Need A Base in Southern Wales
 

We will be in the UK in late April and have three nights and most of three days to spend outside London. We want to revisit Wales to see Tintern Abbey again and to visit Chepstow and Caerphilly and Carerg Cennen castles, which we missed last time. We also want to see Dylan Thomas' Boat House. In between the pilgrimages, we'll be looking for good walks.

On our last visit we found many of the Welsh towns we passed through a bit . . . dispiriting. Can anyone suggest a pleasant town with a couple of good pubs and restaurants and some good walking in a location convenient to these places? We'll have a car, and will be looking for a moderately priced hotel, say about £150 or so. We don't like B&Bs.

Many thanks.

Hay on Wye is a trendy little town which is not dispiriting and is convenient for the first part of your trip. Or Brecon. Both offer good hiking bases. Dylan Thomas' place is on the coast in Carmarthenshire, quite a way away. Somewhere in between might be Crickhowell where The Bear is the place to stay. If you want to stay put somewhere in between, Cardiff is a good option, though there will be a fair bit of driving to get to each place. Maybe someone can recommend a hotel?

The Wye Valley is beautiful, and there are some lovely places to stay.

This website may help...

http://www.visitwyevalley.com/index.html

And this place would be within your budget - even the four-poster room...

http://www.tudorfarmhousehotel.co.uk/

Even if you don't stay there, Hay on Wye is worth a visit for all the second-hand and antique booksellers and stalls.

Take a look at this place, it has a great setting on a hill above a river:
www.gliffaeshotel.com

Also a second recommendation for the The Bear in Crickhowell (very near The Gliffaes).

Last September we rented a wonderful cottage (as large as our house) on a working sheep farm near Llandiloes. Great walks and a good central location.

It's listed as Cefn Cottage, rented through Hoseasons. Modern, immaculate and beautifully decorated. 3 big bedrooms, two ensuite and the 3rd had a full bath down the hall.

We did easy day trips to Powys Castle, Hay on Wye, the coast, etc.

With Carreg Cennen on your schedule I suggest you stay in Llandeilo at the Cawdor www.thecawdor.com
The walking around here in the Tywi valley is glorious- you can even walk to Carreg Cennen and back if you feel up to it-probably about 10 miles round trip.This is rolling countryside at its best.
In Llandeilo-which is a really pretty town on a hill you also have a lovely walk out to Dynevor castle with a magnificent view down the valley towards Carmarthen.
Llandeilo has a number of pubs at least one of which used to be Camra.
It is also well placed for a visit to Laugharne-about an hour. On the other hand if you're going there I'd recommend you carry on and stay in Tenby which is SO picturesque.

It's been too many years, yet Tenby still gets my vote! I even came close to naming a puppy Tenby! I hope I'm spelling it right?

A lot to research here! Right now I'm leaning towards The Bear in Crickhowell, and maybe dropping the trip to Dylan Thomas' house.

Thanks for the help.

Interesting article in The Guardian today about this area.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200.../walking-wales

Thanks for that tip, gertie.