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Home , Aber Falls, Adventure Parc Snowdonia, Cambrian Way, National Cycle Route 4, National Slate Museum, Pembroke Castle

This is 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 (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 overlooking the cityscape Front cover, , 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 .

Sport Lifestyle Culture Cardiff

An insider’s guide. Cardiff Take a waterfront walk across the 0.7-mile/1.1km 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 .

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For more information on Cardiff go to our website visitwales.com/cardiff-capital-city 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 , fringed by the spectacular cliff-backed Glamorgan Heritage Coast. This is South Wales.

Adventure Landscape Culture South Wales South Wales

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1— Glamorgan Heritage Coast, 2— Hay-on-Wye, 3— Castle, 4— Celtic Manor Resort, 5— , 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. 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 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 . Ten course at Celtic Manor Resort, than defence – and Castle. Newport, built specially for the 2010 Perched on a cliff above the River Relive ancient history at 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.

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For more information on South Wales go to visitwales.com/south-wales

All at sea. Catch the waves at Llangennith Set sail. Take a seafaring adventure to Green and gold. Known as the “garden on , one of the birthplaces of the islands of Ramsey and off of Wales”, 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). Garden and Aberglasney (the centuries- you clambering over rocks and leaping spanning “garden lost in time”) as well into the crashing waves below. If you Park life. As the UK’s only coastal national as Bay’s sandy beaches, want to explore the coastline up close, park, it’s no surprise that Pembrokeshire some of the longest in Wales. Pembrokeshire also offers superb still lives up to its medieval description sea-kayaking. as the “land of magic and enchantment”. Town and country. Explore , Alongside islands, rugged cliffs, secluded our city by the sea, before making the Rolling on. The scenic, traffic-free paths coves and award-winning sandy beaches, short hop on to the glorious Gower in ’s Millennium Coastal Park are you’ll find picturesque coastal towns Peninsula. The UK’s first designated perfect for two-wheeled exploration. like and Tenby with its Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, its Follow along collection of candy-coloured harbourside diverse coastline of jagged limestone the coast for views of Carmarthen Bay houses. cliffs, shifting , beaches and and Gower, plus the bird-packed World briny saltmarsh are spectacular. Wildlife Trust Wetland Centre at Llanelli, the golden sands at Machynys Bay and the pretty marina at .

Abereiddy, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park The south-west’s heady mix of rolling, lush farmlands, pure seas and miles of untamed coastline has exerted a magnetic pull for centuries. Painters and poets have drawn inspiration from its landscapes, while pilgrims have been attracted to its sacred sites. It’s home to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), picture-perfect seaside towns, world-class watersports and wildlife, and some of the best beaches in the UK. This is West Wales.

Adventure Landscape Culture West Wales

An insider’s guide. Feel the heat. Temperatures are tropical beneath the giant, teardrop- shaped glasshouse, the high-tech centrepiece of Wales’ National Botanic Garden near Carmarthen. An Oscar-winning beach. , on the tip of Gower, has won almost The fabric of life. As one of our most Heavyweight heritage. Start at the every “best beach” award you can widespread and important industries, prehistoric burial chamber of Pentre Ifan, think of. Gower’s other beaches are wool is knitted into Welsh history. made from the same Pembrokeshire pretty good too. Discover its story at the National Wool “bluestones” used at Stonehenge. Then Museum in the beautiful Teifi Valley. The dip into one of our many castles – places Don’t miss these three show- tradition continues, with a contemporary like romantic Carreg Cennen, perched stopping features, all close by on twist, at Melin Tregwynt near , on a rocky crag in Carmarthenshire, and Pembrokeshire’s south coast – which sells Welsh woollens to the world. monumental Pembroke Castle, birthplace Bosherston Lakes, the sea-sculpted of Henry VII, the Welshman who became “Green Bridge of Wales” and A saintly city. Thanks to its soaring the first of the Tudor monarchs. Stack Rocks. (dedicated to our patron saint) St Davids is officially the smallest city in Local hero. Dylan Thomas was born Journey through 300 years of the UK. It’s still one of the most important and bred in Swansea, where you’ll industry and innovation at the National holy sites in Britain, attracting pilgrims find a visitor centre dedicated to his Waterfront Museum in Swansea’s from across the globe. St Davids’ stunning memory as well as his family home, stylish . peninsula setting, relaxed café culture now a museum. Then travel on to the Get to know Narberth. With its and arty ambience are a big draw too. sleepy seatown of Laugharne and call independent boutiques and funky, into the Boathouse where he wrote foodie atmosphere, this once-sleepy many of his most celebrated works. Pembrokeshire market town is now a cosmopolitan shoppers’ paradise.

For more information on South-west Wales go to visitwales.com/west-wales

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1— Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, 2— , 3— , 4 & 6— National Park, 5— Castle It’s a region of Dark Skies and big skies. The National Parks of and the Brecon Beacons are at opposite ends. Filling the space in between is the farming country of central Wales, where traditional market towns are content to tick along in time with the seasons. You’ll see red kites in the sky – and dolphins in the sea along the great, horseshoe-shaped arc of , a coastline studded with salty harbours, perfectly formed sandy bays and small seaside resorts. This is Mid Wales.

Adventure Landscape Culture Mid Wales

Ride and seek. On two wheels you Further north the can ride classic mountain biking routes – the wild “backbone of Wales” – roll An insider’s guide. across the Brecon Beacons and Cambrian on into the Snowdonia National Park, Dolphins love it. The crystal waters of Mountains. Or thread through forests meeting the mythical peak of Cader Idris, Cardigan Bay are home to Europe’s on purpose-built singletracks. Sitting the “Chair of Idris”, high above . largest dolphin population. Go dolphin high in the mountains just inland from (and porpoise and seal) spotting from Aberystwyth, Bwlch Nant yr Arian boasts Our border country is calmer, dotted . long purpose-built single-tracks designed with charming country and market to test experienced riders. Challenging towns like Knighton and Welshpool (soak Take a cruise along the rides like the 22-mile Syfydrin trail up the scenery from the narrow-gauge Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, serve up spectacular scenery alongside Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway). a leafy, lovely waterway through the cycling thrills, with dizzying views of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Cambrian Mountains and Cardigan Bay. Baywatch. Cardigan Bay’s Wales is famous for its links golf. 180 miles/290km take in everything and Harlech’s Royal St David’s Wild walking. Get lost (in the nicest from mountain-backed estuaries to are two of the best. possible way) in the Elan Valley. Explore sandy beaches, seaside resorts to the boundless Beacons or the gorges fishing harbours – all blessed with that Palatial Powis. It’s difficult to believe of “Waterfall Country”. Or follow the unhurried Mid Wales ambience. that the sumptuous Offa’s Dyke Path, which shadows the first mansion of Powis Castle near official border, created back in the 8th Art works. Call into the Museum of Welshpool began life as a rough-and- century, between Wales and England. On Modern Art in for the ready border fortress. the coast, there’s nothing more inspiring best in contemporary . At Welcome to Llanwrtyd Wells. Britain’s than walking the path to Ynys Lochtyn, Aberystwyth there’s Wales’ largest most eccentric small town stages a dramatic promontory that spears into arts centre, while you can create your kooky events like bog snorkelling plus the sea beneath an Iron Age hillfort. own artistic journey on the Ceredigion “man versus horse” and chariot racing. Art Trail, taking in exhibitions and Star trekking. Our night skies, free events, studios and workshops. Aberystwyth is home to the National from light pollution, are inky black. The Library of Wales, a treasure chest of Brecon Beacons are an International The past is present. Visit castles, culture and heritage. Dark Skies Reserve – perfect for churches and abbeys. Harlech Castle, a stargazing space explorers, along World Heritage fortress, is a stirring site, with Dark Sky Discovery Sites like the perched on its rocky crag overlooking Cambrian Mountains (check out the Snowdonia’s mountains and coast. 50-mile/80km Astro Tourism Trail). At , serene Strata Florida Abbey played a hugely influential The Beacons and beyond. The Brecon role in Welsh medieval life, attracting Beacons National Park flows across the poets and princes as well as priests. landscape in wave after wave of green mountains from the Wales/England border to the outskirts of Swansea. Wide, open – and untamed – countryside like this characterises much of Mid Wales.

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For more information on Mid Wales go to visitwales.com/mid-wales Mix the highest mountain range in Wales and England with a sandy coastline. Stir in characterful market towns and picturesque seaside resorts. Throw in green border country, lakes, forests, World Heritage Sites and a lovely island. Add all the outdoor activities you can think of plus monumental castles and heritage railways. This is .

Adventure Landscape Culture North Wales

North Wales

The A-list. North Wales is an A-Team kind Mountain high. is the alpha- Highs and lows. Further east, the of place. It’s the adventure, activities and mountain in this rocky landscape. But landscape is a little lower but no less adrenaline capital of the UK. it’s got serious competition from its spectacular. The are so 13 neighbouring peaks that dominate beguiling that they are known in Welsh Up in the air and down below. North-west Wales’ landscape. as Mynydd Hiraethog (“The Hills of quarries have been transformed into new Longing”). The Welsh border is guarded adventure centres. How about riding Snowdon gives its name to the by the and Dee Valley, the world’s fastest zipline (we’re talking Snowdonia National Park. It’s a vast a designated Area of Outstanding 100mph/160kph)? Or “bouncing below” swathe of countryside (823 square Natural Beauty. Climb to the smooth on a giant trampoline in an underground miles/2,176 square kilometres) with deep summit of for far-reaching cavern? Or tearing down mountain biking gorges like the , and views across Wales and England. trails carved into a jagged slate mountain? valleys clothed in ancient oakwoods (see them from narrow-gauge railways). Idyllic Coasting along. We have hundreds On the water. Splash around in our mountain lakes like Llynnau Mymbyr of miles of coastline. The Isle of rivers, seas and lakes. We’re big on look too good to be true. Waterfalls (connected to the mainland sailing and stand-up paddleboarding, don’t come any wetter or better than by road and rail bridges) and wild Llŷn kayaking and surfing. We’ve even the near . Peninsula are both Areas of Outstanding got the guaranteed perfect wave. Natural Beauty. The north coast is You’ll have to travel inland to find dotted with seaside resorts, the most it – to in celebrated of which is Llandudno. the lush Valley, home to the world’s first inland surfing lagoon.

Overlooking Llyn , Snowdonia National Park An insider’s guide. Rock stars. Wales is a “land of castles”, A language lesson. The Are we in Italy? Or Wales? You’ll get nowhere more so than in the north. is at its strongest in some of these a taste of both at , the History and heritage are etched parts. One of Europe’s oldest living unique Italianate village. across the landscape in the form of languages, it underpins a rich culture “The canal in the sky.” That’s medieval fortresses built by native and heritage. Learn more at Nant Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a dizzying Welsh princes and English invaders. Gwrtheyrn’s Welsh Language and World Heritage Site that carries the The most famous – the mighty trio of Heritage Centre, spectacularly located Llangollen Canal high above the Beaumaris, and Conwy on Llŷn’s cliff-backed north coast. Dee Valley. – share World Heritage Site status. Travel inland to discover ruins like See Anglesey at its best from its Dolbadarn and , mountain rugged – and romantic – coastal path. strongholds of the Princes of . Walk the big beach to Llanddwyn Island, home of Santes Dwynwen, The story of slate. , Wales’ patron saint of lovers. Bangor, is a relative newcomer. This fabulous 19th-century mock-fortress is a green jewel, was built with the wealth generated where formal flowerbeds lead down by North Wales’ slate industry. For an to the wild and wonderful Dingle. insight into the life and times of the Taste North Wales’ bountiful larder quarrymen take a tour of Blaenau of farm-and sea-fresh produce. Ffestiniog’s slate mines, or visit the Head to Gweldd Conwy Feast, held National Slate Museum at . every October.

For more information on North Wales go to visitwales.com/north-wales Travelling Light

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1 & 2— Fforest domes, 3— Halen Môn, 4— Centre for Alternative Technology, 5— The Hide Eco travel, green travel, sustainable travel.... whatever you want to call it, it comes naturally here in Wales. Whether you’re looking for new experiences, an unusual place to stay or locally sourced food, you’ll always have an eco-friendly option. This is Sustainable Wales.

Adventure Sustainability Innovation

Natural adventures. One fifth of Wales True tastes. Our fertile fields, sparkling And throughout the county you can is covered by National Parks. And that’s seas and rushing rivers produce a bounty travel with a light environmental footprint without factoring in our protected Areas of fabulous food and drink. You can find on handy hop-on, hop-off coastal of Outstanding Natural Beauty (we have Welsh specialities like saltmarsh lamb bus services like the Poppit Rocket. five), hundreds of miles of Heritage Coast and Black beef at farmers’ markets and and countless nature reserves. It’s an farm shops up and down the country, Reuse, refill. Here in Wales we’re environment of dramatic mountain peaks, while independent food companies use committed to keeping the use of plastics rolling hills, dense forests, green river locally sourced ingredients to create and single-use items to an absolute valleys and nearly 900 miles/1,500km of products prized across the world. minimum. We’re working towards sea-washed shorelines, brimming with becoming the world’s first refill nation outdoor activities that don’t cost the There’s Halen Môn sea salt, for example, through initiatives like the Refill Cymru earth. extracted from Anglesey’s waters, Tŷ Nant scheme, which initially will focus on mineral water from deep beneath the providing free drinking water along the Sustainable stays. Get back to nature Cambrian Mountains and award-winning 870-mile/1,400km . with a night (or two) in accommodation gin made with foraged botanicals by The Refill app shows you where you with the lightest of environmental Dyfi Distillery. And that’s just a taster, can refill your water bottles – for more footprints. A good example is Denmark there’s much more on the menu. details go to refill.org.uk/refill-wales Farm in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains near , which provides A natural choice. Covering 324 square courses in crafts and cooking alongside miles/840 sq km of land and sea, the comfy beds in yurts and eco-lodges. Or in Mid Wales has been tuck yourself into a cosy caban (cabin) recognised by UNESCO for its natural or shepherd’s hut at Hide in St Donat’s diversity and abundant wildlife. Laid out near the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. around the green Dyfi Valley, it’s home to important nature and conservation Green for go. Fforest, close to Cardigan, offers reserves. But the landscape is only part of Anglesey is the UK’s first county to unusual hideaways – think space-age its UNESCO status. It’s also a place where be awarded plastic-free community domes, canvas-topped cabins and thriving communities exist in harmony status. rustic wooden shacks – scattered with nature, preserving heritage, culture Conservation efforts have brought amongst peaceful woodland. You’ll also and language alongside the environment. the iconic red kite back from near find an excellent choice of campsites, extinction in Wales. See hundreds at often in spectacular locations. Green shoots. Pembrokeshire’s green daily feeding sessions in Rhayader and scene is blossoming. St Davids, Britain’s Bwlch Nant yr Arian, . Innovation nation. We’ve been working smallest city, is big on eco-friendly to preserve our environment for a long initiatives. Follow the St Davids Eco Trail, Get up close and personal to the time. The National Trust’s first site in 1895 eat at “field to fork” bistros, go foraging to outdoors at the Down to Earth project was Dinas Oleu in Wales.The pioneering learn about wild produce, or coasteering on Gower, where you can try activities Centre for Alternative Technology near with an award-winning adventure like coasteering, abseiling and tree Machynlleth, founded in 1970, has spent company dedicated to sustainability. climbing. decades researching renewable energy Lammas Eco Village near The Principality Stadium in Cardiff and sustainable building techniques. combines traditional farming techniques has become the UK’s first sustainable Your visit begins with a ride on its with the latest in environmental design. stadium thanks to its innovative power water-powered funicular railway. and water saving technologies.

For more information go to visitwales.com/eco New Quay, Ceredigion

Looking for a road trip to remember? Then you’ve come to the right place. The is a collection of three national touring routes that criss-cross the country, passing through breathtaking scenery as they go. Showcasing the diversity of our landscape, you’ll see jagged cliffs, sandy beaches, mist-shrouded mountains, leafy lanes and green valleys. But the views are just part of the journey. Rather than itineraries set in stone, each Way has been designed as a fluid experience with plenty of diversions off the main route, taking in attractions and places to visit that let you explore further. This is The Wales Way.

The North Wales Way The Coastal Way The

Stretching from the border with Travelling through two National Parks and The coast-to-coast Cambrian Way England to the western edge of the an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as links Wales’ north and south. It’s a Isle of Anglesey, The North Wales Way it traces the sweeping 180-mile/290km 185-mile/298km journey that cuts traces a trade route that’s been in use curve of Cardigan Bay, The Coastal Way through our rural heartlands and since Roman times. A few highlights serves up an abundance of spectacular mountainous spine. You’ll pass rocky from this this 75-mile/121km journey sights. Alongside seemingly endless summits, deep valleys and infinite include the historic tramway that sea views of the Llŷn Peninsula and starry night skies as you travel through climbs, San Franciscan-style, to the Pembrokeshire, you’ll see stunning the Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons Great Orme summit above Llandudno, inland scenery amid the skyscraping National Parks. Along the way there and a trio of mighty World Heritage peaks of Snowdonia. Look out for are world-class attractions like Bodnant castles at Beaumaris, Caernarfon and dolphins and porpoises in the sea, and Garden’s manicured lawns and wild Conwy. There’s natural splendour too, man-made wonders like the magical woods, and the wildlife-rich Elan Valley. starting at the smooth green hills of the Italianate village of Portmeirion and You’ll also visit traditional market towns Clwydian Range at one end of the route purple-stoned , like Dolgellau and Brecon, and delve and finishing at the rugged sea-cliffs of founded by Wales’ patron saint. into fascinating industrial heritage in the Anglesey’s South Stack, alive with nesting warm-hearted South Wales Valleys. seabirds, at the other.

A winning way. National Geographic has named The Wales Way as one of the world’s most exciting trips to take in its 2020 awards. The magazine says: “Three new, fully mapped national touring routes, collectively called The Wales Way, showcase the best of this legend-filled land.”

For detailed itineraries and more information on exploring The Wales Way, go to thewalesway.com Well-connected Wales is easy to get to. And when you arrive, it’s pure pleasure to explore this scenic country by road, rail, bus or bike. This is Wales.

Air Sea Rail Road Access All Areas

Getting here By road By air The UK’s road and motorway network Explore for less There are direct flights to Cardiff Airport provides easy access to destinations The Explore Wales Pass offers (cardiff-airport.com) from a choice across Wales, usually with journey discounted travel on our train and of international destinations, including times of just a few hours. If you are bus network. You can choose from France, Spain, the Netherlands and Qatar. travelling without a car both National the South Wales Pass, the North & Located 12 miles/19km south-west of Express (nationalexpress.com) and Mid Wales Pass or the all-Wales Pass, Cardiff, the airport is linked to the city by Megabus (uk.megabus.com) run a which provides four days of unlimited regular train and bus services. Wales also wide selection of coach services. train travel within an eight-day period has excellent road and rail links with other on all trains and selected bus services. airports including Liverpool, Birmingham, Getting around For shorter visits, there’s a wide , and Manchester. By road selection of Rover and Ranger tickets For inspiration on road trips along our that cover a day’s travel on specific By sea Wales Way family of touring routes, see areas of the train network. Passes and Irish Ferries (irishferries.com) the previous page. You can also help tickets can be bought at stations or operate services from Dublin to to reduce traffic in our National Parks online at tfwrail.wales/ticket-types/ in North Wales and Rosslare by using local bus services like the rovers-and-rangers to Pembroke in the south, while Stena Snowdon Sherpa and Pembrokeshire’s Line’s services (stenaline.co.uk) run extensive selection of coastal bus from Dublin to Holyhead and Rosslare to routes. See visitsnowdonia.info and Fishguard. Ferries also run from Europe snowdonia.gov.wales for details. to other parts of the UK, with convenient onward travel to Wales. Brittany Ferries By rail This publication is also available in German. Visit Wales cannot guarantee the accuracy or reliability (brittany-ferries.co.uk) offers services Rail services run throughout Wales, of the information in this publication and hereby from France and Spain, DFDS (dfds.com) often on extremely scenic routes like disclaim any responsibility for any error, omission or run from France and the Netherlands, the Cambrian Coast, Conwy Valley and misrepresentation. To the fullest extent permitted by law all liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or while P&O (poferries.com) operate Heart of Wales lines. See nationalrail. other damage caused by reliance on the information routes from France, Belgium, the co.uk for timetables and tickets. To add contained in this guide is excluded. You are advised to check all details and information with the business Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland. some romance and nostalgia to your rail concerned before confirming a reservation. All rights travel, take a ride on one of our historic reserved. Material in this publication must not be By rail narrow-gauge steam railways, many of reproduced in any form without permission from the copyright owners – please contact Visit Wales. Eurostar trains (eurostar.com) run to which are members of Great Little Trains Opinions expressed in This is Wales are not necessarily London St Pancras from European cities of Wales (greatlittletrainsofwales.co.uk). those of Visit Wales. like Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, This is Wales is published by Visit Wales, the Tourism with services from London Paddington By bike and Marketing division of the providing onward connections to We’re an extremely bike-friendly country, 2020. Visit Wales, Welsh Government, QED Centre, Main Avenue, Treforest Industrial Estate, Treforest, Cardiff, Swansea and West Wales. with a of nearly CF37 5YR. You can also travel from London 1,700 miles/2,735km, and lots of long- Print ISBN: 978-1-80038-089-9 Euston, Manchester, Birmingham, distance themed cycling routes like the Digital ISBN: 978-80038-090-5 Southampton and Portsmouth to North Wales Coaster and north–south Copywriter: Writerog Ltd. (Roger & Huw Thomas) destinations across Wales from north Lôn Las Cymru. Many sections of route Printer: Harcourt Litho Ltd Photography: © Crown copyright (2020) Visit Wales, to south. Visit nationalrail.co.uk for are completely traffic-free, though one , and Wales Coast Path. full details of routes and timetables. of the joys of cycling in Wales are the This publication is also available in Braille, large-format back roads, which are very traffic-light in print, and / or audio from Visit Wales. rural areas. Cycle hire is widely available. [email protected] (along with great coffee stops). Go to WG39339 .org.uk and visitwales.com

For more information on getting to Wales and getting around, go to visitwales.com/info