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| Exploring Wales - the beauty and the bounty | |||||||||||||
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Exploring lush green landscapes, climbing mountains or strolling along sandy beaches, your visit to Wales can be personalized to include as much or as little exertion as you would like. With its outstanding natural beauty, Wales has 3 National parks created to preserve their unique environment, wildlife and culture heritage. The Parks cover 20% of our land area and incorporate over 300 miles of spectacular coastline. You can explore the quiet valleys by car, bicycle or on foot, go hiking through slate-strewn, dramatic mountains or take let the train take the strain up Snowdon, our tallest mountain. Our land has also provided coal, iron ore and slate (and gold for Royal wedding rings) but has been scarred by these activities. You can experience mine working at The Big Pit National Coal Museum at Blaenavon. However, despite this despoliation, Wales has been at the forefront of green thinking. The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) near Machynlleth, in Mid Wales is an interesting visit to see positive solutions-based approach to looking after our planet such as renewable energy that is generated on-site. A taste of Wales There are some excellent restaurants in Wales. You may not have consider Wales before when planning a tasting vacation but typically, the décor and the menus are simple, focusing on doing the minimum with excellent local ingredients. Produce of Welsh Black beef, venison, Carmarthen ham and salt marsh lamb is renowned for its quality and distinctiveness. One of the pioneers of this movement and still at the forefront is the Walnut Tree in Llandewi Skirrid. If you would like us to pay special attention to high quality dining in planning your itinerary, please let us know. If you are really enjoy your food and drink you might be interested in our "Wales Gastronomy Tour". This tour combines some of our best restaurants, visits to local producers and markets with historic towns and buildings as well as seeing some of the fine Welsh countryside. |
Spectacular scenery
The Brecon Beacons offers spectacular hill walking through a stunning landscape, fishing, caving, canal trips, castles and market towns within easy reach of the main population centers of South Wales. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park features 260 miles of spectacular coastline. It's an impressive landscape of rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, wooded estuaries and wild inland hills, and a place of sanctuary for wildlife. One of its 50 plus beaches was recently voted best place in the United Kingdom to have a picnic. The Snowdonia National Park has mountains, lakes, woodlands and valleys. The landscape illustrates the history of the area through Stone Age burial chambers, Roman forts, churches, castles, slate quarries and other industrial works. The Welsh language is the mother tongue of 65% of the local population. Some of our delicacies....
Welsh cheeses are famous – especially Caerphilly. Glamorgan sausages are vegetarian sausages made with cheese. And Welsh Rarebit is also a very tasty vegetarian dish. Our fish includes sewin (sea trout) which is still caught by hardy fishermen in coracles in the River Towy. Milford Haven was once one of the premier fishing ports in the UK with over 200 trawlers operating. Now there are a handful and the docks are an attractive leisure marina. Nonetheless, Milford plays a leading role in Pembrokeshire Fish Week. Laverbread is made from seaweed and eaten with bacon for breakfast. Swansea market is a great place to buy this and other Welsh delicacies. Traditionally, however, the key skill in a Welsh kitchen is baking. So please do find time for a Welsh version of an afternoon tea. With scones, Welsh cakes, bara brith (literally “speckled bread” or fruit cake) and several pints of strong tea, this will see you through to dinner. Farmers Markets & Farm accommodation
Farmers markets are excellent places to sample the range of produce which Wales has as they offer a unique outlet for small scale local producers. Another way to experience food and drink in Wales is to spend a night or two staying on a farm. Many farms now offer accommodation and hearty simple meals. Sitting in a farmhouse kitchen, disturbed only by the tick-tock of a grandfather clock and the smell of baking bread filling the air, is to experience Wales as it is now and has been for centuries.
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