England and Wales -- Itinerary and Transportation

I am starting to sound like a broken record (repeating something over and over), but with your interest in lots of walking, and your concern about transportation, I cannot help but suggest you consider including one or more of the 3-4 night options with HF Holidays.

This is a member-owned cooperative, sort of a “hiking club”, but they own and operate lovely country houses all over the UK, offering all inclusive stays with guided walks and in some cases sightseeing, led by volunteer guides. The holiday includes room and all meals (of excellent quality in our experience), transport to and from trailheads for walks, and guided walks at 3 levels each day if you choose the “guided walking” option. They give excellent instructions for reaching their country house by public transport, usually to the nearest train station, where you can book a shared taxi for the short ride to the house. We really enjoy these short holidays, especially the camaraderie with the other guests—-many of them retired academics or other professionals. The volunteer guides are well-trained and offer excellent commentary on the history, geology, etc. of the region during the walks.

People gather in the bar or lounge before dinner for conversation. And In the evening, after dinner, there is often a talk or other program, or best of all, pub games.

Like you, we are enthusiastic walkers but do not drive in the UK. We do very well hiking on our own in Switzerland and the Dolomites with the excellent public transport in the mountain villages. But we found it very frustrating to arrange good walking holidays in England, and totally missed an opportunity to hike the north coastal path around Port Issac due to the lack of Sunday bus transport. So we were very happy when we discovered HF Holidays. Non-members are welcome to participate by paying a small supplement over the member prices.

This is the main page for their Wales locations:

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/destinations/united-kingdom/wales

Use the “view all holidays” button to open a complete list, with dates and prices. Some might be on sale. Here is an example of a “Walking with sightseeing” holiday in the Brecon Beacons:

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/holidays-and-tours/4-night-brecon-beacons-walking-with-sightseeing-holiday?format=pdf&vid=3817

And here is the brochure for the 4-night holiday focused on walking, with a choice of walks at 3 levels each day:

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/holidays-and-tours/4-night-brecon-beacons-guided-walking-holiday?format=pdf&vid=3862

They also offer coastal walking from their St. David’s location, staying 7 nights there with transport to the trail each day:

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/holidays-and-tours/best-of-the-pembrokeshire-coast?format=pdf&vid=45

They also have country houses with walking programs in Church Stretton and in the Cotswolds:

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/country-houses/locations/church-stretton-shropshire-hills

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/country-houses/locations/bourton-on-the-water-cotswolds

Another vote for HF Holidays. I have only done one - last April to Church Stretton, for 7 days, the guided walking option. I was hoping to do more this year, but had too much else to do. Hoping to do a couple in 2025.

They currently seem to have a lot of deals on for the first part of next year.-

I would change the order a bit.

Consider taking the train from Heathrow to Cardiff and to reduce the cost - take Elizabeth Line from airport to Hayes & Harlington where you change to a westbound stopper to Reading and then change to an express to Cardiff. (This is cheaper than going into Paddington). All trains are at half hourly frequencies - usually. National Express is OK but the frequencies are less. The National Express terminal in Cardiff is Sophia Gardens so you need to weigh that against hotel location.

St.Fagans Castle & Museum on west side of Cardiff is well worth seeing. Cardiff Bus 32 but note that last bus back is about 3pm so take first bus out in morning. Caerphilly Castle - a short train ride to the north (20 minutes) is also worth seeing. Cefn Onn Park by Lisvane station on the Caerphilly line is worth a walk if you have time - nice pub/restaurant by entrance (left side). Castell Coch on N edge of Cardiff is lovely.

From Cardiff, I would take train straight to Pembrokeshire = Haverfordwest for bus to St. David’s. Also note that from Dec 15th, direct trains will run from Cardiff to Tenby but these will be all stop services so will take a time. Tenby is well worth seeing if you can make it.

Going from Pembrokeshire to Llandeilo - you don’t have to go by train to Swansea but could change at Llanelli. Alternatively, leave train at Carmarthen and take bus to Llandeilo. Some buses stop outside Carmarthen station but many use the bus station which is just over the footbridge across the river. See >https://www.morristravel.co.uk/timetables

When in Llandeilo - walk to the west side of town to visit Newton House (NT) and climb to the ruins of Dynevor Castle. Also consider visiting Aberglasney Gardens. Carreg Cennen Castle is a fantastic ruin on top of a cliff about 4 miles east of Llandeilo but I don’t think it has public transport.

Llandeilo to Abergavenny: The A40 is the way to go by road but I don’t think it has a bus link. You have 2 ways to go by train - either south to Swansea where you change trains and use the main line or use the Heart of Wales Line (slow, scenic & old trains) to Craven Arms where you change to a south bound train that will take you to Abergavenny. As this goes via Ludlow, you might wish to stay in Ludlow prior to Abergavenny? It also works out cheaper by buying a one way single from Llandeilo to Craven Arms for £9.90 + £5.60 for a single from Craven arms to Ludlow. (non Railcard prices).

https://www.heart-of-wales.co.uk
Note that direct trains go from Hereford to MIM.

Lola and Katy, Thank you so much for the HF Holidays recommendation. I have seen your recommendation for them before, Lola, and have loved the concept. (It’s okay to be a broken record; sometimes it takes multiple mentions to make an impression.) For a variety of reasons, I did not think we could use them this trip, but I went back and saw there is a three-day option for Church Stratton that would fit our schedule perfectly. This seems like the perfect opportunity to give it a try. I am going to look into this further.

James, I really appreciate your feedback. I am going to look into the scheduling changes you suggested and see if they will make the transportation easier. I especially appreciate the links to the bus and Heart of Wales timetables. Thanks also for the site seeing tips. Do you know if it is possible to walk from Llandeilo to Carreg Cennen Castle? The distance looks feasible for us (just barely!) and we are fine with hills, but I don’t want to walk on roads without sidewalks.

Consider taking the train from Heathrow to Cardiff and to reduce the
cost - take Elizabeth Line from airport to Hayes & Harlington where
you change to a westbound stopper to Reading and then change to an
express to Cardiff.

Or simply take the bus direct to Reading and catch the train to Wales there. Saves you having to change in Hayes & Harlington.

For Cardiff to Llandeilo there is also the X13 bus from Swansea to Llandeilo every 2 hours on the even hours (run by First Cymru)- it takes 1 hour 47 minutes and also calls at Swansea Railway Station. So either take a train from Cardiff to Swansea or National Express to Swansea Bus Station to pick up the Llandeilo bus at the start of it's journey.

This is a summary of how to do the Gower by bus- https://swanseabaywithoutacar.co.uk/gower/

As mentioned above, it is possible to see the Gower by using buses from Swansea - though Swansea is not a particularly attractive city in which to stay. The highlight of the Gower peninsula is Rhossilli at the SW tip. Most people see the stunning big bay on the north side but if you walk on paths south from the car park, you will also find lovely bays and stunning cliffs. (The entire south Gower coast is fab). If going from Cardiff with the intention of visiting Gower, it would probably be best to use the National Express Coach (bus) as that would take you to Swansea Bus station = starting point for the Adventure Bus routes to Gower. (Swansea train station does have local buses linking it with the bus station but it is also walkable).

The road to Carreg Cennen goes from Ffairfach - just south of Llandeilo. It is a relatively quiet country lane with no sidewalk. If you were to walk it, suggest that on bends you walk on the outer side - otherwise walk on the side that faces the oncoming traffic. You might be able to get someone at the hotel to give you a lift at least one way? Check out on Google Map and drag the yellow man onto the road to see on street view what it is like.

For Aberglasney Garden - take a Morris Bus to Broad Oak & walk down country lane - be sure to tell the driver at start so he will know where to drop you off.

https://www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/plan-your-visit/travel-and-parking/coastal-buses/

https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/bus-routes-and-timetables/useful-contacts-links

Test some of your proposed train journeys on the following sites. (Vary the dates to see if it makes any difference).
https://www.traintickets.com/?/ (For Heathrow to Cardiff - try tick Avoid London).
https://www.scotrail.co.uk
https://trainsplit.com

Consider purchasing a Railcard:> https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/railcards/

This site should tell you how to get from a to b in Wales:> https://www.traveline.cymru

Badger, I like that idea. We took a similar route to Bath and it was quite easy. I like that it avoids changing in London.

Stuart, Thank you for the suggestion on getting to Llandeilo. I am now seriously considering replacing St. David’s (where we have been before) with the Gower peninsula, so the link you sent is extremely helpful.

James, If I can find a nice place to stay around Rhossili and bus to get me there, I think that would be ideal. Thanks for the info on Carreg Cennen. I hope we can make it work; it looks spectacular. Thanks again for the transportation links. For trains, I have been using LNER, which is very easy. I’ll try traintickets.com.

The LNER website along with all the other train company websites (apart from Scotrail) will not show you if splitting the ticket works out cheaper.

The National Trust own and thus protect much of the Gower coast - hence you won’t see it covered in high rise hotels. In fact you won’t see any high rise hotels. People can wander at will across this National Trust land but they have to pay for parking cars.

You mentioned that husband’s great, great, grandfather was born in Llandeilo. The odds are that he would have been a Welsh speaker as to this day, this is one of the parts of Wales where the Welsh language remains relatively strong. There is a tendency for the Welsh speakers to vote for the Welsh Nationalist party (Plaid Cymru) who would like Wales to leave the UK and become an independent country. Devolution has resulted in the setting up of a Welsh Parliament (Senedd) and you may like to go into the old and new buildings on the waterfront in Cardiff Bay. In Welsh speaking areas such as around Llandeilo, you are likely to see many more Welsh flags flying than in the predominantly English speaking areas. Even the accents are different in the various parts of Wales. So, Abergavenny will be a very different to Llandeilo! Cardiff is a cosmopolitan city that is seeing rapid population growth with people moving far & wide to reside.

Click this link (if interested) and scroll to Map 3 to see the distribution of Welsh speakers - which are mainly in the sparsely populated west.

Badger, I like that idea. We took a similar route to Bath and it was
quite easy. I like that it avoids changing in London.

It sounds like you're already familiar with the bus to Reading, but in case anyone else is interested, you can find more information here: https://www.railair.com

Re Carreg Cennen Castle- I have got OS Landranger Sheet 159 out from my collection. There are field paths almost all the way from Ffairfach. So you should have a sidewalk from Llandeilo to Ffairfach School (Ysgol Ffairfach) then field paths across to Carreg Cerren church (at the end of the Castle access road) then back along the river to Trapp Village. Take refreshment there in the Cennen Arms pub (assuming it is still open), continue on the riverside for a bit, then farm tracks and field paths brings you down to the top of Ffairfach village. Should be quite a nice circular walk almost entirely off road.

Either buy the printed map sheet or for those with better tech skills than me you should be able to download a bespoke map extract from the Ordnance Survey website.

It seems that Trapp Village also (or instead?) has a Heritage Centre and Cafe in the old School- open Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday, 11.00 am to 1.30 pm. (but as ever, check locally).

James, Thanks for the clarification on train websites. I have heard of ticket splitting, but did not know where to look for it. A big part of the appeal of the Gower peninsula is that it is not built up. I am hoping to find a good rental that I can access by bus, or perhaps even a taxi from Swansea. I really appreciate the information on Welsh speakers. I'm not sure if my husband knows what language his great great grandfather spoke, but perhaps he can find out.

Badger, I took the bus to Reading quite a few years ago, and never thought about it for this trip. So, thanks for the link.

Stuart, Thank you for the information on hiking to Carreg Cennen. I am thrilled to hear that we can walk there mostly on sidewalks and field paths. I will definitely look into the map you mentioned.

Again, thank you to everyone who has replied. You've all been so helpful.

A heads up about Ludlow: It's a very attractive place, but it had been descended upon by foodies as of the time of my visit (2017, I think). That affected lodging costs, and it meant dinner reservations seemed necessary for most places. My visit was later in the year, so things may be much quieter for you.

Carreg Cennen Castle > The Castle is on land owned by a farmer & he charges a small fee for entry. He has converted a barn into a cafe. When in the castle ruin, you will find a passageway cut into the cliff which leads to a cave under the castle.

If staying in Church Stretton or Ludlow, you may like to consider taking the train the short distance to Shrewsbury as it has many historic buildings.https://www.visitshropshire.co.uk/destinations/shrewsbury-central/

When staying in Abergavenny, consider taking Traws Cymru Connect bus X43 to Brecon & back as it goes through some very scenic countryside. (The odd service diverts via Talybont-on-Usk and try & get on one of these in one direction if you can).

You can see which areas are Welsh speaking by looking at the Church/Chapel graveyards. For example, on the Gower peninsula nearly all the graves going back centuries will be written in English - except for a small area in the NE. In Llandeilo, you will see more Chapels and the graves are more likely to be in Welsh.

Tenby was great, we visited St. David's. Best to stay in Tenby.

We stayed in Chipping Camden at the Volunteer Inn and rented a car and did day trips to see the Cotswolds, Oxford, Blenheim Palace and Stratford Upon Avon.

acraven, Thank you for the tip on dining reservations. That’s good to know. I hope the lodging prices aren’t too bad. I’ve just looked a little and I’m seeing places in our budget, so keeping my fingers crossed.

James, Shrewsbury is on my list of potential day trips from Ludlow, so I appreciate the feedback. Our last time in Wales, we stayed in Crickhowell and visited Brecon, which we really liked. I was considering going back so your tip about the bus to take is helpful. I will definitely look into that. We thought the Brecon Beacons area was beautiful.

geovagriffith, All of those places are on my list. However, we are not willing to rent a car, so I doubt we will go to Stratford, because by public transportation it’s too long for a day trip (imo). On our previous trip to the Cotswolds, which was just half a day, we stopped in Chipping Camden. I loved it, and the Volunteer Inn sounds great, but without a car, I think we’ll be better off in Morton-in-Marsh, though I doubt we will like it as much as CC. I appreciate your feedback.

I see that a local ramblers group exists in the Llandeilo area. If you click the link and then e-mail > a box opens up where you can leave a message. They are sure to know about the situation regarding footpaths from Llandeilo to Carreg Cennen. They might know of someone who could give you a lift to Carreg Cennen and back.https://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/ramblers-groups/dinefwr-group

Tenby has been mentioned and you may wish to check out this website:> https://www.visitwales.com/destinations/west-wales/pembrokeshire/things-do-tenby

Thanks, James!