| Wales is rolling
moorlands, glaciated mountain areas, mellifluous male-voice choirs, very long place names,
Rugby Union,`Bread of Heaven', romantic castles, people with querying lilts, cheese on
toast and old mining towns. Wales is also rampant deforestation, marching power lines and
the gradual replacement of 19th-century mining ugliness with late 20th-century industrial
playgrounds. The backbone behind this strange mixture of beauty and ugliness, poignancy
and affliction is Welshness - a strength of spirit and character which despite centuries
of English neglect and attempted assimilation remains defiant.  Map of Wales (11K)
 Facts at a Glance
Area: 20,764 sq km (8017 sq mi)
Population: 3 million
Capital city: Cardiff (pop 265,000)
People: Celts, Anglo-Saxons
Language: Welsh, English
Religion: Nonconformist Protestants, Anglicans, Catholics
Government: Parliamentary Democracy
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister: Tony Blair
 Environment
Surrounded by sea on three sides, Wales' border with
England (to the east) still runs roughly along Offa's Dyke, the giant earthwork
constructed in the 8th century. Wales has two major mountain systems: the Black Mountains
and Brecon Beacons in the south, and the mountains of Snowdonia in the north-west. These
glaciated mountain areas are deeply cut by narrow river valleys. Rolling moorlands stretch
from Denbigh in the north to the Glamorgan valleys in the south, ending on the west coast
in spectacular cliffs. The population is concentrated in the south-east, along the coast
between Cardiff and Swansea and in the valleys that run north into the Beacons.
Much of Wales was once covered by forest, mainly sessile
oak, but very little remains. Most has been cleared for agriculture or chopped down for
shipbuilding, charcoal building and mine construction. Overgrazing and the introduction of
wild rhododendron bushes has made it hard for any native forest to reseed. Native ash are
much more common than oaks, growing along rivers, and in their shade you'll find primoses,
violets and orchids. Wild cherry trees and field maples are also common. Fragile Arctic
plants like the unique Snowdon lily grow among the country's mountains.
Seabirds love Wales' lengthy coastline - the country has
30% of the world's manx shearwaters and Grassholm has one of the world's largest gannet
colonies. Inland you'll find the only red kites left in Britain, as well as the greater
horseshoe bat, confined to Wales and fragments of England. Red squirrels are holding out
in parts of the country and there's a colony of grey seals breeding on the west coast.
It's probably fair to say that Wales suffers from an
excess of rainfall, with water falling from the sky all year round. Westerly and
south-westerly winds can also make life pretty miserable. That said, the closeness of the
mountains to the coast means that you can encounter very different climatic conditions
withing short distances. Temperatures in Cardiff get up to 20°C (68°F) at the height of
summer (August), but rarely drop below freezing even in the depths of winter (January).
Wales has been described as one of the oldest countries
in the world, with evidence of human habitation stretching back nearly 200,000 years. The
European Celts, who arrived just after 600 BC, brought the popular Welsh attributes of
eloquence, warmth and imagination. The subsequent Roman presence has been mythologised as
a period of benevolent rule, perhaps due to the comparative chaos of the ensuing period,
when raiding Irish pirates and Scots (the Brythons) arrived. Elements of Christianity
arrived in the 5th century from Ireland, and was most famously proselytised by a monk
called Dewi (later Normanised into David, patron saint of Wales). This nascent
Christianity was grafted onto the contumaciously held Celtic belief system, with its
sacred wells, holy men and hermit saints.
The period from the 5th to the 11th centuries was
coloured by Anglo-Saxon pressure and invasion, and it was also around this time that the
Brythons began to call themselves Cymry, or fellow countrymen. King Arthur, that
font of legend, hope and inspiration, is thought to have led the Brythons against the
Anglo-Saxons some time during the 8th century. More tangible, and dating from the same
period, was the action of Offa, king of the neighbouring Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. He
constructed a dyke to mark the boundary between the Welsh and the Mercians. Today, Offa's
Dyke has been tamed as one of the country's best walks.
Viking invasions in the 9th and 10th centuries served to
unify the individual Welsh kingdoms which had developed. Ironically, just as the threat of
invasion caused Wales to develop as a recognisable entity, it also caused it to fall
further under the control of the English crown. In 927, the Welsh kings recognised
Athelstan, the Anglo-Saxon king, as their protective overlord. During the next century,
William the Conqueror took full advantage of this precedent, setting up powerful and
incursive feudal barons along the Welsh border.
Attempts were made in the 13th century to secure Wales as
an independent state, and the poignantly named Llywelyn the Last managed to get himself
recognised as the first Prince of Wales by Henry III of England in 1267. The nation's
untrammelled joy was brief, however, with Henry's warlike successor, Edward I, soon
casting the net of fealty over his neighbour. The crowning insult came in 1302 when the
title of Prince of Wales was given to the English monarch's eldest son. Edward's authority
was made further evident by the construction of a number of massive castles and the
assignment of English colonists to set up English-style boroughs and counties.
The last armed opposition to English rule came in 1400,
when Owain Glyndwr made a claim to the principality of Wales, as a descendant of the
princes of northern Powys. His rebellion was crushed by Henry IV, whose imposition of
severe punishments caused feelings to remain bitter for many years.
Wales lay slumbering until the 1730s, when it was woken
and sullied by the Industrial Revolution, and stirred and given a new identity by rampant
Methodism. Coal, copper, slate and tin production led to a phenomenally increased
population, rapidly changing the country's make-up from fragmented rural communities to
urbanised mining and industrial centres. The smoky cities were hotbeds of nonconformism,
nationalism, trade unionism, liberalism and support for the Labour Party. Change was slow
but inexorable: Plaid Cymru, the Welsh National Party, was formed in 1925; the Welsh
language was made legally acceptable in 1942; Cardiff was made the official capital in
1955; a Welsh minister of state was appointed with cabinet rank in the British government
in 1964; and today, Plaid Cymru holds several seats in the House of Commons. Welsh culture
and language also prevailed; Wales got its own Welsh-language TV channel in 1982.
Wales has entered the 1990s still adjusting to the
collapse of its traditional coal and steel industries. Large-scale unemployment persists,
despite diversification programmes. The current Labour government's policies are certainly
more Welsh-friendly than those of the Conservatives, but the likelihood of Wales emerging
as a separate nation remains slim.
 Economic Profile
GDP: US$1,054 billion
GDP per head: US$18,138
Annual growth: 3%
Inflation: 3%
Major industries: Banking and finance, steel, transport equipment, oil and gas, tourism
Major trading partners: EU & USA
 Culture
The eisteddfod is a thoroughly Welsh institution that
tends to leave the non-Welsh mystified. The word means a gathering of bards, and
traditionally the eisteddfod was a contest involving poetry and music. The first was held
in 1176, but their popularity dropped off after the 17th century when they raised the ire
of the dour nonconformist Protestants. In the 1860s the National Esiteddfod Society was
established to revive the old traditions, and there are now three major eisteddfodau as
well as several local contests. The Welsh male voice choir is another Welsh institution,
associated with the coal mining communities of south Wales. These choirs have their routes
in Methodism, and their repertoires are particularly strong on hymns. Although many of the
communites which spawned them have turned up their toes, the choirs are hanging in
(although some have had to open their doors to women and visitors).
Wales is a nation of nonconformists, so its not
surprising that Protestant nonconformist sects took off in a big way here. Christianity
has been in Wales since the 5th century, and during the Reformation Wales became part of
the Anglican church. In the 18th century the new industrial working classes proved fertile
recruiting ground for various sects, particularly the Baptists, Methodists and
Congregationalists. By 1851 80% of the population was nonconformist and in 1920 the
Anglican church pulled out of the country. The nonconformists are traditionally rather
puritanical, and until recently pubs stayed shut on Sundays. These days, however, only
220,000 Welsh people identify as nonconformists.
The one thing that marks Wales outs so distinctly from
the rest of Britain is the survival of Welsh as a living language. Despite its weird and
seemingly unpronounceable double ls and consecutive consonants, Welsh is an Indo-European
language, from a Celtic offshoot. Its closest linguistic cousins are Cornish and Breton.
During the Roman occupation, many people became Latin-Welsh bilingual, and Latin's
influence on the Welsh language is still apparent. The language was fully developed by the
6th century, and is one of the oldest in Europe. The Industrial Revolution brought an
influx of English-speakers into the country, and between 1800 and 1900 the percentage of
Welsh speakers dropped from 80% to 50%. These days only 20% of the population, mostly in
the north-west and west, speak Welsh. Activists are working to bring the language back to
life - it is now legal to speak Welsh in court, several bi-lingual publications are
produced and Welsh S4C (Channel 4 Wales) televises daily Welsh programs. A Welsh Language
Board was set up in 1988 and in 1994 the Welsh Language Act - giving Welsh equal validity
and making it illegal to discriminate against Welsh-speakers - was introduced.
Welsh food is not particularly well-known, but it does
exist. The leek, of course, is the national symbol, but you'll also find laverbread (a
mixture of seaweed, oatmeal and bacon served on toast), rarebit (cheese on toast with the
added flavour of mustard and beer) and Glamorgan sausages, a meatless delight made from
cheese, breadcrumbs, herbs and leek.
 Events
Wales wouldn't be Wales without eisteddfodau. The big one
is the Royal National Eisteddfodd of Wales, a moveable show held in early August, but you
could also try the International Eisteddfodd, held in Llangollen every July, or the Urdd
(Youth) Eisteddfod held in May. Wales' yearly festival of cows and ploughs, the Royal
Welsh Agricultural Show, is on at Llanelwedd in mid-July.
 Facts for the Traveller
Visas: EU citizens may live and work free of any
immigration controls. Citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are generally
allowed to stay six months without a visa.
Health risks: None
Time: GMT/UTC
Electricity: 240V, 50Hz
Weights & Measures: Metric (except beer, which is measured in pints)(see conversion table)
 Money & Costs
- Budget meal: US$5-10
- Moderate restaurant meal: US$15-25
- Top-end restaurant meal: US$30 and upwards
- Budget room: US$15-30
- Moderate hotel: US$40-100
- Top-end hotel: US$100 and upwards
Wales is expensive, but nowhere near as expensive as
England. Cardiff's prices are generally 5-10% lower than those in England. Wales' cities
are generally more expensive than the countryside, but even outside the cities you'll
still need at least US$25 a day, and if you stay in B&Bs, eat one sit-down meal a day
and don't stint on entry fees, you'll need about US$60 a day.
Travellers' cheques are widely accepted in banks and you
might as well buy them in pounds sterling to avoid changing currencies twice. Cashpoints
(ATMs) are very common in Britain: most are linked to major credit cards as well as the
Cirrus, Maestro and Plus cash networks, but if a machine swallows your card it can be a
nightmare. Most banks insist on chopping it in half and sending it back to your home
branch - very helpful.
If you eat in a restaurant you should leave a tip of at
least 10% unless the service was unsatisfactory. Waiting staff are often paid derisory
wages on the assumption that the money will be supplemented by tips. Some restaurants
include a service charge on the bill, in which case a gratuity is unnecessary. Taxi
drivers expect to be tipped about 10%.
 When to Go
Spring and autumn are probably the best times to visit
Wales if you want to avoid the July and August crowds. It's even less busy in winter, but
many attractions close in mid-October and don't reopen until Easter. Some mountain passes
can be snowbound in winter.
Cardiff
A busy commercial and university city, the Welsh capital
doesn't usually appear near the top of visitors' must-see lists. However, those who linger
will discover its striking city-centre castle, important national museum and art gallery,
redeveloped docks area and pockets of beautiful architecture. It's a good place to base
yourself because it's surrounded by interesting sites and transport links are good.
Cardiff has a good selection of B&B accommodation,
sprinkled along Cathedral Rd, to the west of the city centre, and Newport Rd to the east.
Purveyors of Welsh specialties such as rarebit (the Welsh version of cheese on toast) and
laverbread (a nice-than-you'd-think seaweed concoction) can be found in the city centre,
along with coffee shops and bistros serving more usual fare. Rugby is Cardiff's most
popular form of entertainment, but there's also theatre, an arts centre and a pop arena
for those who want to avoid the scrum.
Snowdonia National Park
Britain's second-largest national park, after the Lake
District, Snowdonia covers 840 sq miles (1352 sq km) of North Wales, including Snowdon -
at 3560ft (1068m), the highest peak in Britain south of the Scottish Highlands. About
500,000 people touch the rugged summit every year, whether by climbing, walking or taking
the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Long the testing ground of more ambitious mountaineers
(Edmund Hillary, for example), Snowdon's many trails make the summit accessible to hikers
of varying abilities. The park also contains rivers, lakes, waterfalls, forests,
moorlands, glacial valleys and a lovely coastline, as well as Stone and Bronze Age burial
chambers, Roman forts, Norman castles, steam railways and relics of the country's mining
heritage. Centres include the climbers' haven of lakeside Llanberis, postcard-pretty
Betws-y-Coed, the former slate-mining village of Blaenau Ffestiniog and the castle town of
Harlech.
This special place would be a village if it were not for
its cathedral and important links with the fondly remembered St David, whose remains are
buried there. The late 12th-century cathedral can hardly be considered a landmark since
one of the major preoccupations of its builders was to hide the structure from passing
Norse raiders. The building has an atmosphere of great antiquity, with its drunken floor
(the result of an earthquake in 1248), Norman nave, shrine and permanently reserved
monarch's stall. In the Middle Ages, two pilgrimages to the shrine were said to equal one
to Rome. Apart from drinking in the antique ambience, there are several tours of St Non's
Bay which visit nearby islands.
For a taste of that faded grandeur which wintry seaside
resorts do so well (all you need is 'Every Day is Like Sunday' by Morrissey playing in the
background), head for Llandudno. A traditional and immensely popular seaside resort in
north-western Wales, the town owes its unique Victorian air to its architecture, lengthy
pier and imposing promenade. The donkeys plodding up and down the sands also belong to a
previous era. Llandudno is beautifully situated between two sweeping beaches, dominated
seaward by the Great Orme (a spectacular limestone headland) and landward by the mountains
of Snowdonia. Llandudno has an Alice in Wonderland connection: the Liddell family,
whose daughter Alice was the source of Carroll's inspiration, spent many summers in the
town.
Conwy
Picturesquely dominated by its classic castle, Conwy is
one of the best European examples of a medieval walled town. Conwy Castle has eight
massive crenellated towers, its shape largely dictated by its rock-bound foundations. The
best view is from across the River Conwy, with the Snowdonia Mountains providing a
dramatic backdrop. Three-quarters of a mile of the town's walls remain intact, topped off
with 22 towers and three original gateways. The Smallest House in Britain, the 14th
century, timber-and-plaster Aberconwy House and Bodnant Garden (8 miles (13km) to the
south and one of the finest gardens in Britain), round off Conwy's collection of sights.
Brecon Beacons National Park
This popular park measures only 15 miles (24km) from
north to south and 45 miles (72km) west to east, yet it comprises four mountain ranges and
a variety of terrain: privately owned slopes grazed by sheep and yet more sheep, mining
valleys and bare escarpments. Most visitors are walkers heading for Offa's Dyke Path,
which passes along the eastern border, or the Taff Trail, heading south from Brecon.
Principal centres include the historic market town of Brecon, the self-styled 'Gateway to
Wales' town of Abergavenny and eccentric Hay-on-Wye. Offa's Path runs through the Black
Mountains, which boast the best views, with sights such as the ruins of Llanthony Priory,
the River Honddu, the pretty church at Patrishow and the highest peak at Waun Fach. The
highest point in the bare-crested hills of the Brecon Beacons is Pen-y-Fan.
Hay-on-Wye has sloping lanes, Norman and Jacobean ruins,
a market-town buzz and the world's largest collection of second-hand bookstores. Publicity
stunts such as its 1977 declaration of independence from Britain and its vigorous
self-promotion make this border market town like no other. There are more than 30
bookshops, some specialising in subjects so esoteric they can't be categorised, as well as
auctions and out-of-print book search services. Not the place to go if your backpack's
already gouging highways across your shoulder blades.
Laugharne
Lovers of poetry, romance and a good tipple won't need to
be pushed in the direction of Laugharne, the most important stop on the Dylan Thomas
trail. You can visit the boathouse where the befuddled bard lived and wrote, the pub where
he drank (Brown's Hotel) and the churchyard where his pickled liver was buried. The
house is preserved as a shrine, with photographs, manuscripts and recordings. Laugharne
itself is a pleasant Georgian township, with the remains of a 12th-century castle nearby.
Gower Peninsula
This area was the first part of Britain to be officially
designated an Area of Outstanding Beauty - for good reason. A favourite haunt of Dylan
Thomas, the predominantly National Trust-owned peninsula has superb sandy beaches,
beautiful cliff scenery, smugglers' coves and some great walks. Points of interest include
Worm's Head and the village of Rhossili.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Most famous for the 167-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path,
the park runs along a coastline riddled with rugged cliffs, superb sandy beaches, rocky
coves and tiny fishing villages - there's some gorgeous scenery and spectacular coastal
walks. Inland, the historic Preseli Hills hide ancient trade routes, hill forts, standing
stones and burial chambers. Offshore, the islands of Skomer, Skokholm and Grassholm are
inhabited by colonies of puffins, guillemots, razorbills, gannets and grey seals. The area
is an activity-lover's paradise, with a choice of hiking, pony trekking, surfing,
windsurfing, kayaking and fishing opportunities.
Wales vigorously promotes itself as the place to come for
an activity-based holiday. Perhaps the most obvious activity is the country's popular
network of walks. The most challenging are around the rocky Snowdonia or the moody Brecon
Beacons national parks. Wales has seven long-distance walks, the most famous being the
Pembrokeshire Coast Path and Offa's Dyke Path. Slightly less busy are the 274-mile (441km)
Cambrian Way and the 120-mile (193km) Glyndwr's Way. Pony trekking opportunities are found
throughout Wales, in particular around the Pembrokeshire Coast and Brecon Beacon national
parks. Cyclers will experience quiet roads and the odd strenuous hill by cycling through
the Cambrian and Black mountains or the Brecon Beacons; the Pembrokeshire coast has
flatter terrain.
Wales' south-west coast has a number of passable surfing
spots, including Porthcawl, Oxwich Bay, Rhossili, Manorbier, Freshwater West and
Whitesands. Canoeing and white-water rafting are good in Snowdonia, and Llangollen on the
River Dee has a reputation as a canoeing centre. Canal cruising along the Monmouthshire
& Brecon Canal is a breeze, partly because there are only six locks along its 33-mile
(53km) length. Spelunkers can head for the Brecon Beacons, where there are several
limestone cave systems.
Fishing. Click HERE to be taken to Welsh Fishing at it's best.
 Getting There & Away
The international airport at Cardiff is mainly used for
holiday charter flights, although there are some scheduled flights to Aberdeen, Amsterdam,
Belfast, Brussels, the Channel Islands, Dublin, Edinbugh, Glasgow, the Isle of Man,
Manchester and Paris. Long-distance buses are the cheapest method of getting to Wales,
with several services running between English and Welsh cities. A train will take less
than two hours to get you from London to Cardiff, and won't burn too big a hole in your
pocket. Most of Wales' big cities are linked to England by rail. The Channel Tunnel means
you can travel by train from Cardiff to Continental Europe, via London of course. It takes
about three hours to drive from London to Cardiff, and the motorways make most drives into
Wales quick and easy. Ferries link Ireland to Holyhead, Pembroke, Fishguard and Swansea.
 Getting Around
Distances are small, but with the exception of links
around the coast, public transport users have to fall back on infrequent and complicated
bus timetables. There are no internal flights. Wales has some fantastic train lines,
particularly along the Cambrian coast and down the Conwy valley. The country's two main
motorways are top-class, but elsewhere the roads are slow, though still good. Snow and ice
can make the higher roads treacherous, or close them altogether. Boats travel out to the
islands of the Pembrokeshire coast and the Lyn Peninsula.
- The fascinating subject of Welsh mythology provides an
important background to any travels through Wales. The Mabinogion is a collection
of tales dating back to the misty Celtic past. Giraldus Cambrensis was a 12th-century monk
who journeyed round the country looking for recruits for the Third Crusade. His medieval
travel tales are best digested in the collection A Mirror of Medieval Wales.
- The Matter of Wales is Jan Morris' entertaining
description of her home country's history and present. Facts and figures to round out the
picture can be found in John Davies' A History of Wales.
- No listing of Welsh literature is complete without Dylan
Thomas. His Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog reflects his own experiences
growing up in the 'ugly, lovely town' of Swansea, while the play Under Milk Wood is
required reading or, better still, listening, for anyone hoping to come to terms with
Welshness.
- Bruce Chatwin's novel On the Black Hill is an
excellent read about the life of twin farmers living and working on the English-Welsh
border. For a more romanticised view, Richard Llewellyn's How Green Was My Valley
is the first of a set of four novels describing the life of a boy growing up in a South
Wales mining community. His novels went a long way to creating the mystique of the tough
life they portrayed.
- For something more quirky, try Elizabeth Mavor's The
Ladies of Llangollen, which describes the unusual lives of a lesbian couple in the
18th century, who eloped from Ireland to Wales to settle in Plas Newydd, where they were
visited by many well-known figures of the era.
 Online Info
Wales
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