travel October 2025 England - Wales Circle

There are plenty of Neolithic sites on Anglesey. Near Nevern is Pentre Ifan Burial chamber. It’s on a one lane road 3 miles outside of town. Near Tintern, in Trelleck, are Harold's Stones. It is a set of three standing stones. Blink and you’ll go right past them. Parking at both places is limited.

The two times we were in that area we stayed in Caernarfon. From it, Anglesey was easy to reach.

If you stay somewhere central in North Wales you can easily do day trips to most locations, and the drives are always easy and part of the pleasure as you will see lots.

Llanberis is nice but also consider the Conwy Valley south of Conwy (Trefriw, Betws-y-Coed, Llanrwst maybe) which is dead centre in North Wales. Either would be a good base.

Anglesey definitely has a lot of neolithic sites - if that is where you are going to be spending a lot of time then two nights in the Llanberis / Conwy Valley and two nights on Anglesey would save driving there?

Thanks for the ideas - I think we will definitely check out the Pentre Ifan Burial chamber - we also are looking to see Bryn Cellid Du and Barcbdiod y Gawres (spelling?); Conwy Castle etc. I think we might look into Tinturn or Swansea as a base in Southern Wales so we can see St. Fagens, Brecan National park and sites Pont y Pridd rocking stone, Carn LLechart (sp). Aren't there other castles by Cardiff and Newport?

Some castles in the Cardiff area are Cardiff, Coch, Caerphilly, Chepstow, Raglan, White, Skenfrith, and Grosmont. The last two are pretty much just ruins.

Newport (Gwent) also has a Castle which you can see externally, and is close to the Cathedral- https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/newport-castle

But if you are interested in Roman stuff Caerleon is a few miles away- there is the remains of the Amphitheatre, the Barracks and the Baths to see, as well as the [Welsh] National Roman Legion Museum- all except the Baths is free to see and the Baths is only a nominal charge.
The barracks is the only Roman legionary barracks still on view in Europe. The amphitheatre is the most complete one in Britain.

See also this thread about prehistoric sites in North Wales/Anglesey-https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/wales/prehistoric-sites-near-conwy

If going from N Wales to Cardiff, you will be on the A470 which goes through the Brecon Beacons on the way. I see that Pentre-Ifan Burial Chamber has been mentioned but note that this is in north Pembrokeshire and well away from the A470 route through the middle of Wales. If you are in the Cardiff area and wish to see a burial chamber - check that at St.Lythans just W of the city. You might also like to visit nearby Dyffryn Gardens (NT) which is 5 minutes away. Tinkinswood burial chamber is across a couple of fields off the lane between Dyffryn Gardens and St.Nicholas.

Newport Castle has been mentioned. I suggest that you definitely give that a miss. Caerleon is an important Roman site but is rather awkward to reach off the M4. Tredegar House (NT) on the west side of Newport is also worth a look.

In the Cardiff area, my advice would be to prioritise Cardiff Castle, St.Fagans Castle & Museum of Welsh Life (needs at least half a day), Caerphilly Castle and Castell Coch. The waterfront area known as Cardiff Bay (1 mile S of city centre) is also worth seeing.

Be sure to check the parking situation for any places where you are staying.

You can visit (detour) Tintern Abbey when driving from Cardiff to Bath and you could also drive into Chepstow town to see the castle before driving over the Severn Bridge (M48) into southern England. Just after you leave the M4 at J18 for Bath, you may like to visit Dyrham House (NT). Alternatively, take a detour via Acton Turville to see the lovely Cotswold village of Castle Combe.

Thanks so much for these great ideas! I will definitely look into them! I am looking to stay in Swansea - any recommendations as to accommodations?

The Gower peninsula to the west of Swansea lovely (the city less so) with wonderful beaches interspersed by stunning cliffs. If I had to choose one place to visit on the peninsula - it would be Rhossili at the south western tip. Driving down the peninsula can be slow going.https://www.visitswanseabay.com/things-to-do/beaches/rhossili/

Thanks - I was trying to find a place we could stay for a few night and see the sights around Cardiff and Newport without staying in a city...I might look into Methyr Tydfil or Bridgend? It will be a long day drive from Llanberis to the south area.

We stayed 3 nights in Tintern and used it as a base for seeing the area.

Do not even think about Bridgend or Merthyr Tydfil - they are not nice towns.

Consider Cowbridge - a small country town in the Vale of Glamorgan west of Cardiff. The downside is that you are not having a fast connection to the motorway (interstate type of road) and to reach Cardiff by public transport - you could use the half hourly X2 bus if not wanting to drive - takes about 43 minutes into the city centre. Suggested hotel in Cowbridge (car park at rear)>https://townandcountrycollective.co.uk/the-bear-home/

Also consider Ty Mynydd Lodge in the Radyr area of Cardiff - click this map and then click on the lodge for details. This has the advantage of being near M4 junction 32 with Castell Coch, Caerphilly Castle and St.Fagans Castle & Museum being only about a 15 minute drive away. Furthermore, Radyr train station is just down the road with trains very 10 minutes or so that will get you into Cardiff city centre in about 14 minutes without the hassle of driving. You can also use the trains to reach Cardiff Bay. This location also has almost direct access to the A470 making easy access if coming down from N Wales or wishing to visit the Brecon Beacons National Park.

A high end place to stay near M4 J34 west of Cardiff > https://llanerch.co.uk
If staying here & wanting public transport to Cardiff - an infrequent bus (First 320) could be used or you would need to drive to nearby
Pontyclun station which has trains at least hourly to Cardiff taking 14 minutes non stop.

Note that I have not stayed in any of the hotels mentioned - check reviews.

In terms of hotel potential, is your reason for not wanting to stay in the city because you want to stay somewhere peaceful and green but you are prepared to drive into the city, or because you want to be somewhere peaceful/green but be able to take public transport or you just want to be near the motorway for access? Definitely no point staying in Bridgend or Merthyr, not just because they are not great towns but because they are still quite a distance from Cardiff and Newport, and whilst the Gower is lovely definitely don't use it as a base for seeing Cardiff is much too long a drive. The Bear and Llanerch Vineyard are nice places to stay but James is right that they are not well connected by public transport (Cowbridge better than Llanerch). If public transport not a requirement then the Celtic Manor and The Vale Hotel could also be thrown in the mix for hotels with easy access to the M4.

Wow thanks for the great information!! We will be driving so not relying on public transportation. Generally we like to stay in the same place for several nights and we prefer the smaller more quaint areas that we can walk to restaurants and pubs once we return for the evening. I did check out Ty Mynydd Lodge, however they don't seem to be open in October - I will check into the other places as well. I guess what we may do then is instead of driving the whole west coast way from Llanberis, we go to Aberystwyth and then head southeast to Cardiff/Newport area for our next home base. You all have been so helpful!! thanks!!

I don't know where you are regarding accommodation - cheapo or high end or something in the middle?

If higher end - you could consider driving from N Wales to SE Wales and staying at this place near Chepstow:>https://www.marriott.com/en-gb/hotels/brssp-delta-hotels-st-pierre-country-club/overview/
From here you could easily drive to the lower Wye Valley (Tintern Abbey etc). You could also drive to the castles around Cardiff such as St.Fagans, Castell Coch & Caerphilly.

If you wished to visit Cardiff city centre & castle, you could take the train from nearby Severn Tunnel Junction (has parking) and the journey takes 30 minutes. Also note that instead of finding accommodation in Bath, you could easily go from Severn Tunnel Junction by train to Bath and the journey takes about 40 minutes - including a change of train at Bristol Temple Meads. (If driving to Bath from SE Wales - suggest you use the Lansdown Park & Ride as parking in Bath is limited. The P&R parking is free and you just pay the bus driver and the buses are about every 10 minutes).

Do not stay IN Newport - it is run down industrial city. The upscale Celtic Manor Hotel is a golf resort on the northern edge of Newport.

This is the county in SE Wales:>https://www.visitmonmouthshire.com

This is the country west of Cardiff that includes Cowbridge and Llanerch Vineyard:>https://www.visitthevale.com

Thanks for all the great references! One more question - we are going to go to Stonehenge and I heard you can get a private tour that goes inside the circle - any recommendations?
Thanks Mel