My father and I (60s/30s) are thinking of going to Wales for a week in early to mid-March, from the US. I know the season may not be the most optimal but it is where both our schedules align and he has been wanting to go. Does anyone have recommendations for that early in the spring or is it not a great idea at all? Even though it may be dark earlier (and rainy), are destinations and hikes still available? Any advice is appreciated (as well as pointers on where to go!)
Thank you!
March is on average the driest month in Wales. Temperatures will be cool and snow is most unlikely - except in mountainous areas. That said, towards the end of the month you can sometimes get some warm days. March the 21st is the spring equinox so you can expect 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.
March 1st is St. David's Day = the patron saint of Wales and many festivities take place to mark this day - this usually includes a St.David’s Day Parade through central Cardiff just after noon. The daffodil is the national flower of Wales and some will indeed be in flower on this day. Trees will not be in leaf.
During the last week of March and into the second week of April, you can expect to see Magnolias in flower along with daffodils and an excellent display can be found in Bute Park which is immediately on the western side of Cardiff Castle. Some trees will also be in blossom. You will also find good displays of spring flowers at this time in St. Fagans Castle & Museum of Welsh History located just to the west of Cardiff (Cardiff Bus 32).
If you're interested in rugby at all (which is extremely popular in Wales), the Six Nations will be on the weekend of 6-7 March and 14 March. It can be fun to watch in a pub with supporters or even try to get a ticket to the final Wales match on the 14th, which will be at home against Italy: https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/news/2026-guinness-mens-six-nations-fixtures
I've not been to Wales at that time of year but if you're looking for hiking I think the Pembrokeshire Coast Path is one of the most beautiful in the UK.
The countryside is always open.... As for walking, a lot will depend on the conditions and drainage. After a wet winter, footpaths, especially over farmland could be very muddy. Forestry trails, particularly on forestry roads, should be fine for walking. Think about beddgelert Forest or Gwydir Forest Park, both in Gwynedd. Coed-y-Brenin is a bit further south. In South Wales there is Afan Forest Park. should be fine for walking. There is also Newborough National Nature Reserve and Forest on Anglesey. The sand dunes will be well drained and dryish under foot.
A lot depends on what you mean by 'destinations... It is still early for the tourists which is an advantage, however, many tourist attractions may still be shut, not opening until Easter. You will need to Google opening times to check.
You may be lucky with the weather, but early March could still be quite cold, especially allowing for wind chill. We've had many holidays in North Wales at the end of March and early April. Some have been warm and sunny. Others have been bitterly cold and we've needed all our layers - so make sure you come well prepared with plenty of warm clothes, including full waterproofs. (These are also good windproofs too.) We even experienced a blizzard on April on the Llyn Peninsula which was unheard of. Fortunately it didn't last long and the snow soon melted.
Where to go - that is difficult to say. Do you want to base yourself in a town? If so, think about Cardiff or possibly Llandudno/ Comwy area, or somewhere along the coast between the two. This should give plenty of choice of accommodation. Are you planning on hotel/B&B or self catering? YAgain you may find some places have yet to open for the season.
I'm reading some responses about Wales attractions being closed until late spring. Now I'm worried because we are going to Wales February 26 - March 10. All our reservations are already made an airline tickets purchased. I just learned the St Fagan's National Museum is closed for re-roofing or something, and the National Slate Museum is also closed. Can anyone help alleviate my fear that we'll be seriously limited in our options? We like museums, UNESCO sites, castles (only one or two though!), beaches, hikes and bike trails, and browsing through quaint small towns.
Where in Wales will you be staying? I think you’ll find enough to do. The beaches are always there and small towns don’t shut up for winter. Bigger attractions tend to stay open all year, eg Caerphilly Castle. It’s a shame that St Fagans is closed.
The tourist industry in Wales is really quite under developed. It gets quite a pitiful numbers of visitors. I just checked and out of 41 million overseas visitors to the UK, only a million make it to Wales and it accounts for just 6% of domestic tourist stays.
janeullmann Where have you booked to stay in Wales? It may be possible to suggest places that are open and ideas of things to do while you are there.
It is the roof of St.Fagans Castle (really a Manor House from the 1500’s) that is having work done which means that building is closed. Although this might be disappointing, fear not as there is plenty more to see at St. Fagans Museum. The grounds are vast and you will find many buildings of historic significance re-erected at this museum. A walk through tunnel divides the site into 2 halves.
Helen - yes, Wales appears to be off the radar of foreign visitors as can be seen from the queries cropping up on RS by mainly north Americans. This can't be helped by the Welsh Government deciding to scrap the names of 2 National Parks (Brecon Beacons & Snowdonia) in favour of the Welsh only names.
That is good news if it’s only the castle that is closed. That is the least interesting part of the museum. Definitely go and see everything else that is there. You’ve still got a whole day of activity.
About 10 years ago my dad and I took a daytrip up to Cardiff from London for a Doctor Who pilgrimage. Weather was cloudy and temperatures were brisk but it’s March in Wales. If you have hiking boots you can indeed hike. Not sure about the countryside but everything in the cities were open except perhaps some manor homes. I will say to try to find a good Italian(Europe) restaurant as lots of Italians immigrated to work in the mines. The Italian restaurant in Cardiff was better than a lot of restaurants in Italy.
Thank you so much everyone!! A bit more context, we don't know yet where we are staying. We (well I am) are hoping to see a concert in Manchester on the 13 or 14th so we were either going to start or end there with the airpoirt so close and then rent a car and head to Wales. There is so much to do and we are having a bit of a hard time narrowing down. We enjoy outdoorsy things for some of the day and then town exploring when it is rainy or chilly. I know this leaves a LOT open, so if there are any recommendations for where to stay as a base (or two) that would be wonderful!!
Thank you again!
You could take a direct train (hourly) from Manchester to Cardiff and the journey takes just over 3 hours. For cheapest fares, book ahead a specific train - no refunds. However, also consider hiring a car and heading west to firstly see the historic city of Chester (can also be done by train as a day trip from Manchester). Transport for Wales is the train company but I find their site fiddly so suggest you check out > https://www.buytickets.scotrail.co.uk and https://trainsplit.com first as they will also sell you tickets for TFW trains (or any other train company in Britain).
From Chester, you could continue west on the A55 expressway (or train) to Conwy/ Llandudno for at least 1 night. Bodnant Gardens is in this area and can be reached by bus every other hour. Now you could head south down to Cardiff by train from north Wales returning back via Chester before the train heads south. Alternatively, if you have a car, I would spend a day or two exploring the Snowdonia National Park* in NW Wales.
A scenic drive south to Cardiff from N Wales is the A470 - which would be a full day of driving.
You can just go hiking as many trails exist but make sure you have adequate clothing and footwear. For example, the A470 crosses the Brecon Beacons on its way down to Cardiff. Just after the highest point on the road in this section, you will see a car park on the left. The hike to the summit takes about 1 hour 10 minutes and this trail was snow covered last week. The odds of snow in March are much less.
