Written for Humbird, because she asked.

If you had two weeks to explore as much of Wales as possible, how would you go about it? Where would you go? What would you see?

Well, I think the first order of business should be signing up for membership of CADW, who are responsible for the upkeep of most of the castles and monuments in Wales. A year's subscription may seem a little extreme for a two week tour, but the resulting free entrance to as many castles and monuments as you want to visit in that fortnight makes it worthwhile.
Or, if you want detailed information on most of the many castles in Wales, look here. There are plenty of them, visible proof of how difficult the Anglo-Normans found it to conquer this rocky little land!
For more general exploration of the country, try here.

Once that is all sorted out, on with the tour! Be warned: it may take longer than two weeks by the time I've finished. A broadly circular route clockwise around the country will be followed.

1. First of all, take in Cardiff and district. Bear in mind that while Cardiff may only have a population of less than 300,000, it is still the largest population centre in Wales, so make the most of the crowds while they last. There is plenty to see:
   Llandaff Cathdral.
   National Museum and Gallery .
   Cardiff Castle – here you get a guided tour and a potted history covering nigh on two millennia!
   An afternoon has to be given over to the Museum of Welsh Life out at St Fagans, a sprawling open-air museum housing buildings hundreds of years old from all across the country, displaying life over the centuries in Wales. Entrance is free but donations are welcome.
   Do not forget to stop by the fantastic Millennium Stadium, and maybe even catch a game. It is always worth a visit; the atmosphere is electric.
   Another must is time spent down in Cardiff Bay, maybe enjoying an ice cream on the waterfront at Cadwallader's Café, or a meal in the Norwegian Church, which has a fantastically quirky menu. Time it right and there may be an open-air concert on in the Oval Basin, which today is a beautiful venue for such events, although I always find it weird as I remember it well in its previous incarnation as a damp, dark and mildewed disused dock! Reconstruction is a bizarre thing to live through, although the benefits are clear for all to see. Bear in mind that at the height of the coal industry in these parts, this was the largest exporting dock in the world. How times have changed.
   Perhaps you might have time to take the water-taxi across the Bay to the nearby town of Penarth. Here you should stop for a quick rain-dance if you want a truly British experience of the seaside. Then, a light drizzle accomplished, you stroll along the pier to stand in said drizzle looking out to sea while munching happily on fish and chips wrapped in newspaper, heedless of the sand and salty sea spray blowing into your face. This enhances the flavour and is how fish and chips should always be eaten. Afterwards, you wander down onto the shingle clad in sandals and raincoat to throw stones into the sea. If you are my dad you can skim them, but some of us have never acquired this knack.
   However, if you prefer your beaches to have sand you will have to venture further along the coast to Barry Island, where you can also enjoy a classic seaside funfair.
   For the truly masochistic, you can walk or cycle the Taff Trail, which takes you through green spaces lining the centre of the city right the way up to the village of Tongwynlas and Castell Coch, the most fantastic folly in Wales.
   You can't leave Cardiff without taking a stroll around Roath Park Lake. I live fairly close, so you might like to wave to me as you pass!
   And why not wander slightly further east to take in the Roman legionary museum at Caerleon before moving on.

2. Let us pretend we haven't taken quite so long over the first area on the tour and start to make our way westward towards Carmarthenshire and Pemrokeshire. On the way, you could take a small detour onto the Gower peninsula and bask on the beaches there. Then, once you get off the M4 motorway the scenery is just stunning. If you want places to go, you could do worse than simply looking out for the little brown signs indicating places of interest and just following these at random. One to watch out for, however, is Pemberton's Chocolate Farm , which I've always wanted to visit but never yet managed to. You might also like to visit the woollen mill at Dre-fach Felindre.
   If you like gardens, you could always pop into Middleton, the bankrupt National Botanical Garden of Wales, currently existing on a shoestring and gallons of goodwill. Or, if you prefer something a little more financially stable, nearby you will find the fabulous, once Lost, Gardens of Aberglasney.
   Castell Carreg Cennen is always worth a visit, if you don't mind clambering up steep hills. Just be careful not to fall into the rather deep pit in the cellars!
   Into Pembrokeshire, take a drive through the many tiny villages and stop at Wolfscastle, where you will find a lovely craft shop and stunning rock formations. Pass through Haverfordwest, the largest town in these here parts, and pause to take in the castle. My company has an office here, backing on to the castle, which is rather a nice view to have from your office window!
   It was from the Pembrokeshire coast that Henry Tudor launched his bid for the English crown, and you might also like to take in St David's: the tiniest city in the UK and home of one of the oldest Cathedrals. King Alfred's biographer, Asser, was bishop of St David's.

3. After exploring the south and west of Wales quite thoroughly, it is time now to start travelling north. Take the coast road and enjoy the view it affords, through Aberaeron and upwards to the university town of Aberystwyth. If you are really lucky it might even be sunny, as there is a beautiful beach here (and yet another castle, slighted during the civil war). In my experience, however, the sky in Aberystwyth is almost always cloudy and dull. But the town is very pretty.
   Keep heading north. There is plenty to see. You could take in the village of Portmeirion, or the slate mines, not to mention the beauty of the Snowdonia National Park and Lake Bala. If you go anywhere near Blaenau Ffestiniog, you simply have to travel the toll road, because it is cute and only costs 5p. They have volunteers manning the road, armed with raffle tickets and ice-cream tubs for the money, which supports local charities. All to the good.

4. Your northward journey should now take you across the Menai Bridge to the isle of Anglesey, or Ynys Môn as it is known locally. Here, it is always a good idea to arm oneself with a few Welsh phrases in order to get in good with the locals. Take note of these examples:
   Bore da = good morning
   P'nawn da = good afternoon
   Hwyl! = goodbye
   Diolch yn fawr = thanks
   You cannot visit Anglesey without driving through the village with the longest name in Europe, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysyliogogogoch. I kid you not. It means "St Mary's church in a hollow of white hazel near to a rapid whirlpool and St Tysilio's church near the red cave". The name is bigger than the village, but do not attempt to say the whole thing. No one does. It is known as Llanfairpwll, or Llanfair PG. Learning how to pronounce 'll' would be a good move. There is no English equivalent to this sound, but you can pay me to say it for you.
   Another good place to see on Anglesey is Beaumaris, and it would not take that much time to drive around the entire island.

5. Back on the mainland, take a trip to Caernarfon and the stunning castle there, Edward I's showpiece and symbol of his conquest of Gwynedd. If you have time, there are many, many more castles to visit up here, such as Conwy and Dolwyddelan, and it will then be time to start the return journey southwards, this time travelling down the east side of the country, close to the English border.
   On this leg of your journey, do not forget to take in the beautiful mountain town of Rhayader, with its stunning waterfalls and the red kite rescue centre. Time your arrival here just right and you will be treated to the spectacular sight of these very rare birds out feeding. Then continue south through the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains, maybe visiting the Dan Yr Ogof showcaves and Craig-y-Nos castle en route. Or you might prefer the Dolaucothi Gold Mines.

6. Further south we begin to explore the industrial heritage of the South Wales Valleys. Once superbly industrialised and urbanised, and currently depopulated and depressed, the valleys remain stunning just to drive through, and there is plenty to see, such as the Big Pit or the Rhondda Heritage Park.
   I always find the Rhondda kind of poignant to drive through, now that all the pits have gone except the one, Tower Colliery – closed down by the government, but bought out and re-opened by a worker's co-operative and still profitable ten years later.
   
   

Then, having finally found your way back through the valleys to Cardiff, having spent far longer than the two weeks you had originally planned, you will of course be far too exhausted to even contemplate travelling on into England!

And if you were really taking this tour, you would of course look carefully at the selection of places I have listed and decide which of them you most wanted to see and explore. And then plan to come back and do to the rest.


June 2004