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…
One of only two museums in Britain dedicated to former prime ministers, the Lloyd George Museum in Llanystumdwy serves as a tribute to one of the United Kingdom’s great reformers. The museum acts as custodian of important historical records and artefacts that document the life and times of the inspirational war leader and social reformer,…
Plas yn Rhiw is an early 17th-century manor house in Y Rhiw, Gwynedd, in north-western Wales. Located at the base of Mynydd Rhiw, the estate overlooks the beach of Porth Neigwl (Hell’s Mouth), Cardigan Bay and the Llyn Peninsula and consists of a small Tudor mansion, a large garden and woodland. It is the only…
Located near Aberdaron, in Gwynedd, Porth Ysgo is a secluded National Trust-owned beach, hidden away and rarely busy. At high tide it is quite pebbley, but mid and low tide reveal an expanse of good quality sand, although a few rocks in the bay mean visitors must take care if doing watersports. A steep hillside…
Located in the Bardsey Sound, two miles off the tip of the Llyn Peninsula, Bardsey Island is home to many rare plants and plenty of sea birds such as gannets and razorbills, but the most famous inhabitants are Manx shearwaters, with a breeding colony of 10,000 to 16,000 on the island. Atlantic grey seals can…
Based in a heritage building in the heart of New Quay, overlooking the beautiful beach and harbour, the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre is the focus for marine research along the coast of south-west Wales. The popular visitor centre works in conjunction with Dolphin Survey Boat Trips to collect data on the bottlenose dolphins of…
Set in the beautiful Cambrian Mountains of Mid Wales, the Silver Mountain Experience takes visitors on an atmospheric journey back to the 18th century when silver was mined in them there hills. During the boom of the 1860s the whole of north Cardiganshire resembled the Klondike, attracting speculators and adventurers from across the globe, but…
Devil’s Bridge Falls in the Rheidol Gorge is a major attraction about 12 miles outside Aberystwyth, where the River Mynach drops 300ft to meet the River Rheidol. The unique falls attract thousands of visitors each year and even inspired William Wordsworth’s “Torrent at the Devil’s Bridge”. For a small charge, you can follow a pathway…
Located in the historic former Cambrian Mills in the Teifi Valley, the National Wool Museum charts the history of weaving in Wales, once the most important industry in the country. During the late 1800s and early part of the next century, the woollen industry sustained the Welsh rural community and Cambrian Mills was built on…
