ESW

Have you thought about doing it yourself? The train from Bath to Cardiff takes just over an hour. Cardiff castle is just a short walk and is well worth visiting. You can catch a bus to the fairytale Castell Coch on the outskirts of Cardiff. LLandaff Cathedral is also a short bus ride. If time allows you could always catch the local train (20min ride) to ruined Caerphilly Castle.

Caerleon is a bit more complicated and time consuming. Although it is on a railway line, the station is closed. You would have to get a train to Newport and then bus from there.

Challiman

ESW, thank you for that suggestion. That just might work. As for Caerleon, that is what we were finding, it isn't very convenient and no facilities.
We have now contacted another tour group but of course it is night there and no response yet.
Thanks again for that useful information.

ESW

Another alternative is to hie a car and driver or a taxi for the day.

PhillyFan

<<Wish it could be longer but not possible this time.

I would say this about every trip to Europe I've taken!

Sue_xx_yy

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-...rip-Wales.html

ElendilPickle

If you take the train to Cardiff, there is public transportation to St Fagans National History Museum, which is just a little ways west of the city. Mr. Pickle's choir sang there, and it was a really interesting place to visit. http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/stfagans

We enjoyed Cardiff Castle as well. There's more info in my Wales trip report - look toward the end. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...yjune-2014.cfm

Lee Ann

Challiman

ESW, that would be a great option, whether from Bath or Cardiff. We did that with our trip to Scotland in 2013 but we had that all arranged before we got there. So, if anyone has a recommendation that would be even better than a tour, unless we could have a tour we could design ourselves.
Thank you!

Challiman

Sue and Elendi, thank you. Making notes on that now.
Philly, LOL, same here!

janisj

I'd take the train to Cardiff and then on to Chepstow, visit the castle and take a local bus to Tintern Abbey.

(though I do think you are cutting Bath a little short since you'll mainly be there just in the evenings)

Challiman

Thanks, janisj. But we will have more than half a day the first day and a half day before we depart for London. Plus evenings. That certainly is not as long as we'd prefer, but for this trip it is the best we can do.

Mimar

We did the trip janis suggests but by car. Our visit to Tintern Abbey was very memorable. We drove there along the Wye River, in a sparsely populated area; the riverside was lushly lined with trees. It felt like a trip to the past as we walked on the daisy-dotted grass in the now roofless nave.

A green jewel in my travel memories.

Challiman

Mimar, what a lovely image you created! Thanks.