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Wales Travel Guide

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Quick Facts
Capital Cardiff
Government partly self-governing nation within a Constitutional monarchy (UK)
Currency Pound Sterling (£)
Area total: 20,779 sq km

water: 1.9%

Population 2,903,085 (2001)
Language English, Welsh
Calling Code +44
Internet TLD .uk
Time Zone WET (UTC; UTC+1 in summer)


Wales (Welsh, Cymru. [1]) is one of the countries that make up the United Kingdom. It lies in on a western peninsula of the island of Great Britain, bordered on the East by England.

Wales is rich in history and natural beauty, and has a culture distinct from the rest of the UK. Travellers are attracted to Wales because of its beautiful landscape, the wide open spaces of its stunning national parks and the wealth of history and culture.

Contents

Regions

Due to the central mountain range, Wales is culturally and economically divided into three regions:

  • Mid Wales - a mountainous region with a coastal area facing the Irish Sea
  • North Wales - several holiday destinations along the coast, but primarily a rural area.
  • South Wales - Wales' main centers of population are established along the South Wales coast.

Cities

Wales has many picturesque cities and towns. Below is a list of nine of the most notable. Other urban areas are listed on their specific regional sections.

Other destinations

These are some of Wales's most attractive destinations. For other places of interest, check under specific regional sections.

Understand

Wales was once an independent, though rarely unified nation, but when King Edward I defeated Llywelyn the Last in 1282, the nation fell under the jurisdiction of England. At first, it was ruled as a separate country; but since then has been part of a changing Union : first with England, then Scotland also, then Ireland (later just Northern Ireland) too.

There is often confusion about the differences between the UK, Britain, England, and Wales. The key points are that Wales is part of Britain and so part of the UK, but is definitely NOT part of England. (So Welsh people are British, but not English). For more information see the Wikitravel article on the UK.

Wales has generally accepted its place in the UK, and has contibuted a lot to its politics and culture : famous Welsh people include Henry VII (the first of the Tudors, the famous line of 15th and 16th century monarchs ending with Elizabeth I) ; David Lloyd George (the early 20th century prime minister) ; Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton (poet and actor, linked forever by "Under Milk Wood"). Nevertheless, Wales also remained a bastion of Celtic culture: the Welsh language continues to be widely spoken, especially in rural areas, and is taught in all Welsh schools. Over the centuries, there have been minor revolts aimed at gaining independence. The first real move in this direction were first, when government decision making was brought together under a Welsh Office and Secretary of State for Wales, though these were still seen as UK institutions and there was no mechanism for the people of Wales as a whole to vote on any issues. However, in 1999 the first elected National Assembly for Wales, sat in Cardiff. The Assembly has minor law making powers and an Executive (including a First Minister) with power for local decision making. Shortly, the Assembly is to become a Parliament, with extended primary law-making powers. However, these institutions only have power delegated from the UK parliament, they are not independant of it.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, south east Wales was mainly dominated by coal mining and steel production, while the rest of the principality was devoted to agriculture. Outside of that, the ports of Cardiff and Swansea had established themselves as commercial centers, offering banking, shopping and insurance facilities, and there were pockets of fun-fair type tourist resorts on the north coast at places such a Rhyl and Llandudno.

In recent years, coal mining has ceased and heavy industry declined. However, Wales' stunning mountainous and coastal scenery has lent itself to tourism developing as a major alternative source of revenue for the region. Furthermore, throughout the transformation, both Cardiff and Swansea have retained their rankings as centers of commerce, while at the same time attracting many cutting-edge, high-tech industries to their areas. A blue class super computer installed at Swansea University is enhancing Wales' standing in this respect.

Talk

Wales has its own language, Welsh (Welsh: Cymraeg), which is spoken by some 21% of the population (though this varies geographically, from under 7% in Gwent to over 61% in Gwynedd). Additionally, according to Census 2001, some 39% of all 10-15 year olds can speak, read and write Welsh. Although there are several Welsh-language television and radio channels, English is still the main language spoken in Wales - very few people can only speak Welsh. Welsh is a compulsory subject in many schools in Wales, and there are Welsh language schools where Welsh is used across the curriculum.

Sleep

Wales is very tourist-friendly, so finding hotel accommodation or a place to pitch a tent should not be a problem. However, you might need to make prior reservations during the summer season in tourist areas such as Llandudno, Llangollen, Rhyl, Swansea/Mumbles and Tenby, or around the time of important sporting events in Cardiff.

Drink

  • Whisky - After an absence of over 100 years, Wales rejoined the club of Celtic countries that produce whisky in 2004 with the launch of the Welsh Whisky Company[2]. This distillery is based out of the village of Penderyn in south Wales. Penderyn whisky has received a number of awards and makes an interesting addition to the world of whisky. While they have plans of opening a visitor center next to the distillery this is still some way off.

See the more general article on drinking in the UK, with information on pubs and real ale.

Eat

Wales is not famous for its cuisine, but there are a few speciality dishes that you might like to try:

  • Welsh Rarebit - a melted cheese dish, often spiced with ale and herbs and served on toasted bread.
  • Laver bread (pronounced "lar-ver") is not, as the name implies, bread, but a specially-prepared purée made from sea-weed. If you know Japanese cooking, it's the same kind used to make nori. It is generally rolled into small cakes mixed with oatmeal and served at breakfast alongside bacon rashers. This dish is only available in Swansea and places west and can be purchased raw at Swansea market.
  • Ice-cream - due to an influx of Italians into Wales, the area boasts some of the best cones and tubs in the country. The following are UK national award winners: Frank's Ice Cream in Carmarthenshire, Joe's Ice-cream in Swansea [3] and Fecci & Sons Ice Cream in Tenby. La Belle Rouge in Aberystwyth [4] is also very highly recommended.

See the more general article on eating in the UK.

Get in

Immigration and visa requirements

Wales has the same immigration and visa requirements as the rest of the UK.

For more information of UK Immigration and visa requirements, see the UK's Home Office website

By air

The main airport is Cardiff International Airport, located nine miles south of the city. This is the only major airport in Wales, and is served by the following airlines.

  • Air Southwest operate domestics to Manchester and Newquay.
  • bmibaby operates domestic services to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Belfast, and international services to Alicante, Amsterdam, Faro, Malaga, Palma Mallorca and Prague.
  • KLM operates services to Amsterdam.
  • Aer Arann operates services to Dublin, Cork and Galway in Ireland and also to Lorient in France.
  • Zoom operates seasonal summer services to Toronto and Vancouver.
  • Eastern Airways operate flights to Newcastle, with flights to Brussels and possibly Aberdeen to start soon.
  • Thomsonfly operate flights to Jersey and various airports in Spain, plus some other charters.

There are regular bus services from the centre to the airport. Alternatively, you can also get to the airport using a bus service from Barry Station, which is closer to the airport and on local rail lines. In 2005, a nearby railway line was reopened, including a station at Rhoose, where there are shuttle buses to the airport.

It is often easier to fly to an airport in England such as Bristol or even one of the London airports when visiting South Wales, as a greater range of airlines and cities flown from are available from there. Manchester and Liverpool are better choices than Cardiff when visiting North Wales.

By car

South Wales enjoys good motorway connections with the rest of the UK

North Wales has no motorway connections. However there are still good road connections with the rest of the UK

  • The A5, followed by the M54 after Shrewsbury, to London and the Midlands takes you through the spectacular Snowdonia National Park
  • The island of Anglesey is along the A55 road along the North Wales coast. If you are approaching from the south try the A5 that takes you through the mountains of North Wales.

By train

South Wales

Main line rail services connect south Wales (especially Newport, Cardiff and Swansea) with all parts of the UK, via Virgin Trains (to Birmingham and the North East, including Scotland), Central Trains (to the Midlands), Arriva Trains Wales and First Great Western (to London Paddington).

North Wales

Arriva Trains Wales.

Mid Wales

Train timetables

See National Rail's website for train timetables, or The TrainLine's website for tickets.

By motorbus

National Express operates coach services around the UK including to and from many parts of Wales.

By boat

  • Regular ferry service operates between Holyhead in North Wales and Dublin, and is provided by two carriers. Stenaline and Irish Ferries both offer multiple daily service between the two ports for passengers and vehicles. Bookings can be made through their respective websites.
  • Swansea-Cork Ferries operate six sailings a week between Swansea and Cork in Ireland, with a reduced schedule in autumn and winter. Inquires:01792-456116. E-mail:sales@swanseacorkferries.com

Get Around

Contact

See Contact entry under United Kingdom for national information on telephone, internet and postal services.

See Contact entries under individual cities for local information.

This is a usable article. It has information about the country and for getting in, as well as links to several destinations. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!
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