10 replies to this topic

[Christian U]

So, it's time I start planning this year's summer vacation and the plan is to spend most of it in in the area or general vicinity of Wales. So, given how there's at least one Welsh guy (albeit in exile) here and presumably lots of people have been, I ask you: What is there that I absolutely shouldn't miss? What are places that won't be in my tourist guide and that I should see? What are the places I should avoid?

Any recommendation of pubs, B&Bs and whatnot would also be welcome, obviously.

[Martin Smith]

Don't, right, don't stay in this hotel in the centre of Cardiff my friends and I stayed in a couple of years back. I can't remember the name, it's next to a jazz club and has lots of windows. You'll know the one. It's awful.

Cardiff itself I can't really speak for, as it was crippled by snow when I went there.

[Todd Gross]

If you are a Prisoner fan, maybe Portmeirion?

[Arjan Dirkse]

You should try to learn at least a tiny bit of Welsh before going there...would be terrible if they mistake you for an Englishman

I've never been there, I think I'm going to make my first trip to Scotland this year. Or maybe London, or Yorkshire, or Ireland, or Poland, or Portugal, or Romania...dammit, there's just too much to choose from.

[Mike]

I like Cardiff.

If politicians weren't idiotically incompetent, I'd have done my registrar training there and not Nottingham.

[garjones]

So, it's time I start planning this year's summer vacation and the plan is to spend most of it in in the area or general vicinity of Wales. So, given how there's at least one Welsh guy (albeit in exile) here and presumably lots of people have been, I ask you: What is there that I absolutely shouldn't miss? What are places that won't be in my tourist guide and that I should see? What are the places I should avoid?

Any recommendation of pubs, B&Bs and whatnot would also be welcome, obviously.

Okay so in the Cardiff area there's the Doctor Who Experience which isn't open yet but is set to be by the Summer, Cardiff Bay with Roald Dahl's Norwegian church and the various old and new buildings is worth a visit, as is the castle. Nearby are the Big Pit museum (you get to go down a coal mine) and St Ffagan's Welsh Folk Museum are very good. The Goat Major is a good pub there which serves local food and beers.

Wales has the highest density of castles in the world, the best are Caerphilly, Pembroke, Conwy and Caernarfon. Pembroke has the bonus of a secret smuggler's cave underneath it.

For natural beauty there is the Gower peninsula (Rhosili in particular), pretty much all of the West Wales coast and Snowdonia. A drive along the west coast is great, some really nice old seaside towns like Tenby and Aberaeron.

The further west and north you get (i.e. the farther away from England) the greater the usage of Welsh, in the county of Gwynedd it'll be the main language of use in most towns which will be a bit different.

Tourist traps? Probably Portmeirion, it is smaller than it seems from The Prisoner and way too expensive for a small square you can walk around in 5 minutes. Hidden gems? Dolaucothi gold mine and Margam Park if they are on your way.

On B&Bs and all that, well I lived there so haven't stayed at many. I'd have to refer to Trip Advisor reviews.

[Mike]

Is the Doctor Who Experience the one that's been in London? In which case, yes it's great!

As a kid, I absolutely loved the Ffestiniog Railway.

[Christian U]

Cheers for the recommendation, Gar, that should keep me occupied... and yeah, we've been using tripadvisor on our last trips, and it's actually worked well enough for us.

I'll take care to avoid any Cardiff hotels next to jazz clubs, though. At least if they have windows.

The Ffestiniog railway looks great, Mike, I think the little one would love it.

[garjones]

Is the Doctor Who Experience the one that's been in London? In which case, yes it's great!

As a kid, I absolutely loved the Ffestiniog Railway.

Yes it's the same one, they are moving it permanently to Cardiff. The council are paying and taking back 2 quid off the ticket price as they expect it to make 13m a year for them.

Yes the Ffestiniog Railway is a very good call.

[Martin Smith]

I'll take care to avoid any Cardiff hotels next to jazz clubs, though. At least if they have windows.

Good call. I think it was this place:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=cardiff+map&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x486e02d434ec53f5:0x143406db6586670e,Cardiff&gl=uk&ei=asVTT7i5O6S80QXWlIXzCQ&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CCsQ8gEwAA

[danabel]

I spent four years in Aberystwyth and many childhood holidays in North Wales. I think its a beautiful part of the country, though quite isolated. Go there if you love the beauty and wildlife of mountains and wilderness, ancient monuments (such as the anglesey burial mounds), or activities such as climbing, kayaking. Oh, rugby and good pubs too!