This is Wales Wales In 2019 the travel editor of The Times Wales is an engaging mix of country and Sunday Times selected Wales for life and urban cool, tradition and his ‘Travel Editor’s Award’. “It’s small sophistication. You can stay in a comfy but perfectly formed, accessible and farmhouse or eco lodge, visit country welcoming – Wales continues to go from fairs that celebrate our rural heritage strength to strength as a destination,” or festivals dedicated to food, literature, he says. comedy, music and art. He’s not alone in his praise. National You’ll hear one of Europe’s oldest living Geographic and Lonely Planet also tell languages on your travels and sense a their readers to put Wales on their global Celtic pride and passion that gives the bucket list of “must-visit” places. Here’s country an identity all of its own. why we’re hitting the headlines: We have a suitcase full of quirky corners We have three National Parks, three and unexpected experiences, like super- World Heritage Sites and five Areas of fast ziplines, Dark Skies, dolphins, an Outstanding Natural Beauty, on par with Italianate village, a “town of books”, and some of the best protected, pristine an inland surfing lagoon. Not forgetting places in Britain. There are over 600 Impressionist art, big beaches and castles (one of the largest concentration steam railways. in Europe) and an epic 870-mile/1,400km seashore with one of the world’s first This is Wales. Check in. continuous coastal paths. Cardiff Castle overlooking the cityscape Front cover, Tenby Pembrokeshire, 1— Morgan Arcade, 2— Wales Millennium Centre Wales’ capital is one of Europe’s most vibrant and surprising cities. It’s a unique mix of historic city centre, cosmopolitan waterfront, generous green spaces, cutting-edge arts and culture, sport and sophistication, all driven by a youthful, 21st-century attitude. What’s more, it’s a compact, walkable, visitor-friendly city. This is Cardiff. Sport Lifestyle Culture Cardiff An insider’s guide. Cardiff Take a waterfront walk across the 0.7-mile/1.1km Cardiff Bay Barrage to the pretty marina at Penarth. Cardiff is a leader in sustainability, with a fleet of eco-friendly Nextbikes for hire. Get wet at Cardiff International White Water, an innovative aquatic hotspot where you can go rafting, surfing and kayaking. The past is present. Standing tall just a A sporting legend. Perched above the stone’s throw from the shops and cafés, River Taff in the heart of the city, the Cardiff Castle dominates the centre of Principality Stadium is a state-of-the-art town. Built on the site of a Roman fort, venue for international rugby matches, its Norman fortifications and lavishly concerts and major sporting events decorated Victorian interiors reflect like the UEFA Champions League final 2,000 years of history. Nearby, the and Rugby World Cup. Take a tour. dazzling neo-classical Civic Centre, a Washington in miniature, is home to Park city. It’s easy to escape into one of the National Museum of Wales, packed the multitude of parks and gardens that with extraordinary exhibits ranging dot the city. Start at beautiful Bute Park from mighty dinosaur skeletons to an in Cardiff’s centre, then explore Roath Impressionist art collection ranked Park a little further out, complete with amongst the finest in Europe. a botanic garden and boating lake. 1— Fashion and food. We prescribe some On the waterfront. Cardiff Bay is just a retail therapy. Explore the maze of short hop away from the centre, with Victorian arcades – a Cardiff speciality convenient transport links including – to discover tempting independent a popular water taxi service. Bayside boutiques brimming with one-of-a-kind you’ll find a lively, trendy water’s edge items. For the biggest brand names development – our historic dockland head to our shopping precincts. When reinvented – buzzing with bars, cafés and you’ve built up an appetite, take your pick restaurants. It’s also home to the iconic from a culinary scene featuring funky Wales Millennium Centre, a stunning street food and the finest in fine dining theatre and arts venue with a domed – and everything in between, including roof of gleaming bronze, and the National Cardiff’s fabulous fresh-foods market. Assembly for Wales’ home, the Senedd. 2— For more information on Cardiff go to our website visitwales.com/cardiff-capital-city South Wales is defined by the valleys that etch its landscape, each with its own unique personality. The historic industrial valleys, green again with country parks and forests, form the centrepiece of this welcoming region. They’re flanked on one side by the leafy Wye Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. On the other you’ll find the pristine farmlands of the Vale of Glamorgan, fringed by the spectacular cliff-backed Glamorgan Heritage Coast. This is South Wales. Adventure Landscape Culture South Wales South Wales 2— 1— 3— 1— Glamorgan Heritage Coast, 2— Hay-on-Wye, 3— Caerphilly Castle, 4— Celtic Manor Resort, 5— River Wye, Monmouthshire Iron, coal … and mountain biking. A work of art. The Wye Valley’s Merthyr Tydfil, once the “iron capital riversides and prolific woodlands have An insider’s guide. of the world”, has reinvented itself as a been inspiring artists and poets for The best fest. Abergavenny Food mountain biking mecca. Bike Park Wales, centuries (William Wordsworth and Festival, held every September, is “built by riders for riders”, lays on the JWM Turner were both big fans). See reckoned to be the finest foodie full downhill experience with uplifts, bike what all the fuss is about with a walk celebration in the UK. hire, tuition and a cool café. There’s more up to Devil’s Pulpit, a towering outcrop stellar cycling at Afan Forest Park a few that offers stirring views over the Welsh whisky. Penderyn in the foothills valleys away, where six world-class trails romantic ruins of Tintern Abbey. of the Brecon Beacons produces have been carved out of hillsides once award-winning single malt whiskies. surrounded by coalmines. Made of stone. Castles are a Welsh Taste it on a distillery tour. speciality. In the south you’ll find Catch the narrow-gauge Brecon Don’t forget your clubs. Test yourself Caerphilly, the second largest castle Mountain Railway from Merthyr Tydfil against the best golfers in the world in the UK. There’s also elaborate for grandstand views of the Brecon with a round on the challenging Twenty Raglan Castle – built more for show Beacons National Park. Ten course at Celtic Manor Resort, than defence – and Chepstow Castle. Newport, built specially for the 2010 Perched on a cliff above the River Relive ancient history at Caerleon near Ryder Cup. Or take on the blustery links Wye, it’s the first of a breed, the oldest Newport, one of Britain’s largest and at Royal Porthcawl, host of multiple surviving masonry fortress in Wales. best-preserved Roman towns. Senior Open Championships. Immerse yourself in Welsh life at The word is out. Hay-on-Wye is St Fagans National Museum of History Water ways. Climb aboard a canoe on world-famous as the “town of books” near Cardiff, an astonishing collection the Usk or Wye, rivers which wind their and host of the Hay Festival, a global of historic buildings from across the way through idyllic, tree-lined valleys. celebration of literature that attracts country. Experienced paddlers can tackle white- a stellar line-up of celebrities. water rapids, while those who prefer to Money makes the world go round. stay dry can take it easy on long stretches Wales at work. Explore our rich Find out how it’s made with a tour of still, glassy water and drink in the views. industrial heritage with a visit to Big Pit of the Royal Mint Experience at National Coal Museum, Blaenavon, a Llantrisant. Going green. Once dominated by working mine turned interactive historic industry, the South Wales Valleys have attraction and part of the UNESCO returned to their natural colours. World Heritage Site. Strap on a miner’s Take a stroll in Aberdare’s Dare helmet and take a rattling lift to “pit Valley Country Park, where lakes, bottom” 300ft/91m below the ground to waterfalls and walking trails now experience life at the inky black coalface. occupy the site of former collieries. Or stay on the surface at Merthyr Tydfil’s Cyfarthfa Castle, a grand mansion built Coast and country. It’s two for the by riches from the iron trade that now price of one in the Vale of Glamorgan. houses a museum and art gallery. Explore lush countryside dotted with pretty villages and country towns. Or taste fresh salty air with a walk on the breathtaking Glamorgan Heritage Coast, 14 miles/23km of rugged cliffs and secluded coves with long-range sea views. 4— 5— For more information on South Wales go to visitwales.com/south-wales West Wales All at sea. Catch the waves at Llangennith Set sail. Take a seafaring adventure to Green and gold. Known as the “garden on Gower, one of the birthplaces of the islands of Ramsey and Skomer off of Wales”, Carmarthenshire is watered British surfing. Pembrokeshire is another the Pembrokeshire coast. Look out by the River Tywi as it threads its way to pioneer. Its rugged cliffs provide the for a rich and diverse marine wildlife, the sea. It’s a landscape encompassing perfect conditions for coasteering, the including dolphins, porpoises, seals and green spaces like the National Botanic adrenaline-fuelled activity that sees puffins (plus a host of other seabirds).