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 With a population of just under three million, Wales is a compact
country which has an endless variety of landscape and terrain.
Renowned for its unspoilt natural beauty, Wales boasts breathtaking
mountains and a 750-mile coastline. Wales is sometimes referred
to as one of Britain’s best kept secrets. A definite air of
mystery surrounds the purple Welsh mountains, the green hills
rolling away to infinity and the beguiling Celtic character
of this country on the Western shores of Britain. The country
boasts three National Parks - the dramatic Alpine peaks of Snowdonia
in the north, the outdoor adventurer’s Utopia of Brecon Beacons
in the south and the coastal splendour of Pembrokeshire in the
west.
The Land of Wales
Wales can be divided into three parts; North Wales,
Mid Wales and South Wales. These parts are determined by physical
geography and the problems that confronted the Roman legionaries
- mountains and valleys running north-south and three major
routes through this terrain from east to west are factors which
still have a bearing on travel today. But, more importantly,
they have given rise to a strong sense of community. The Celtic
people the Romans encountered were a civilised and artistic
people whose sense of design and skill in oratory were greatly
admired. Those Celtic origins are still apparent in the language
spoken daily by many people.
 South
Wales includes The Wye Valley, which borders the Forest of Dean
and is one of the most beautiful in Wales with its steep tree-covered
scarps overhanging lush water meadows. The Valley enthralled
Wordsworth and Turner, who made many drawings of the ruins of
Tintern Abbey. A few miles to the north lies the lovely market
town of Monmouth - where Judge Jeffreys held his infamous bloody
Assize. Life in the late seventeenth century in Wales can be
experienced at Llancaiach Fawr manor house near Caerphilly,
where the servants tell its story in the vernacular of the time.
The capital Cardiff has more open parkland per head than any
other town in the UK and houses a vibrant commercial heart with
first class conference facilities and a wealth of entertainment
and leisure venues. Its compact shopping quarter has several
new malls to supplement its graceful Victorian arcades and Cardiff
has just been rated amongst the best shopping centres in Britain.
Cardiff also has two Castles. The one in the city is built on
the site of a Roman fort guarding a crossing of the Taff. It
houses a fine Norman keep with motte and baillie and stunning
apartments designed for the third Marquess of Bute in the 1860s
by the medievalist William Burges. Burges also restored the
fairy tale turreted castle, Castell Coch, perched on a cliff
outside Cardiff at Taff's Well.
Mid Wales is a marvellous land beyond those blue-tinged
hills - a rolling, round country with a silver filigree of rivers
and lakes. Lying along the main road through central Wales is
Newtown - a market town with a population of 11,000 and Aberystwyth
- a seaside town of similar calibre but dignified by a University
and the National Library of Wales. Builth Wells in Mid Wales
is the home of The Royal Welsh Agricultural Show in July while
the Victorian Spa of Llandrindod Wells still retains an elegant
charm. The border town of Hay-on-Wye has a village feel with
plenteous bookshops, antiquaries and restaurants and Knighton
is a lovely staging post along Offa?s Dyke and the backdrop
to Kilvert?s diaries. Just inside the border with Shropshire
lies the market town of Welshpool and Powis Castle with its
formal garden and fine collection of memorabilia of Clive of
India. There are craft centres, museums, galleries and gift
shops in almost every town and village in Mid Wales, and at
Rhayader you can watch Welsh royal Crystal being made and then
choose your table from the factory shop.
 The
North Wales coast has everything for summer seaside visitors
- all the fun of the fair and so much more. Rhyl Sun Centre
offers the family a complete fun day out. The sailor can find
a berth in every port. Canoes and kayaks can cut through calm
mirrors or wrestle with wild, white water. Wind surfers and
surf-boarders can be found all round the coast.
For those with a historical bent, North Wales offers castles
galore. It has superb examples of those built by Welsh lords
as well as two of the finest built by Edward I: Caernarfon Castle
- where he offered his son, the first Prince of Wales, to the
Welsh people and Conwy Castle - his strategic headquarters built
with a walled town around it for its staff and suppliers. There
are also many stately homes and houses of historic interest.
Wales’ rich cultural heritage is evident both in the lyrical language and in the vibrant arts scene, whether it be in the sphere of music, drama, film or arts and crafts.
Its mountains and lakes, rivers and valleys, coast and country
offer the visitor a break from the pressures of everyday living.
Wales has all the benefits of a relaxing escape without any
of the disadvantages attributed to travelling long distances.
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