the grand tour of wales 2006

JS_Conwy

As an outsider (only lived in Wales 19 years!) I have had to show lots of rellies pretty places.
Here are my favourites: -
Porth Dinllaen (Head for Morfa Nefyn, ask directions to the golf course and go through it to the other side - hidden beach with a pub.)
Conwy (Lovely walled town, adorable shops, nice marina and harbour, nice pub on harbour - Anna's Tea Rooms are worth a visit above an outdoor shop)
Llandudno (unspoilt Victorian seaside town - dry ski slope - Victorian Tram - Bronze Age Copper Mine etc.)
Red Wharf Bay (Anglesey)
Portmeirion (of course and if you book a Sunday Lunch at the hotel you get free entry into the village)
Snowdon (experienced hikers try the Horseshoe, non experienced - the train track)
Betws-y-Coed (check out the cake shop on the station and also behind the station you can eat quite reasonably on a train carriage)
Caernarfon (my favourite castle and also the Castle Bakery)
Hope you have a great time anyway - North Wales is gorgeous on a good day and if you don't like the weather - just wait half an hour!

Swattie

Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagans near Cardiff is FREE and really interesting if you like history.

mollymunchkin

Pembrokehsire is a must! Barafundle Bay - as already suggested. Here are a few more:

The Coasal Path
City of St David's - can recommend a beautiful campsite overlooking the sea in an unspoilt area at Caerfai Bay http://www.caerfaibay.co.uk
Surfing beaches at Newgale and Whitesands.
Trips to Ramsey and Caldey Islands - dolphin/poipoise (sp)/seal and bird spotting

See https://www.visitpembrokeshire.co.uk for more info. Enjoy your trip :j .

pavlovs_dog

shamelessly bumps own thread to link to this thread about more things to do in wales over the summer :beer:

(will post an update on my plans for my trip in due course )

COOLTRIKERCHICK

a lovely camp site...is at llangors lake in brecon.....we went there a rew years ago.....the camping area is nice and sheltered, and not to over crowded....quite small really....but its lovely.....just by the lake.....
plus there is a club house on site...

Wig

Are you drivin, public transport or doing the hardcore thumb ride?

Three cliffs bay (gower) has a campsite, worth a visit.

How about Helvelin?

pavlovs_dog

just thought i'd update to let you know how we got on.

we left cardiff bright and early last monday (well, we were bright, the weather not so ) and headed to mid wales. our first stop was castell carreg cennen castle which was very enjoyable (im a bit of a castle fanatic ) a very enjoyable few hours were spent exploring the castle and underground cave (which was well worth taking the torch for. it was an adevnture, even if it didnt lead anywhere :rotfl: ). we then had a hot drinks in the tea room, sat in a gorgeous converted barn type building with HUGE windows looking out over the hills.

we then headed down to pembrey and the national park, via llandeilo. our plan was to camp overnight, and to take in kidwelly castle on tuesday on the way to tenby, where we would be based for the week. however when we arrived, we found that our campsite of choice had stopped allowing tents to pitch, so we followed the path around the coast down to tenby where we pitched at well park.

on tuesday we headed north, and the first port of call was st davids. i had really wanted to see the cathedral, as i had done a module on the life and legend of david in uni. whilst archetecturally impressive, there was hardly any mention of the man who had started the whole thing off :rolleyes: we also felt that they were trying to get money out of you for anything and everything; suggested monetary gift to visit the cathedral, had to pay to use take photographs (dont forget your cheque books and life savings if you want to use a tripod :eek: ) and the refrectory which sold itself on good food at reasonable prices served 'fussy things' at a rate which made the national librray of wales' refrectory look dirt cheap :rotfl:

after exploring the town and stopping for lunch, we decided to move on. we drove up to fishguard, for no other reason than the fact that OH wanted to be able to say he had been there we then drove through fishguard's sister town, newport, on the way to castell henllys in eglwyswrw, which is not far from cardigan. a lovely afternoon, and i highly recommend going on the guided tour if you can because the guide is a mine of information. it was also nice to amble around the grounds, taking in the scenery and feeling at one with nature.

on wednesday we rose early to have a full cooked breakfast at candys, before heading over to caldey island on the first sailing (£9 each). we were disappointed not to see any monks, but again a lovely day was spent exploring the island. the villagers are very friendly and more than happpy to chat, especially the ladies in the gift shop the walk up to the lighthouse and along the cliffs was splendid, even if we didnt manage to spot and seals or dolphins. we then spent an hour exploring the beach (a very pleasant beach which is much less crowded than the main beaches at tenby - but dont forget your sunblock, my sunburn is still smarting now :eek: )

on return to the main land, we explored the streets and shops of tenby; its a glorious quaint little town, with plenty to see and do - well worth a visit, even if just passing through for the afternoon.

thursday we managed to cram in yet another castle, this time in pembroke. one of the biggest castles i have been in in a long time, and definately not for theose with vertigo as there are a LOT of tall towers and spiral staircases. we didnt buy a guidebook as we were quite au fait with the history of the period (i studied henry VII @ a level history). people did seem to be really enjoying the guided tours, which i think were £1-£2 a person on top of the admission price.

after lunch at an award winning fish and chip shop we headed east to spend the end of the afternoon exploing tenby's neighbour, saundersfoot, which seems to have the same sort of feel as say porthcawl or barry. on the way back to camp we found a wonderful farm shop where we bought fresh eggs to scramble for breakfast the next day.

friday was our last day, and we set off north to llys y fran reservoir and park. we walked the 8 odd miles around the reservoir in just over 2 and a half hours. we were going to hire bikes and cycle round, but luckily we didnt - it is not a course for the faint hearted, with some very steep gradients and sheer drops :eek: we had a picnic in the park before heading back to tenby for last minute souvenier shopping and a final walk along the beach before packing up and heading home.



we had a fab time, and managed to cross some places off the to-do list. we think our next trip (august) will be in cornwall, so we we'll probably save north wales for next year.

thanks again to all for the advice. we still have lots of day trips planned, so i'll kepp you posted on how we get on :beer:

mollymunchkin

Sounds like you had a great trip :T I live in Pembrokeshire and my brother was down visiting this weekend and we took him to the beaches at Tenby, Saundersfoot, Coppets Hall and Wisemans Bridge. They were very impressed and wanted to stay.

pavlovs_dog

thought i'd bump this.

looking to go on a long weekend away in early march, and one possibility we're entertaining is more of wales. anyone have any suggestions for mid/north wales? we saw a fair bit of pembrokeshire over the summer, but have yet to venture north.

will be travelling by car, and probably staying in b&bs (any cheap and cheerful recommendations?) as it will be a bit cold for camping :eek: (although we havent ruled out that as a possibility if there are sites open)

wolvesinwales

Plenty of good value B&B in Builth Wells as long as there is nothing on at the Royal Welsh Showground. It's a lovely town in its own right but also very well placed for visits to Llanndrinod Wells, Rhayader and the Elan Valley