Going to Wales: What to see? Where to photo?

astroclimb

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Am going to England (been there several times) on a work trip and am planning on a couple of extra days in Wales (never been) to see countryside and coast. Really enjoy mountains/hikes, seashore, ancient (by American standards) buildings/architecture, pubs, local music, and off-the-beaten-path places and experiences. Suggeations on where to go? What to see? A good location/area to stay? Your thoughts, experiences, and stories are most appreciated!

ToddH

P.S. did a search, thought I'd find a thread here on Wales, if there is, I missed it....
 

frank

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I did a driving day trip into Wales during an England/France vacation. Saw Raglan castle and Tinturn Abbey. An interesting bit of history with king Henry 8th and the looting/destruction of places that wanted to remain catholic.
 
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Peltigera

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A couple of days? Wales is rather too large for a couple of days. The Strumble in Pembrokeshire will mix country with coast - a bit of a drive as it is the furthest west part of Wales and not too far from St Davids, the smallest city in Britain and a rather nice cathedral. Cardiff will give you old buildings (medieval castle old enough?) and rather a lot of decent pubs.
 
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astroclimb

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Two days is certainly not enough....but better than none. Its a working trip (a week of mostly meetings) that I'm tacking on a bit of sightseeing. Thanks for the info so far!
 

winger

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I went in 2002 and spent about 5 days, I think. No matter where we were, there were things to see. Tintern Abbey was great - I'd love to spend a lot more time there. That's maybe the closest for you to get to. We went to Pontypool (some of my ancestors are from there), too. We also stayed a few days in the NW in Conwy. We saw Caernarfon and several surrounding towns. There was a cool waterfall near Betws-y-coed.
 

TheFlyingCamera

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Conwy, Caernarvon, Tintern Abbey, Raglan, Harlech, Beaumaris... they'll all give you your fill of medieval architecture. Swansea is a nice bigger southern Welsh coastal town. Hay-on-Wye is a small town overrun by bookstores. There's so much to see. If you want rugged nature, Snowdonia national park is worth taking a look (also in the north of Wales).
 

RalphLambrecht

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Wales is a great place for waterfalls
 

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canuhead

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loved Blaenau Ffestiniog and Snowdonia area. stayed at a farm b & b, best scrambled eggs ever castles everywhere and very accessible (at the time) but not the big imposing castles, but smaller ones plunked down in the middle of a field etc.. be forewarned, there are sheep everywhere so be prepared for long delays while driving lol
 

RobC

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I guess it depends how much time you have and how far you want to drive.

I'd suggest doing a walk up Cadair Idris which is a Weslh mountain and a really good days walk, staying in or around Dolgellau and then the next day driving a little North and visiting Portmeirion (where the cult TV series the Prisoner was filmed) which is estuary coastal with sands and if you have time you can walk up and take the train down Snodownia or visa versa.

You'll need proper outdoors kit/boots for any weather. It rains lot in Wales, second only to the Lake district for wetness IMO.
 

blockend

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My first suggestion is an umbrella! In the north there's Snowdonia, rugged mountains, narrow gauge railways, attractive coastline round the Llyn peninsula. In the south Pembrokeshire is pretty with good surf if that's your thing. Also in the south but closer to England the Brecon Beacons are worth a visit. The Welsh-English "Marches" (borders) are stunningly attractive, lots of history, castles, black and white villages, great pubs. It depends where you're starting from because two days isn't sufficient to see Wales.

Snowdonia is the most dramatic and still largely Welsh speaking. The north Wales coast is pretty grotty unless you like endless miles of caravans and chalets.
 

Ulrich Drolshagen

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Mt. Snowdon! Nice little walk up there and looking around you'll get a lot of Wales to see (In nice weather, otherwise get yourself a cup of tea and wait ten minutes) :devil:
 

Black Dog

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I lived near Beddgelert in 2005 and travelled all over Snowdonia from there- Cadair is a fantastic mountain, I'd also recommend the Rhinogs and the Moelwyns a little further north. And DO NOT forget the waterproofs!
 

Sirius Glass

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Black Dog said:
I lived near Beddgelert in 2005 and travelled all over Snowdonia from there- Cadair is a fantastic mountain, I'd also recommend the Rhinogs and the Moelwyns a little further north. And DO NOT forget the waterproofs!
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Black Dog

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astroclimb

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Umbrella? Check! Waterproofs? Check! Still debating on what cameras to bring. 120 in Mamiya 645 and pinhole. Or 'classic' Nikon F/F2. Or 'modern' Nikon FA/FM. Or AF Nikon F5/ f100. No matter, it'll be a joyful trip.

Next step...using all of your ideas...a map...pick a road route (ideas?) And a local or locals to spend a couple of nights.
 

Sirius Glass

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Are you planning on seeing the Prince of Whales?
 
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