid blue of the quarry lake. It feels brilliant.

Across the lake, getting lower as the line stretches towards Big Base, I can see people craning their necks upwards from the visitor centre. I can measure my speed more easily along the last third of the journey, slowing down to the bottom of the run.

And then it’s over. The instructor hooks me in, smiling as he brings me back down to the ground. It’s exhilarating.

Unforgettable. I could sit here and write for hours about how it felt, but you’re much better off finding out for yourselves. zipworld.co.uk

All images Zip World, Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda

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Active service While we’re all prone to the temptation of a duvet day on holiday, it’s worth mentioning that the outdoor bits of Wales really are quite lovely.

Here are some activities to put some colour back in your cheeks.

1 Coasteering in Pembrokeshire

If jumping off cliffs, scrambling around rocks and exploring caves might seem a bit too devil-may-care, banish that apprehension immediately. With an experienced guide by your side, coasteering becomes an utterly liberating experience. And where better to do it than in Pembrokeshire, the first place on the planet to offer guided coasteering trips. The options are plentiful, from cliff-jumps at Abereiddi, to the whitewater playground around St David’s Head. visitpembrokeshire.com, http://bit.ly/VW14Coasteering

2 Surfing on Gower

A way of life for people brought up in the area, Gower’s coast has a broad range of surfing spots. There are gentle swells in broad bays (Llangennith), challenging reef breaks (Langland Bay) and plenty more besides. The waves are relatively modest in size, so this is an ideal environment in which to learn. There are several businesses offering board hire and tuition. A safe tip is to check tide times and take a stroll along the Wales Coast Path to check out the waves first. It saves those uncomfortable hours sitting on the beach in your wetsuit waiting for the tide to hit the right spot. visitswanseabay.com, http://bit.ly/VW14Surfing

Main Coasteering, St Non’s Bay, Pembrokeshire

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Adventure Adrenaline

the Anglesey 3 Walking Coast Path 4 White-water rafting in Cardiff Anglesey is a must-visit destination for amblers, explorers and meanderers alike. There are nearly 125 miles (201 km) of coastal pathways around the island at the northern tip of Wales, featuring ancient Celtic ruins and dramatic clifftop views overlooking an RSPB nature reserve. Then there’s one of the most famous Welsh castles at Beaumaris, ancient burial chambers a dramatic lighthouse at South Stack, the wonderful Menai Strait and its abundant shellfish, and the rare flora and fauna. As nature goes, it’s pretty action-packed. visitanglesey.co.uk

While all the sensible people in the meeting were on a comfort break, someone had the great idea to build some white-water rapids in Cardiff, the Welsh capital. The Cardiff International White Water centre is practically in the shadow of two of Wales’s finest contemporary buildings – the National Assembly for Wales and the Wales Millennium Centre.

It features white water rafting, kayaking and indoor surfing and has become one of the most popular destinations of its kind in the UK. ciww.com, visitcardiff.com, http://bit.ly/VW14WWRafting

For active ideas of what to do throughout Wales, visit: visitwales.com/holidays-breaks/short-breaks/activity-breaks

riding in the 5 Horse Brecon Beacons

There’s trekking, riding and hacking activities galore in the Brecon Beacons National Park, with five riding centres working together to provide a range of options for visitors. One ride even fits pub stopovers into the itinerary. The national park covers 500 square miles (805 square km) and the Beacons are high on the list of any must-visit destinations.

So why not explore them on horseback? midwalesmyway.com, breconbeacons.org, http://bit.ly/VW14Riding

Clockwise from top left Pony trekking, Llanthony Priory, Brecon Beacons Surfing, Caswell Bay, Gower Peninsula South Stack lighthouse, Isle of Anglesey Cardiff International White Water Centre, Cardiff Bay visitwales.com

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Nature & Nurture

Wales is a paradise for food-lovers. But don’t just take our word for it. From award-winning chefs to producers of high quality organic produce, the verdict is unanimous.

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Food & drink Welsh food

Grow it Adam Vincent is a true local food hero. You can’t buy his rare-breed meats more than a few miles from his Pembrokeshire smallholding, Trehale Farm. But it’s worth planning an entire holiday around his sausages. We know because we’ve tried them.

And they taste, quite simply, extraordinary.

I

was born near London but my family originally came from Pembrokeshire.

We were desperate to escape the London rat-race, so three generations of us came back: my grandmother, mother, me and my wife.

I was in the building trade, but I had the typical downshifting dream of having a bit of land and being self-sufficient. We really threw ourselves into it as a family.

We grew our own vegetables, and raised pigs, lambs and poultry for the table.

Mum baked all the bread – she even made her own soap.

In the early days, there were two things I really craved: proper bacon, and proper crackling. So we got a couple of pigs, and it all grew from there. We started giving a bit away to friends and neighbours, and the taste of it blew people away.

Now we have Saddleback, Berkshire and Tamworth pigs, which we cross with wild boar to get a bit more gaminess into them. We feed them barley from local farms, which is soaked in organic whey that I collect from [multi-award-winning cheese maker] Caws Cenarth. I also get malted barley from a local brewery and beer slops from pubs. A friend of mine is a cider-maker, and he gives us his apple-pressings. In return, I’ve planted 70 of his apple trees on our land. So the by-products of cider-making go to feed the pigs, and when the cider’s done I use

it to make cider-cured hams and ciderflavoured sausages. It’s that perfectly circular way of doing things that makes everything extra-tasty. All this good stuff that usually goes to waste, we put it into the pigs because it makes the meat taste better.

We farm organically, we don’t even use any machinery – it’s all done by hand.

We do almost everything right here on the farm. We make all our own dry-cure bacon and sausages. We don’t use any rusk, and only natural casings, and I blend my own spices to make them exactly the way I want them to be.

We sell direct from the farm, at farmers’ markets, and to local hotels and restaurants. Until recently, everything was sold within 10 miles (16 km) of the farm, and we still only sell within Pembrokeshire.

Some local producers have big ambitions, but I want to stay true to our art. We are expanding in a modest way, though. We’ve got a camp site, with a couple of yurts and a tepee. We felled some mature trees over the winter, had them planked, and we’re building a farm shop out of them. All the timber is cut by hand, we don’t use chainsaws. We even make our own charcoal to cook our sausages on. We’re as green as it gets!

Trehale Farm, Mathry, Pembrokeshire.

Tel 01348 831037

Opposite Adam Vincent, Tehale Farm, Pembrokeshire Top to bottom Anglesey oysters Fresh produce Caws Cenarth Cheese

‘We farm organically, we don’t even use any machinery.’

Adam Vincent

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Right Menai Strait towards Snowdonia

Catch it A

Roger Pizey was part of the fabled dream team of modern British cuisine of the late 80s and early 90s, working alongside Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay at Harvey’s restaurant.

He’s head chef at Marco’s Stamford Bridge in London and is author of Small Cakes and World’s Best Cakes. He loves Anglesey so much he could eat it all up.

nglesey is like its own independent state of food. There’s an abundance of fish and shellfish and wonderful salt marsh lamb. You can get great cheese on the island and there’s an excellent smokery. The honey is wonderful and there are various people making their own ice cream and gelato.

My wife’s family have been coming to Anglesey since the 1960s and we’ve all learned where to go searching out the best food. At Easter time we get loads of wild garlic to make soup and at low tide we handpick mussels and cockles from the estuary between Valley and Rhoscolyn. There’s plenty of samphire too.

In the summer, we catch crab, lobster and mackerel. I don’t know of a better lobster than one that comes from Anglesey. You just can’t beat it. We’ve got two pots, we have a licence and the whole thing is managed really well. The mackerel is superb too. And you get prawns the size of your thumb.

We don’t get to come here in autumn because it’s such a busy time with the restaurant, but I love it here in winter.

The house looks over to Snowdonia and

i ‘Anglesey is very raw – and I love that.’

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there’s so much drama going on with the mountains and the weather.

There’s a great butchers on Anglesey – in Bodedern. They slaughter their own sheep and they’ve got beautiful salt marsh lamb there. I’ve tried to get them to deliver to London. When I set up the bakery for Peyton and Byrne in London we used to sell Mêl Môn (Anglesey honey). And don’t even start me off on the salt. Anglesey Sea Salt (Halen Môn) is the best. I buy it in half-kilo tubs. Their smoked salt is wonderful too.

Sometimes you do wonder whether people have any idea how lucky they are in Anglesey. Shoppers drive to the supermarkets in Holyhead and on their way there, they pass great butchers, cheese makers and independent retailers, all selling really good locallysourced food.

Anglesey is very raw – and I love that.

That rawness seems to be reflected in the way of life, the nature of the land and the produce that comes from the island.

It’s just different from everywhere else – it’s got its own special flavour. visitanglesey.co.uk

Local food festivals

May Really Wild Food Festival, St David’s reallywildfestival.co.uk

September Abergavenny Food Festival abergavennyfoodfestival.com

June Pembrokeshire Fish Week pembrokeshirefishweek.co.uk

October Anglesey Oyster & Welsh Produce Festival, Beaumaris angleseyoysterfestival.com

Food & drink Welsh food

Cook it

‘I honestly believe that what we’re doing in Wales at the moment is as good as anywhere in the world.’ Stephen Terry

Stephen Terry is one of Britain’s best chefs. He trained with Marco Pierre White, won his first Michelin star at the age of 25, and now runs the celebrated The Hardwick restaurant near Abergavenny.

Y

ou hear a lot about the food in places like Sonoma and Napa in California, but I honestly believe that what we’re doing in Wales at the moment is as good as anywhere in the world.

Perhaps the biggest change in the last 10 years is the public’s knowledge of food. People have a hunger for traceability and sustainability, the pedigree and heritage of things.

We’re very proud to support local producers, and we’ve got a very personal relationship with the people who supply the restaurant. For instance, we’ve got fantastic relationships with Trealy Farm, who do the most brilliant charcuterie, and Cothi Valley goats’ cheese, whose halloumi and feta-style cheeses are

outstanding. From North Wales we get Blodyn Aur extra virgin rapeseed oil, which is amazing.

We get all our Sunday vegetables from a local guy called Philip at Ty^ Mawr Organics, and he asks, ‘what do you want me to grow?’ And he grows it. We’re all helping each other, and that gives me a great pleasure, especially after spending so long in London: there’s nothing you can’t get there, but there’s very little local produce, for obvious reasons. It’s different in Wales, and we’re proud to put our suppliers’ names on our menu.

There’s a definite cluster of good food places here in Monmouthshire and across into Powys, but that’s mainly because of the geography: we’re in a convenient corner of South East Wales, close to Cardiff, with a lot of people coming through on their way west. But actually, there are lovely little pockets of good food all over the country. The Harbourmaster is a beacon in Aberaeron, then there’s the

Ultracomida delicatessen in Narberth and Aberystwyth, the Druidstone Hotel down in South Pembrokeshire, and Wright’s Independent Food Emporium near Carmarthen.

If I had to choose one meal, it would have to be wild Welsh salmon. It’s incredible. I’d have it with some samphire and lovely little Pembrokeshire new potatoes. I’d fry up a little dry-cured local bacon to mix with my spuds, and add some of Ty^ Mawr’s red spring onions, and some Halen Môn sea salt (which is the world’s best salt, incidentally).

I’d wash it down with some wine from Ancre Hill Estates in Monmouth. They won the best sparkling white in the world last year, at an international competition in Italy, against some of the best champagnes in the world. They also do a beautiful sparkling rosé, some amazing pinot noir, and they’ve planted some albariño grapes which will be coming through in 2015. I can’t wait. thehardwick.co.uk

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Best possible taste The Welsh food and drink scene has never been in better shape. We’ve got hundreds of traditional artisan producers who’ve been doing their thing for generations, joined by lots of perky newcomers full of bright ideas.

Central eating The capital of Wales, if you enjoy your grub, is undoubtedly Abergavenny. The fabulous Abergavenny Food Festival takes over the whole town in September, and there’s a brilliant market three days a week, all year. Some of Wales’s best restaurants are clustered around: the Walnut Tree, The Hardwick and The Foxhunter to name but three. abergavennyfoodfestival.com, abergavennymarket.co.uk, thewalnuttreeinn.com, thefoxhunter.com, thehardwick.co.uk Shellfish pleasures The Menai Strait produces some of Britain’s very best mussels and oysters, a fact which is celebrated at the annual Anglesey Oyster & Welsh Produce Festival, where they’re usually accompanied by lashings of champagne.

A mug of strong tea is the preferred partner of a South Walian’s favourite breakfast: cockles and laverbread, fried up with salty local bacon. You’ll find this on most local breakfast menus, or buy your own ingredients in markets at places like Swansea, Llanelli and Carmarthen. angleseyoysterfestival.com, swanseaindoormarket.co.uk

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Home grown The £6.5m Bodnant Welsh Food Centre is a culinary centre of excellence, set in old stone farm buildings on the Bodnant Estate near Conwy and showcasing the very best artisan food that Wales has to offer. There’s a farm shop, tea room, restaurant, dairy, bakery and a cookery school – and they all use homegrown produce from the estate itself, local farms, and from around Wales. bodnant-welshfood.co.uk Trail mix The county of Ceredigion has some of our best farming country backed by a cracking coastline. More importantly, the county is packed with passionate food producers, around 30 of whom have come together to create Taste Train Ceredigion. This epic foodie journey takes in flour mills, organic vegetable producers, chocolatiers, cheese-makers, foragers, crab fishers and a brewery.

People who love food, basically. tastetrailwales.co.uk

Fish frenzy Pembrokeshire Fish Week is an annual celebration of everything fishy, packed with more than 150 events for families, foodies, beach-lovers, outdoor enthusiasts, anglers … well, everyone.

It happens just about everywhere, too – the whole county goes fish-festival crazy for a week in late June / early July. pembrokeshirefishweek.co.uk Rebel yell There’s been a remarkable explosion in Welsh microbreweries over the last few years. Traditional names like Brain’s and Felinfoel have been joined by fast-growing upstarts like Otley and Evan Evans, and a whole load of leftfield artisan brewers like Bullmastiff, Jacobi, Pipes, Purple Moose, and The Kite. But the biggest splash has been made by Tiny Rebel, a funky Newportbased outfit who swept the board at the 2013 Great Welsh Cider and Beer Festival and have just opened their own Urban Tap House in Cardiff. tinyrebel.co.uk

From left Penderyn Welsh Whisky Wright’s Independent Food Emporium, near Carmarthen Otley Ale

Food & drink What to eat

Wright stuff Imagine if all your home cooking turned out brilliantly, every time. Every cake perfectly risen, every meat meltingly tender. That’s what it’s like at Wright’s Independent Food Emporium near Carmarthen, where chef Maryann Wright and her food critic husband Simon turn out consistently fabulous food at their café-deli. They also do monthly dinners with big-name chefs, if you can bag a table before they sell out. wrightsfood.co.uk

Clockwise from top left Welsh lamb Bodnant Welsh Food Centre, near Conwy Porthdinllaen, Lly^ n Peninsula

Sand bar It’s not the easiest pub to reach. Unless you have a permit to drive into the tiny National Trust-owned village of Porthdinllaen, you have to walk. But what a walk! A spectacular 20-minute stroll along the beach or clifftops (your choice) brings you to the T^y Coch Inn, a friendly boozer set on a sandy beach, yards from the sea. It’s no wonder that in a recent survey of the top ten beach bars in the world, the T^y Coch Inn came in the top three. tycoch.co.uk

Don’t miss…

Things you have to try when you’re in Wales: Welsh black beef; lamb (both mountain and salt marsh varieties); sewin (it’s a cross between salmon and trout); Cenarth Cheese (any variety, or preferably all of them); cawl (ideally in someone’s home, made to their traditional family recipe); cockles and laverbread (together, for breakfast); Penderyn Welsh whisky. We’re not offering any further explanation. You just have to, okay? welsh.whisky.co.uk, cawscenarth.co.uk

Swansea market Welsh mussels Laverbread and Welsh bacon The Foxhunter, Nantyderry visitwales.com

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Lap of luxury Go on, spoil yourself. Luxury hotels, five-star restaurants, a hot spa, something cold and fizzy – whatever Sir and Madam desire, we’ve got it. And wherever you go, the spectacular views are on the house.

The luxurious St Brides Spa Hotel is perfectly perched on a cliff overlooking Saundersfoot’s harbour and beach.

When you’re relaxing in the outdoor infinity pool, which is heated to bloodtemperature even on frosty days, you can’t help feeling just the tiniest bit smug. stbridesspahotel.com You’re probably wondering where to park your helicopter. Luckily, dozens of Welsh hotels have their own pads or suitably spacious lawns. You’ll certainly have a happy landing at Bodysgallen Hall and Spa, a perfect 17th-century country house in Snowdonia which is the AA’s reigning Welsh Hotel of the Year. bodysgallen.com We’re far too discreet to reveal which Hollywood stars were spotted holidaying on a canal boat on the Llangollen Canal.

But there are plenty of stars (including one from Michelin) at the nearby Tyddyn Llan, a country house with a multi-awardwinning restaurant. tyddynllan.co.uk Antique Welsh quilts and blankets sell for a small fortune these days, but the tradition is still alive and kicking in West Wales. Melin Tregwynt near Haverfordwest is a superb example of a mill that’s combined centuries-old skills with chic modern designs, making not just traditional woollen blankets and throws but also clothing, bags and upholstery fabric. melintregwynt.co.uk

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The expression ‘millionaire’s golf’ describes that lovely feeling when you and your mates find yourself teeing off with nobody in front or behind, as if you’ve got the whole course to yourselves. Wales has some of the best links courses in the world, yet they’re nowhere near as busy (or pricey) as elsewhere. But is anywhere as stunning as the peninsular section of Nefyn, or the 7th at Pennard? We don’t think so. nefyn-golf-club.co.uk pennardgolfclub.com golfasitshouldbe.com One of the best ways to explore the Welsh coast, we find, is on our private yacht. There are 14 marinas in which to spend the night, including the smart 160-berther at Aberystwyth, which falls happily half-way along your journey. abermarina.com The Welsh billionaire Sir Terry Matthews bought the hospital in which he was born, transformed it into a luxury hotel, built a whole new leisure complex behind it, added a conference centre, fine dining restaurants and three championship golf courses, brought The 2010 Ryder Cup to Wales, and… well, isn’t that enough?

The Celtic Manor Resort is a simply extraordinary place to spend a long weekend. celtic-manor.com

The world’s first million-pound business deal was struck in the Coal Exchange in Cardiff Bay. These former coal docks have been reborn as a chic waterfront leisure destination, which you can admire from the terrace of the five-star St David’s Hotel & Spa. Up in the city centre, there’s a priceless collection of Impressionist art in the National Museum Cardiff. thestdavidshotel.com, museumwales.ac.uk/en/cardiff The salmon and sewin (also known as sea trout) rivers of West Wales attract fishermen from all over the world.

The beautiful Maesycrugiau Manor, in Carmarthenshire, is a five-star B&B within casting distance of the Teifi, Cothi and Tywi rivers, whose beats have been enjoyed by US presidents and Hollywood stars. manor-wales.com The training home of the Welsh rugby team might not sound like a place for luxury and pampering. But The Vale Resort is a four-star playground within 15 minutes reach of Cardiff, the Welsh capital, combining luxurious relaxation and sporting activity. It has Wales’s largest spa and two championship golf courses, situated in 600 splendid acres of grounds. vale-hotel.com Most of Wales’s beaches are west-facing, so you can enjoy fabulous sunsets, completely free of charge. Priceless.

Food & Drink Luxury

St Brides Spa Hotel, Saundersfoot Whitesands Bay, near St David’s, Pembrokeshire

St David’s Hotel & Spa, Cardiff Bay

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Llangollen Canal

National Museum Cardiff

Bodysgallen Hall

Melin Tregwynt

Nefyn and District Golf Club

River Teifi

Celtic Manor Resort, Newport

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Meet our holiday areas 1 2

Wales is divided into 13 distinct areas, each with its own individual character. Allow us to introduce you.

The Isle of Anglesey 2 Llandudno & Colwyn Bay 3 North East Wales 4 Snowdonia Mountains & Coast/Eryri Mynyddoedd a Môr 5 Mid Wales My Way 6 Ceredigion – Cardigan Bay & the Cambrian Mountains 7 Pembrokeshire – Britain’s only Coastal National Park 8 Carmarthenshire – Carmarthen Bay 9 Swansea Bay – Mumbles, Gower, Afan & the Vale of Neath 10 The Valleys – Heart & Soul of Wales 11 Cardiff – Capital of Wales 12 The Glamorgan Heritage Coast & Countryside 13 Wye Valley & Vale of Usk

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The Isle of Anglesey Anglesey offers unparalleled beauty, amazing adventures, serious solitude and a warm welcome. Easily accessible; this unique island, with its coastline, varied beaches and historical towns make it a superb base for all the family. Those that have visited need not be told. They just return…

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+44 (0)1248 713177 anglesey@nwtic.com visitanglesey.co.uk facebook.com/visitanglesey Llandudno & Colwyn Bay Vibrant Llandudno, the Victorian seaside gem with a history that goes back to the Bronze Age. World Heritage Conwy with its rich maritime past. Waterfront adventure in Colwyn Bay. Year round breaks, filled with family fun, good food, great walking, world-class theatre and a full calendar of exciting events. All within easy reach of Snowdonia.

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+44 (0)1492 577577 llandudnotic@conwy.gov.uk visitllandudno.org.uk facebook.com/visitingllandudno twitter.com/visit_llandudno

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North East Wales railways, golf, cycling, walking, award1 The Isle of Anglesey Less than 20 minutes from Chester, we’re winning beaches, country parks,Wales 2/2A Colwyn Bay, Rhyl & Prestatyn just a short journey fromLlandudno, the North West Coast Path, World Heritage Site, Areas 3 The North Wales Borderlands 4 Snowdonia MynyddoeddNatural a Môr Beauty and and the West Midlands.

From theMountains bustling& Coast/Eryri of Outstanding Mid Wales & the Brecon Beacons shops and cultural56 events of Wrexham Heritage Coast.

Ceredigion – Cardigan Bay to the culinary delights of the Mold Food 7 Pembrokeshire – Carmarthen Bay(0)1341 281485 and Drink Festival89to theCarmarthenshire world-famous +44 Swansea Bay – Mumbles, Gower, Afan andthe Vale of Neath Llangollen International Eisteddfod.

10 The Valleys – Heart and Soul tourism@gwynedd.gov.uk of Wales Cardiff, Wales visitsnowdonia.info The area includes11Rhyl, one ofcapital the of best 12 The Most Southerly Point In Wales – The Glamorgan Heritage Coast and Countryside recognised British13seaside andof Usk facebook.com/visitingsnowdonia Wyeresorts Valley & Vale twitter.com/visit_snowdonia the Clywdian Range & Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We even visitsnowdonia.wordpress.com have an 11-mile long World Heritage Site 5 Mid Wales My Way – the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal and you can also walk the ancient Offa’s Featuring Brecon Beacons National Park, Dyke path running through Chirk out to Dyfi Biosphere, Cambrian Mountains, the coast at Prestatyn.

Lake Vrynwy & the Berwyns and Offa’s Country. Magnificent Walks – two +44 (0)1978 292015 national trails, waterfalls trails and many other breathtaking walks besides. tourism@wrexham.gov.uk Muddy Wheels – cycling on- and off+44 (0)1745 355068 road. A great track record- four years rhyl.tic@denbighshire.gov.uk with the Tour of Britain, home to Dyfi northeastwales.co.uk Enduro and Beacons Beast. Family 4 Snowdonia Mountains & Coast traffic-free routes to extreme mountain biking await. Year round events - from The outdoor adventure playground Hay Literary to Machynlleth Comedy, of North Wales that includes the from Green Man to the Royal Welsh Snowdonia National Park, Ll y^ n Peninsula and Winter Shows, celebrating our and Cambrian Coastline. A wide choice agricultural heritage. Stay in magnificent of quality accommodation, attractions mansions to wacky wigwams. All topped and activities – castles, narrow gauge 3

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off with mouth-watering cuisine, local whiskies and marvellous wines.

That’s Mid Wales My Way!

+44 (0)1267 231557 marketing@carmarthenshire.gov.uk discovercarmarthenshire.com

+44(0)1874 622485 tourism@powys.gov.uk midwalesmyway.com

Swansea Bay – Mumbles, Gower, Afan & the Vale of Neath Discover Dylan Thomas in Wales’s Waterfront City, birthplace of our poetic hero and playwright. Be a part of his centenary celebrations throughout 2014.

Spend some time in the UK’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Unwind on award-winning beaches and explore unspoilt countryside. Bring your board, bike and boots and enjoy watersports, cycling and walking.

Ceredigion – Cardigan Bay & the Cambrian Mountains Discover the landscape, villages and harbours that inspired Dylan Thomas and delve into Wales’s history at Cardigan Castle. Walk gentle or challenging sections of Ceredigion’s coast path from a promenade stroll at Aberystwyth to hill fort climbs at Llangrannog. Spot dolphins and birds; enjoy family fun at award winning beaches and all sorts of events; relax and savour Cardigan Bay seafood to Cambrian Mountain lamb.

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+44 (0)1792 468321 tourism@swansea.gov.uk visitswanseabay.com The Valleys – Heart & Soul of Wales World-class mountain biking and other activities on, over and under landscapes that are never short on drama. Proud communities bursting to tell you their stories about Wales’s largest castle, a World Heritage Site, craft beers and ciders and an intriguing cast of heroes from the mythological past to the contemporary music scene. You haven’t visited Wales until you’ve been to the Valleys – the Heart and Soul of Wales.

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+44 (0)1970 612125 brochure@ceredigion.gov.uk discoverceredigion.co.uk facebook.com/discoverceredigion Twitter: @visitceredigion Pembrokeshire – Britain’s only Coastal National Park Rated by National Geographic magazine experts as the second best coastline in the world. With 186 miles (299 km) of magnificent and varied coastline and more than 50 beaches, there’s plenty of space for everyone. Choose between lively Tenby and Saundersfoot or peaceful St David’s and Newport. Perfect for outdoor activities or just relaxing.

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To find out more about Pembrokeshire visitpembrokeshire.com Carmarthenshire – Carmarthen Bay The last place that Dylan Thomas called home and the best place to be to celebrate and capture his centenary celebrations in 2014. Carmarthenshire stretches from Carmarthen Bay in the south to western Beacons and the Cambrian Mountains in the north, wondrous Gardens, awe-inspiring Castles and Wales’s longest beach, market towns brimming with local produce and chic shopping.

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+44 (0)29 2088 0011 contactus@thevalleys.co.uk thevalleys.co.uk Cardiff – Capital of Wales The capital of Wales has unique attractions, top-class entertainment, a wide range of accommodation to suit all needs and quality shopping with a difference. Cardiff Castle, the Millennium Stadium, National Museum Cardiff, the Wales Millennium Centre and famous Doctor Who Experience combined with Cardiff Bay offer indoor and outdoor entertainment for everyone all year round.

The Glamorgan Heritage Coast & Countryside The dramatic Heritage Coast and popular resorts of Barry Island and Porthcawl are fringed by lovely Vale and Bridgend countryside and green hills. Discover the special character of an area steeped in history – and it’s close to Cardiff, Wales’s cosmopolitan capital.

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+44 (0)1446 704867 +44 (0)1656 815338 tourism@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk tourism@bridgend.gov.uk visitthevale.com bridgendbites.com Wye Valley & Vale of Usk Fantastic scenery and high-quality food and drink from the Brecon Beacons National Park to the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Explore castles, Roman towns and beautiful gardens; then take in award-winning vineyards bustling market towns and great local pubs. With the renowned Newport and Abergavenny Food Festivals, celebrated restaurants and artisan producers, discover why we’re the Food Capital of Wales.

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+44 (0)29 2087 3573 visitor@cardiff.gov.uk visitcardiff.com

+44 (0)1291 623772 tourism@monmouthshire.gov.uk visitwyevalley.com

& Find out more by visiting visitwales.com/brochures to download as many brochures as you like or select up to three for free postal delivery or call +44 (0) 8701 211256.

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Getting to Wales

Wales is easy to get to. It’s a big plus point. We’re just a few hours by road and rail from most of the UK’s main centres. And if you’re visiting us from Ireland, you have the choice of direct ferries to both North and South Wales or direct flights to Cardiff Airport.

GLASGOW

EDINBURGH

LIVERPOOL

Fishguard Pembroke

By road

Mileage and journey times by car

Birmingham – Aberystwyth 123 miles, 2hrs 44mins

Newcastle-upon-Tyne – 221 miles, 4hrs 20mins

Canterbury – Cardiff 214 miles, 3hrs 51mins

Nottingham – Swansea 204 miles, 3hrs 41mins

Coventry – Barmouth 138 miles, 2hrs 56mins

Peterborough – Aberystwyth 207 miles, 4hrs 22mins

Exeter – Swansea 144 miles, 2hrs 35mins

Reading – Carmarthen 172 miles, 3hrs 02mins

Leeds – Llandudno 126 miles, 2hrs 31mins

York – Welshpool 152 miles, 3hrs 02mins

London – Cardiff 151 miles, 2hrs 53mins

Edinburgh – Cardiff 393 miles, 7hrs 03mins

London – Tenby 238 miles, 4hrs 29mins

Glasgow – Aberystwyth 331 miles, 6hrs 04mins theaa.com

Manchester – Caernarfon 105 miles, 2hrs 19mins

National Express provides a nationwide network of express coach services linking major towns and cities in Wales as well as the UK’s principal destinations. nationalexpress.com Megabus provides low cost intercity travel in the UK, with buses running from a number of major UK cities to Newport, Cwmbran, Cardiff, Swansea, Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

Prices from £1 plus 50p booking fee (one way). http://uk.megabus.com

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By rail In the UK, fast and frequent rail services run between London Paddington and Cardiff, taking only two hours. There is a halfhourly departure to Cardiff Central, with an hourly continuation to Swansea and onward connections to West Wales. Direct trains to North Wales depart from London Euston. There’s also a rail service between London Marylebone, Shrewsbury and Wrexham. Hourly services run from Manchester to the North Wales coast.

For general rail enquiries: nationalrail.co.uk/thetrainline.com

By sea Irish Ferries Dublin Port to Holyhead Journey time: 1hr 49mins (Fast ferry) Journey time: 3hrs 15mins (Cruise ferry) Rosslare to Pembroke Journey time: 4hrs irishferries.com

Stena Line Dublin Port to Holyhead Journey time: 2hrs 20mins (Fastcraft) Journey time: 3hrs 15mins (Superferry) Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead Journey time: 2hrs 20mins (Fastcraft) Rosslare to Fishguard Journey time: 3hrs 30mins (Superferry) stenaline.ie

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Getting around Wales By air Cardiff Airport cardiff-airport.com A number of airlines offer direct flights to Cardiff from other parts of the UK and Ireland – check out their websites for details: Aer Lingus Serving: Dublin aerlingus.com Citywing Serving: Anglesey citywing.com Eastern Airways Serving: Newcastle and Aberdeen easternairways.com Flybe Serving: Belfast (City), Edinburgh, Glasgow and Jersey flybe.com KLM Serving: Dublin klm.com The airport is situated in Rhoose, 12 miles (20 km) south west of Cardiff. Buses, trains and taxis link the airport to the city centre. The Cardiff Airport Express bus service offers a direct link to the city centre every 20 minutes. Taxis cost approximately £26; a booking office is located outside the arrivals hall. A rail link connects the airport station to Cardiff Central and Bridgend. Trains run every hour from Monday to Saturday and every two hours on Sundays. A complimentary shuttle bus service is available between the terminal building and the station for passengers with a valid train ticket. Car hire is also available.

By road Wales’s most scenic drives count amongst the best in Britain. Some favourite routes with fantastic views include the A466 along the Wye Valley, the B4574 from Rhayader to the Vale of Rheidol, the A4069 across the Black Mountain range, the A4086, A498 and A4085 around Snowdon and Marine Drive around Great Orme, Llandudno.

When you’re out and about in our National Parks, use the convenient park and ride bus services designed to cut down on traffic: Brecon Beacons National Park – travelbreconbeacons.info/beacons-bus Pembrokeshire Coast National Park – pembrokeshire.gov.uk Snowdonia National Park – gwynedd.gov.uk

By rail Rail services run through the regions of Wales – usually on highly scenic routes such as the Cambrian Coast, Conwy Valley and Heart of Wales lines. nationalrail.co.uk arrivatrainswales.co.uk scenicwales.co.uk heart-of-wales.co.uk

Discounted rail and bus travel

The Explore Wales Pass offers unlimited travel on all mainline rail services in Wales plus most scheduled bus services.

Holders will also benefit from free or discounted travel on some of the narrow gauge Great Little Trains of Wales and discounted entry to many of Wales’s tourist attractions. The Explore Wales Pass (£94) allows four days’ train and eight days’ bus travel. The Explore South Wales Pass and the Explore North and Mid Wales Pass (£64 each) allow four days’ train and eight days’ bus travel within each regional area. There are also a number of Rover and Ranger tickets available, which all offer unlimited rail travel for one day on specific areas of the Arriva Trains Wales network. They can be purchased from the station booking office or on board the train. arrivatrainswales.co.uk/explorewalespass

Additional Information For up-to-date and reliable public transport information – traveline-cymru.info For a handy route planner – theaa.com or rac.co.uk Information on UK road regulations – gov.uk/browse/driving /highway-code

For pure pleasure why not take a ride on some of our 14 narrow gauge and steam railways? Many are members of the Great Little Trains of Wales. greatlittletrainsofwales.co.uk

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch St Mary’s Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St Tysilio of the red cave

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Further information

Free brochures Find out more about Wales by choosing some of the FREE guides available. Check them out, and order or download them from visitwales.com/brochures

Our other websites There are a number of really useful Visit Wales websites to get information on the different types of activities you can try on your holiday in Wales. Whether you want to hurtle down a mountain with your rear brakes burned out, throw yourself off rugged wave-lashed cliffs, fish for grayling on the River Wye, or play one of our championship golf courses – we have a website for you. So what are you waiting for?

Adventure: visitwales.com/things-to-do/activities Fishing: fishing.visitwales.com Mountain biking: mbwales.com Walking: walking.visitwales.com Golf: golfasitshouldbe.com For up-to-date information on short breaks and proper holidays in Wales, go to the official website: visitwales.com

FAQs How do I know I’m booking good quality accommodation?

When choosing your holiday accommodation, look for the Cymru/ Wales quality mark of Wales’s official, nationwide quality assessment scheme.

Visit Wales and the AA are the only checking agents in Wales, checking out over 5,000 properties. Both assess holiday accommodation to the same criteria and award one to five stars, based on the facilities and overall quality of the experience. Also look out for that extra-special property that has been awarded Visit Wales’s Gold Award,

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given for exceptional standards of hospitality, comfort and food in serviced accommodation.

For more information on accommodation in Wales, the Cymru/ Wales Quality Assessment scheme, general grading information and star ratings go to: visitwales.com/holidayaccommodation Where can I find holiday information for people with special needs?

Tourism for All is a free specialist information service promoting accessible tourism. It offers free guidance on travel planning, transport, accommodation and booking tourismforall.org.uk I’d like to learn some Welsh before my visit – where do I start?

Take a look at the following websites to pick up some basics: bbc.co.uk/learnwelsh s4c.co.uk/dysgwyr/ If you’d like to learn Welsh in Wales, the Nant Gwrtheyrn Welsh Language & Heritage Centre specialises in residential courses for adults learning Welsh. nantgwrtheyrn.org Where can I get local tourist information?

One of the simplest and quickest ways of getting local information is by calling in to one of our Tourist Information Centres. The staff are highly trained, have an excellent knowledge of the area and will be delighted to help you with booking your accommodation, finding places to eat, things to do, routes to take, national and local events and obtaining maps, guides and books. Normally, offices are open between 10.00 and 17.00. For a list of Tourist Information Centres see: visitwales.com/contact/touristinformation-centres

Travel agents and tour operators in the UK and Ireland To make it really easy to book your holiday or short break in Wales you could use a tour operator. There are a number of UK and Irish companies who offer Wales-based holidays. They often have specialist knowledge of particular products and will be happy to help you find the right holiday to suit your needs.

For companies go to: traveltrade visitwales.com/en/touroperators/

Selling Wales to your clients If you work in the leisure travel trade or business tourism sectors, we have a dedicated website to help you sell Wales to your clients and enhance existing tours to Wales or help introduce Wales into UK programmes for the first time.

There’s everything from great places to visit, how to get here, inspiring itinerary ideas, operator and venue searches and the latest product news where you can sign up to receive regular product updates. traveltrade.visitwales.com

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in this publication, Visit Wales can accept no liability for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions or for any matter in anyway arising out of the publication of the information. All websites listed are checked at the time of going to press. However, Visit Wales cannot be held accountable for any change in the content of these websites.

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Mother tongue

A sense of place

When the Romans arrived in Britain, every person in what is now England and Wales spoke the same language: Welsh (or at least, British, the Celtic language from which modern Welsh is descended).

Successive invasions from mainland Europe drove the British language to the western edges of Britain, where it evolved into Welsh, Cornish and the now-extinct Cumbric. The language also hopped across to north-west France, where the Breton language is still partly intelligible to Welsh speakers.

Nowadays Welsh is spoken by around a fifth of the population, especially in the north and west of Wales, where it is many people’s everyday working language. You’ll also hear quite a bit of Welsh in major towns and cities like Cardiff, where the government and all major public bodies are fully bilingual.

So if you want to know what our ancient British ancestors sounded like, just find your nearest Welsh speaker and say shwmae!

Place names tell a story in Wales. You’ll see the same words appear time and again on our road signs, and they’ll always tell you something of the local history or landscape. Two in particular appear very often: Llan indicates a church or parish, usually followed by the name of the saint to whom it’s dedicated, as in Llandudno: the church of St Tudno. Aber means the mouth or confluence of a river, as in Aberaeron: the mouth of the river Aeron.

Here’s a list of common names to look out for on your travels: Aber mouth/confluence of river Afon river Betws chapel source of a stream Blaen Bryn hill a mountain pass Bwlch Caer fort, fortified camp Capel chapel Cas, castell castle

Coed forest Cwm valley Din hill fort Dinas city Dyffryn valley Eglwys church Ffordd road Ffynnon spring Glyn deep valley Gwaun moorland Hafod summer farmstead Hendre winter farmstead Llan church, sacred enclosure Llyn lake Môr sea Mynydd mountain Nant brook Newydd new hall, mansion Plas Pont bridge Rhaeadr waterfall Traeth beach T^y house Ynys island

And the award goes to…

Hostels, Bunkhouses and Alternative Accommodation Cosy Under Canvas, Newchurch cosyundercanvas.co.uk Best Event Abergavenny Food Festival, Abergavenny abergavennyfoodfestival.com Best Visitor Experience Celtic Quest Coasteering, Haverfordwest celticquestcoasteering.com Most Successful Tourism Team Trecco Bay Holiday Park, Porthcawl parkdeanholidays.co.uk Best Places to Eat (Public Vote) Restaurant (Large) Signatures Restaurant, Aberconwy signaturesrestaurant.co.uk Restaurant (Small) Llansantffraed Court Country House Hotel & Restaurant, near Abergavenny llch.co.uk Pub The Bell at Skenfrith, Skenfrith skenfrith.co.uk Café The Old Station, Tintern Tinternvillage.co.uk/seedo/tintern-oldstation/

Regional Tourism Award Capital Region Welsh Whisky Company, Penderyn welsh-whisky.co.uk South West Wales Dan yr Ogof, The National Showcaves Centre for Wales, near Neath showcaves.co.uk Mid Wales Y Talbot, Tregaron ytalbot.com North Wales Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways Porthmadog festrail.co.uk Business Tourism Operator Award Radisson Blu Hotel, Cardiff radissonblu.co.uk/Cardiff Young Tourism Entrepreneur Phil Scott and Tom Ashwell, RibRide Anglesey ribride.co.uk Technology in Tourism Award Celtic Quest Coasteering, Haverfordwest celticquestcoasteering.org Outstanding Achievement Award Gordon Green / Green Events Ltd green-events.co.uk

The National Tourism Awards for Wales showcase the very best that we’ve got to offer in the tourism industry. From luxurious hotels to cosy B&Bs, attractions to eateries, they all have the same things in common – great quality, a warm welcome and a truly professional approach to looking after visitors. These are our reigning champions, who were crowned at a big glittery ceremony in November 2013: Best Places to Stay Hotel St Brides Spa Hotel, Saundersfoot stbridesspahotel.com Guest Accommodation Llwyn Helyg, near Carmarthen llwynhelygcountryhouse.co.uk Self-Catering Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens and Cottages, Menai Bridge plascadnant.co.uk Holiday, Touring or Camping Park The Plassey Leisure Park, Wrexham plassey.com

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‘The sea has been a breeze-serene sapphire, And blue-tipped birds have rippled it, And the sun smoothed it with quiet fire, And I have reflected its colours in the peace of my eyes…’

From Idyll of Unforgetfulness by Dylan Thomas, written before his 16th birthday