nancy

I am considering visiting Wales next year for about two weeks and have a few questions. Sorry if they are repetitive but I tried doing a search for "Wales" and it didn't work. <BR> <BR>1. What is an ideal time to visit? (eg. not too busy but not too cold) <BR> <BR>2. What are some "not to miss" places? We hope to see a lot of castles and the beautiful country-side. <BR> <BR>3. Any recommendations for bed and breakfasts/inns that aren't too pricy? <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance!

Roger

My wife and I visited northern Wales last year in late April and early May. The weather was perfect and it wasn't very crowded. We used Chester, England as a base and did day train trips. Saw lots of castles and the like. <BR>

Ben Haines

I'm sorry your searcher failed you. I used AltaVisata Advanced and found these sites: <BR> <BR>In general: www.tourism.wales.gov.uk/ <BR> <BR>Mid Wales: www.mid-wales-tourism.org.uk/index.html <BR> <BR>North Wales www.walesdirectory.co.uk/tourists.htm <BR> <BR>I think the general site will give you a hyperlink to the South. <BR> <BR>Please write again if I can help further. Welcome to Britain. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London

Jeff

Hi Nancy, <BR> I absolutely love North Wales. I stayed at a wonderful B&B in Llanasa called the Golden Grove. (Check it out on www.bestbandb.co.uk) It is a beautiful Elizabethan mansion in a very scenic setting. I loved it because it was so peaceful there and the cost was very reasonable. I'll definitely go back. <BR> I very much enjoyed Conwy castle and the town around it. Another one of my favorite places is Bodnant Gardens (both very near Golden Grove). I definitely would suggest a drive through the Snowdonia Mountains. I especially liked the town of Betwys-y-coed. <BR> I have always had luck with the weather in late May. It is not too cold and the tourists are not out in full swing. <BR> I didn't get a chance to see Portmerion, but plan to my next trip. Some of my other favorite places in Wales are: <BR> -North Wales- <BR>Beaumaris Castle <BR>Caernarvon Castle <BR>St. Winifreds Well <BR> -South Wales- <BR>Castle Coch <BR>Cardiff Castle <BR>St. David's <BR> Wales is probably the most rugged, but surprisingly the most unvisited part of the UK. I love the Welsh culture and the people are very nice. I promise, the countryside will not disappoint you. Have a great trip!

Martha

I stayed in mid-Wales in June - still cool but not crowded. I highly recommend the Penhelig Inn in Aberdyfi. It's a 10 room seaside hotel with a great restaurant and pub (40 pounds/night single). Take the Cambrian Coaster train up the coast and stop at Harlech Castle along the way. The rest of England goes to Wales in July/August. <BR>Martha <BR> <BR>

Beth

Hi Nancy, <BR>we were in Wales in mid September. It was pretty nice then, although north Wales was very rainy. I suspect June would be nicer. Lots of great castles, if you search you'll find the recommendations I made before. Plus there's a great website, i think its www.castlesinwales.com or something, but a search in this forum should turn it up. <BR> <BR>Another very interesting place, IMO, was the Museum of Welsh Life, not far from Cardiff. It was an open air sort of museum, 10's of acres, I think, on the grounds of an 18th century Welsh home. They had transplanted to the museum all sorts of places where normal Welsh people would have lived, starting from the Stone Age, and working up to an iron worker in the early 20th century. We are so used to seeing castles and great houses when we travel, that it was really fascinating to see what sorts of homes ordinary people would have. I highly recommend spending at least a few hours there. We spent the better part of a day. <BR>

Al

For North Wales, we used Betys-y-Coed as our base -- Isle of Anglsey, Carnervon, Snowdonia National Park, etc. Then we worked our way down the west coast to Pembrokeshire and walked the coast path. Then east via Cardiff, across the big bridge, and into England. While in Wales we saw many castles and stately homes and gardens because we bought a membership in The National Trust and saved a lot on admission tickets. Stayed in B&Bs and on farms; local tourist bureaus are great sources of information and local lodging bookings.

K. Aikin

Hi Nancy, <BR>There have been many good suggestions posted about Wales on the forum. You may want to do a search under Wales. We spent two weeks in Wales last September and loved every minute! (if I had more than two weeks vacation per year we would have spent longer, but that's another thread) The weather was absolutely beautiful for the first week (sunny, around 75F), and rainy/cool the second (around 60-65F). Fortunately we were so relaxed the second week that the weather didn't matter. My husband and I had slightly different agendas (me: castles, he: pubs), and we had managed to find plenty to satisfy ourselves. <BR>My own personal favorites from the trip were Dolwyddelan castle, Conwy castle, Llanberis, Harlech castle, and Aberystwyth. <BR>Our second trip to Wales starts in two weeks!

kam

Hi Nancy, we are also about to leave for our second trip to Wales. Have been before in September when it rained a lot, am hoping this year will be different. But, if not, it really doesn't matter. Wales or Ireland or Scotland or northern England without rain would seem peculiar. In addition to all the good suggestions above check www.castlewales.com and www.britannia.com/wales. Smoothhound.com is a place to look for accomodations. Try to read Sharon Kay Penman's book "Here be Dragons" if you are interested in the history of all those castles. In general northern Wales is much more interesting than the south with the exception of a day in Cardiff. We liked the Old Bull's Head in Beaumaris, although it's an inn and not a B&B. Hoping we'll all get some sunny skies part of the time.

Gayle

Ahhh, I am a fan of Sharon Kay Penman and have read all of her books. That is why we will be in Wales in September too. I must dig out those books and read again the descriptions of the castles. Thanks for so much info.

mariana

We fell in love with North Wales. The <BR>first of May was a lovely time driving around with the green ,green hillsides dotted with sheep (lots of baby lambs then)., Betswy -y-Coed,a lovely mountain town near Snowdonia has a wonderful B&B...Aberconwy House, with lovely hosts and loads of hospitality. <BR>(and a spectacular view from the rooms) <BR>Llangollen, another lovely town has the <BR>Oakmere B&B, again another very well run B&B/ One either likes or really does not like the ready build town of <BR>Portmerion....beautiful, but rather touristy and really not "Wales". <BR>Of course Carnefron castle is interesting, but ANY coutryside drive <BR>in North Wales is full of beauty. Hope you will have a car. AND the Welsh people are wonderful.

Beth

Yes, as the above poster mentioned, Portmeiron is a very touristy place, and not really Wales. But it is a must-see if you are a fan of the old TV show "The Prisoner". It was entirely filmed in Portmeiron and theres lots of memorabilia available. Also you can get good prices in Portmeiron china seconds. We really enjoyed a brief stop there.

toom

1. I think in late spring and early summer would be very nice, although in the peak summer period you don't have to worry much about the crowded tourists. <BR>2. North wales: of course, Snowdon,the national park, i spent 2 nights in Capel Curig around 6 miles from Betws-y-Coed, walking along in the mountains. Visit Caernarfon and Conwy Castles, if you have enough time Holyhead would be nice. <BR>Mid wales: I spent 2 nights in Borth, a small town with sand beach, 10miles north of Aberysthwyst, climb up the electric cliffe railway to see the beautiful city of Aberysthwyst, you can walk down. Some lakes and beautiful area there. <BR>South Wales: the capital Cardiff (Caerdydd), and the south-west coast of Pembrokeshire, beautiful sand beach of Broadhaven, and walking along the cliffe/coast. <BR> <BR>Don't forget to buy some Love Spoons when you return. <BR> <BR>Welcome to Cymru.

RTB

For all Welsh names in my post: (sp?) <BR> <BR>I remember the train from Chester going through a castle somewhere on the Northern coast of Wales, almost like a Walt Disney World ride if you are looking out for it. <BR> <BR>Bangor has a very long Victorian pier with attractions on it. <BR> <BR>Caernarvon Castle is a classic, on the water, lots to see and do, and I think it's the official castle of the Prince of Wales or where he was crowned POW or something like that. <BR> <BR>An all-round excellent bet for travelers of all ages is the Ffestiniog Railway, a narrow-gauge railway with adorable trains that goes from Porthmadog (cute seaside town) to Blaenau Ffestiniog through gorgeous, movie star type scenery (craggy mountains, green valleys), and BF itself is otherworldly- a town carved out of hills of slate. All the houses are of slate, the sidewalks paved in it (as I remember), the surrounding peaks are all slate, and there's an excellent chance that at at least one point in a visit the sky will be slate grey. The overall effect is that of being on the moon. <BR> <BR>Like many of the above posters, I loved Harlech and its castle. There's a huge beach there too, but I'm guessing it's only swimmable in late July/early August, if then. <BR> <BR>In the south, Cardiff has several terrific museums, and there's a ruined abbey near the England border, I think it's Tintern Abbey, that inspired a lot of Romantic poets and artists. <BR> <BR>I went as a student and just phoned up b&b's from the Let's Go book whenever I got to a new place, and never had trouble finding decent accommodations. However, if you go that route, be prepared for situations where you are sleeping in a not-too-recently-fled-the-nest child's room! <BR> <BR>Have a great time-I envy you! <BR> <BR>

Raleigh

Our favorite time to visit the UK is September - still warm and the heather is gorgeous, but no huge crowds which means you can have a loose schedule. <BR> <BR>Wales is beautiful. For a not-miss, be sure to see Chepstow Castle - very cool - and about six miles away from Tintern Abbey in the Wye Valley. <BR> <BR>For B&B's, get a guide like The Best Bed and Breakfasts (England, Scotland, Wales) or Staying Off the Beaten Track (England and Wales). If you call by early afternoon for that evening, you'll rarely have trouble in the off season (non-summer). <BR> <BR>The local tourist office can also help you. We have stayed in so many B&Bs in the UK with one semi-bad experience - and that is now our favorite lodging story! <BR> <BR>Also, for fantastic car deals, we have had great success with Auto Europe (www.autoeurope.com). <BR> <BR>You'll love Wales. <BR>