Located on the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, Beaumaris Castle was started in 1295 and was the last and largest of the castles to be built by King Edward I in Wales. A castle was almost certainly planned by Edward when he visited Anglesey in 1283 and designated the Welsh town of Llanfaes to…
A National Trust property near Tal-y-Cafn in the Conwy Valley, Bodnant Garden was founded in 1874 and developed by five generations of one family before being gifted to the National Trust in 1949. The garden spans 80 acres of hillside and includes formal Italianate Terraces, informal shrub borders, a gorge garden, a number of noteworthy…
The birthplace of Henry VII, Pembroke Castle is set idyllically on the banks of the Cleddau Ddu estuary and is a mighty fortress steeped in history. Extensively restored in Victorian times, it is dominated by a complex gatehouse on the outside and a huge circular keep inside. The walled town of Pembroke also contains many…
The Bala Lake Railway is a narrow-gauge track along the southern shore of Llyn Tegid, Wales’ largest natural lake. The 2ft-gauge line offers a charming nine-mile return journey through the beautiful scenery of the Snowdonia National Park and the nearby mountains of Arenig Fawr and Aran Benllyn. The line, which is 7.2km-long, is built on…
It began life as the Millennium Stadium, the jewel in the Welsh crown for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, and then in January last year changed its name to the Principality Stadium, but for one night in June this year it takes on the guise of the National Stadium of Wales, when the final of…
St Fagans National Museum of History is an open-air attraction that chronicles the traditional lifestyle, culture and architecture of Wales. Located in St Fagans, just outside Cardiff, the museum consists of more than 40 buildings from various locations in Wales, and is set in the grounds of St Fagans Castle, an Elizabethan manor house. The…
Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery was once the home of the Crawshay family, ironmasters of the Cyfarthfa Ironworks in Park, Merthyr Tydfil. Back at the time of the industrial revolution when Merthyr was the iron and coal capital of the world, industrialist William Crawshay commissioned the spectacular mansion, one of the most imposing buildings…
The National Showcaves Centre at Abercrave in the Swansea Valley is one of the most breathtaking complexes in northern Europe and includes three unique underground experiences. Approaching the entrance to Dan-yr-Ogof cave the River Llynfell emerges from the mountain, returning to the surface after an underground journey of more than 6km. The cave was discovered…
A working coal mine from 1880-1980, the Big Pit National Coal Museum was opened to the public in 1983 as part of the National Museum of Wales. Located adjacent to the preserved Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway, it is the highlight of the Blaenavon World Heritage Site and part of a network of coal workings established…
It’s now more than 50 years since Patrick McGoohan immortalised architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis’ magical seaside estate as Number Six in the television series The Prisoner, but largely as a result Portmeirion is as popular today as ever. The Mediterranean-inspired village was created from 1925-76 by Williams-Ellis to show how a naturally beautiful site could…
