wales trip

My paternal ancestors came from SW Wales and we are going to visit South Wales for five days this October. We are going to Cardiff, Tenby, St. Davids and the small village.

We have mapped out our drive tour with castles and Museums.
James on this website was very helpful in our planning this.

We plan to visit Tintern Abbey and Chepstow Castle on our way from Bath to Cardiff.

Here is a three day plan for Cardiff that I found

Day 1: Get your bearings

Take a walking tour around the city, starting off with the city’s most striking landmark – Cardiff Castle. Explore the underground WWII tunnels and marvel at the exquisite Victorian apartments that make up the fairytale castle, once belonging to the Marquess of Bute, then wander through the neighboring 130 acre (56 hectare) Bute Park – the city’s largest and most impressive picnic spot – towards the iconic 12th century Llandaff Cathedral.

Day 2: Immerse yourself in Welsh culture

Cardiff is a hub of art, theatre and literature, and there’s plenty of homegrown talent to discover. Pay a visit to The National Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagan's, a fascinating recreation of Wales from the Celtic period through to today, then explore the country’s geological history at the National museum and Art Gallery, also home to a fantastic array of Welsh art. As the sun sets, take a stroll along the redeveloped Cardiff Bay Barrage, where you’ll find the Norwegian Church Arts Centre, another important exhibition space for local artists.

Day 3: Get out of the city

With so many attractions close by, there’s no reason to just stay in the city. Take a day trip to the Anglo-Norman Caerphilly Castle, one of Britain’s largest medieval fortresses; explore the Roman Ruins of Caerleon, home to the amphitheatre known as ‘King Arthur’s Round Table’; or take a coastal walk along the tallest sand dune in Europe at Ogmore by Sea.

Check out this link for St. David's in the far SW corner of Wales
http://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/explore-pembrokeshire/towns-and-villages/st-davids/

Four years ago, we visited North Wales including Conway and Snowdonia on a tour from Liverpool. It was great. The scenery in the Welsh country side is awesome.

That is so helpful! Thank you. I also plan out a daily agenda when I have only a few days in an area so that I hit most of what I wish to see.

It is about 2 miles from Cardiff Castle to Llandaff Cathedral through parkland. Although Bute Park - immediately west of Cardiff Castle is worth visiting, I would not spend limited time walking all the way out to Llandaff Cathedral. Llandaff Cathedral is worth a look but bear in mind that services might be taking place - including weddings & funerals.

Regarding Caerleon Roman remains - which are just north of Newport: it is rather difficult to get to Caerleon from the M4 with complicated junctions. Being so old, the remains don’t have the wow factor but are of great historic importance.

The tallest sand dunes are at Merthyr Mawr - which is on the west side of the River Ogmore estuary and not at Ogmore itself. Nearby Southerndown has a sandy beach. A short walk (15 minutes) through/alongside an old former garden at Southerndown leads to a viewpoint of big cliffs on the Glamorgan coast.

Around 20% of the population of Wales can speak Welsh with the language being more used in the western counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion & Gwynydd = the NW. All signage now has to be in Welsh as well as English and this can be confusing.

We almost skipped Tintern as it was late in the day but it was a highlight to our trip. The stone shell of a cathedral open to the sky and nature somehow touched all of us. I highly recommend it. It's not far off the main highway going to Cardiff. We didn't find the dual language signage confusing; it was actually pretty cool.

St. Fagans was one of my favorite things I have done in Europe.