Family History Tours 2012 Welcome Home

family history tours 2012 welcome home To make your past come truly alive you will want to walk in your ancestors‘ footsteps: visit places special to them, maybe lay flowers on their graves. Choose from guided tours or independent ones: identify where your ancestors lived; throw in your own personal interests from castles to golf; decide on your budget and then leave the rest to us. We‘ll take care of all the details so you can just enjoy yourself. Browse this brochure for examples of tours we have managed recently and get ready to revisit your past. We look forward to hearing from you. escorted tours Whether it‘s a day tour from your base in Wales or a four day mini vacation, we will help you get the most of your time in Wales. If it‘s a day tour you‘re after we can research, plan and escort you from around £700 GBP for up to 4 people. A longer 4-day inclusive tour, including accommodation with dinner at some of Wales‘ loveliest hotels, transport and the services of a guide would be around £3,000 GBP per couple. No two tours are the same so contact us regarding your specific requirements.. independent tours A great option for those with a sense of adventure. We‘ll work with you to develop a customised itinerary around your family‘s history that still allows you room to explore at your own pace. We‘ll do the research, book the accommodation and provide you with a driving pack which gives detailed directions and the benefit of our insider knowledge on restaurants, attractions and hidden gems along the way. All you need to do is book your car hire and head off into ‗them there hills‘! Prices vary according to itinerary but an average 4-day tour would cost around £1,200 GBP. For more information call us on +44 1656 768992 or visit us at www.familyhistorywales.com the wild West Our American client wanted to learn more about the life and times of her 17th century Welsh ancestors as well as seeing something of Wales. The client had researched the family roots in the USA but had little information prior to their emigration in the 1600s beyond names and parishes although she did know one branch were Quakers. We were able to find several generations on both lines and locate their homes and other information and used this to construct a four day tour taking in Pembroke in South West Wales and Dolgellau in the North. We met the client and her husband at Cardiff airport and immediately whisked them west, stopping at Laugharne to visit Dylan Thomas‘ old home, now a museum, and Laugharne castle. After lunch they made a private visit to one of Pembrokeshire‘s country houses where the owner showed them around a house built by the same architect as the now derelict family home. Next day a visit to Pembroke: a town walk to view the medieval town hall where ancestors served as mayors, and a visit to fascinating Pembroke Castle, birthplace of Henry VII. After lunch and paying respects at the family graves at Monkton Church we travelled along the spectacular Pembrokeshire coast to St David‘s, the spiritual heart of Wales, and attended evensong in the Cathedral. The next morning a drive up the West coast to Dolgellau. The first port of call was Tŷ Siamas, the Welsh Folk Music museum followed by the moving Quaker exhibition. A drive into the hills around Llan- I was so lucky to walk where fachreth, birthplace to generations of her an- they walked. Where they cestors, made it easy to turn back the clock a called home. I saw where few hundred years especially at Tyddyn-y- many of them lie for eter- Garreg‘s atmospheric Quaker Meeting House and burial ground. Overnight accommodation nity. I can’t thank you was a stunning hotel on the banks of Tal-y-Llyn. enough for these magical four days. On the final day we built in an opportunity to shop for traditional Welsh crafts and explore J Camayd. FLORIDA some world famous slate mines before a steam train journey through the mountain ranges down to the sea at Tywyn and lunch. Then a drive back to Shrewbury to make an onward rail connection stopping on the way at historic Machynlleth, the site of the last Welsh parliament under Owain Glyndwr. For more information call us on +44 1656 768992 or visit us at www.familyhistorywales.com industrial south wales Our client knew her Mormon ancestors had emigrated to Salt Lake City from Wales and that she had family roots in Merthyr Tydfil and Carmarthenshire. She had detailed genealogical information and now wanted to learn more about where they lived combined with a one-week self drive tour of South Wales with an emphasis on seeing ―real Wales‖. The tour started in Cardiff with a welcome lunch and briefing during which we handed over a detailed itinerary which included maps and directions, accommodation vouchers and advice on the peculiarities of driving in Wales. Then, to give confidence, we sat in on the first short trip to the National Folk Museum of Wales and provided recommendations on the exhibits relevant to the family. Overnight accommodation was a boutique hotel in the bustling Cardiff Bay area. The next morning a local history guide took a walking tour of the city featuring sites where ancestors lived and worked. Then the open road and a drive to Blaenavon and an opportunity to go underground at the world-famous Big Pit. We also booked tickets for an unforgettable open air Male Voice Choir perform- ance at the ironworks. After a night at a cozy Welsh Inn it was time for lazy Sunday meandering across the edges of the Brecon Beacons National Park taking in a traditional Sunday lunch and a visit to a Country Fair before overnighting in Laugharne, home of poet Dylan Thomas. Next day time to explore Laugharne followed by a personal high-speed boat trip taking in the Gower Peninsula‘s stunning “Standing in the virtu- coastal scenery. Overnight at the quaint seaside ally unchanged village of Mumbles and a gastronomic dinner. kitchen of my great Then up to Merthyr, fortifying themselves en great grandfather’s route at a Welsh Whisky distillery. Our research home was truly emo- had identified the blacksmiths‘ shop where an tional, I was blown ancestor worked and we also arranged an emo- away. tional visit to the farm where the family lived followed by a VIP preview of a local exhibition at N Kader, Washinton DC Merthyr Tydfil‘s Cyfartha Castle. The next day a historic walking tour of Merthyr Tydfil in the company of a local historian followed by an afternoon visit to Rag- lan Castle before a return tip to London‘s Heathrow Airport the following day. For more information call us on +44 1656 768992 or visit us at www.familyhistorywales.com mid wales in a day An American musician took a last minute decision to take a day out from a round-Britain coach tour to visit his family roots in mid-Wales. It required pick- ing up his wife and himself in Cheltenham and returning them to Caernarfon. A mammoth one-day adventure! After an early morning start our first stop was Mortimer‘s Cross Mill just on the English side of the Welsh border. This surviving one-man operated 18th- century mill would be very similar to that of the client‘s ancestors. The current owner gave a private tour and provided a real insight to the life of a miller. Next stop was the border town of Prestigne and the award-winning Judge‟s Lodging interpretive museum providing an ‗upstairs, downstairs‘ view of life in 1850‟s Powys. This was followed by a leisurely walk around the pretty old town and lunch at the Radnorshire Arms, originally built for one of Queen Elizabeth 1‟s alleged lovers and complete with hidden passages and ghosts! Then on to unforgettable Llananno church & graveyard, set in tranquil country- side and the setting for many family baptisms and marriages. We arranged for the church to be open so the client could see the original font and stand on the altar steps. We also wondered through the sunlit graveyard searching for family graves . Having unearthed some early 19th century maps, we wondered over gates and through flocks of sheep in search of the ruins of Llan- “ truly the high beddw Mill. After a few false trails we finally pinned it point of our whole down and in an emotionally charged moment, un- trip to Europe” earthed the foundation stones. R Worthing, Ohio In order to rejoin the tour in Caernarvon we took the cross-country route to historic Dolgellau. This Welsh market town oozes history and made for a perfect break, especially the private visit to Tŷ Siamas, the Welsh folk music centre. Then onwards through the majestic upland scenery of Snowdonia, stopping for early evening drinks at Porthmadog quayside before the walls of majestic Caer- narfon Castle greeted us. For more information call us on +44 1656 768992 or visit us at www.familyhistorywales.com on your bike! A break for a London-based professional couple who wanted an unusual week- end combining family history with an activity. Our base was the tranquil university town of Lampeter. Having settled in at their country house base on Friday afternoon we recommended a trip to nearby New Quay for an evening dolphin-watching boat trip followed by dinner at a gastro-pub.

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