We will be renting a car in Bath and driving to Cardiff on Sept. 24th. We will be touring Wales for the week and dropping the car in York on Oct. 1st.
What would be the best route to take to see some sights along the way? We are interested in historic sights, gardens, a town to stop for lunch along the way.
We are spending 2 nights in Cardiff and plan to visit St Fagans and other points of interest before heading to Tenby for a couple of nights.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Posted by
Bristol, UK
619 posts
There are lots of possible routes you could take, and you will need to choose which sights appeal most. You won't have time for them all, but here are some suggestions to research online and plot on a map.
Castle Combe
Westonbirt Arboretum
Tetbury
Cirencester - don't miss the ampitheatre in the middle of a housing estate, and the Corinium museum in the centre of town
Chedworth Roman Villa
Rococo garden at Painswick
Gloucester, especially the cathedral
Westbury Court Garden - at Westbury on Severn between Gloucester and Chepstow
Chepstow Castle
Goodrich Castle
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7332 posts
One way from Bath to Cardiff is go north on the A46, then west on the M4. There are other routes to get to the M4, but to get to Cardiff, you need to take the M4. The rest of the trip and route will be determined by what you want to visit. We were there earlier this year, but had more time. We started in Tintern, Tenby, St. David’s, Aberystwyth, Caernarfon, Ludlow, then back into England. There are castles throughout Wales, as well as ancient burial chambers and standing stones. Most towns in Wales are small, so finding one to stop at for lunch won’t be an issue. Some nicer castles we visited on this trip included, Caernarfon, Coch, Beaumaris, Pembroke (we saw others on another trip). We visited Tintern, Cymer, and Neath Abbeys, drove through Snowdonia Park, walked the cliffs at St. Davids, and visited the cathedral and bishops palace there too. There were a number of smaller, off the beaten paths sights as well, but you don’t have the same amount of time.
Posted by
OP
Ontario, Canada
26 posts
Thanks for the great suggestions.
I think we will drive to Gloucester and visit the cathedral then down to Tintern to see the abbey and finally a stop at Chepstow Castel. I'm sure we will see a pub along the way to have a bite to eat.
After Cardiff we have 2 nights in Tenby, 1 night in Aberystwyth, 2 nights in Caernarfon and then drop the car in York.
Really looking forward to our trip through Wales.
Posted by
8501 posts
When we did that trip in October 2017, we headed for Tintern Abbey, had a wonderful drive down the Rye Valley.
On our way to Cardiff, we stopped at Ragland Castle. There are many more castles to see like Chepstow.
Once in Cardiff, we did Cardiff Castle and Caerphilly Castle (a must see).
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/15-castles-within-hours-drive-12891320
We did St. Fagans and then two nights in Tenby (loved that place), then on to Pembroke Castle and St. David's