judybarnes

In our late March/early April weeklong trip to England, we'd like to take two days to see a bit of Cardiff, Swansea, and the Gower Peninsula. We'll be leaving from Bath, but returning to London for our flight home. Is it practical or possible to make such a trip using public transportation, or are we much better off renting a car for two days--Friday and Saturday?

vcl

It's easy to get from Cardiff to Swansea by train and both cities are easy to visit on foot or by public transportation. The Gower penninsula might be more of a problem. We're fortunate to have made friends in Wales who drove us around this wonderful spot so we never had to worry about public transport. Check with the tourism office in Swansea, they may be able to suggest something.
However you do it, you'll love it.

judybarnes

Thanks, vcl. I just checked a tourism website and found that there is regular bus service from Swansea to Mumbles. Maybe that'll do the trick. I'm also wondering if we'd miss other sights around Cardiff and Swansea that we could without a car.

vcl

The countryside is indeed beautiful although the main road from Cardiff to Swansea doesn't offer all that much. You might want to consider doing Cardiff, taking public transportation to Swansea, and renting a car for a day there. Some of the Dylan Thomas sites are most easily reached by car as are some wonderful castle ruins. And if you do decide to rent a car, consider going to The Olde House outside Maesteg for cod and chips. The place has been an inn since the 13th century or thereabouts; takes no reservations, and has the most awesome cod and chips I've ever eaten.

judybarnes

Thanks for the tip!
What about the road from Bath to Cardiff? I thought there might be something interesting there that we wouldn't want to miss.

Your idea of renting a car in Swansea makes sense, since we'll begin our brief Wales sightseeing trip in Bath and end in London. Might as well use public transportation for the longer part of the trip.

JimSteel

Mumbles is just a suburb of Swansea, so you won?t be seeing much of the Gower if you just go there. I would suggest a car for such a trip as there is a lot of beautiful countryside to see. My cousin has two farms on the Gower and we always look forward to visiting. This link might be of use.
http://www.visitwales.com/

mr_wonderful

from swansea hire a car and travel to roshilli bay and oyster bay. Roshilli is constantly in the top ten beaches in the world!!! fantatic views and an enourmous beach. But a bit of a climb down the path/steps to get there. But worth every step. wansea marinia quite nice also

ron

Judy, there are a number of things of interest not far off the road between Bath and Cardiff -- Chepstow for its castle, Tintern Abbey, Raglan Castle, Caerphilly Castle come to mind. But one day doesn't give you much time to experience Cardiff; if you start doing these other things as well, there won't be any time for Cardiff.

AR

OK. As someone born in Swansea, working there for many years and now living in Bridgend (between Swansea and Cardiff)here are my opinions!
If you hire a car for 2 days then - leave Bath very early on Friday and drive along the M4 then M48 over the old Severn Bridge towards Chepstow. (Severn Bridge toll is £4.50 - cash only. You only pay one way). Drive to Tintern Abbey for a visit and then on to Cardiff via the M4. Visit the bay and castle and have a walk around the town and then later on to Swansea where you can stay the night. On Saturday take in the Gower and then you can drive back to Bath in less than 2 hours. The south Gower is the more beautiful, but the weather will be mild at best so don't plan on spending much time on the beaches!
The Gower apart, the immediate environs of Swansea are not that pleasant - areas such as Neath, Port Talbot, Fforestfach and Morriston. You'd have to travel to Carmarthenshire for the best scenery.
Dylan Thomas sites are not worth visiting in Swansea, as there is only really his birth house and the pub where he frequented (do you really want to see an alcoholic's favourite pub?). If you were interested in him then you'd have to go to Laugharne in West Wales for his boat house and grave.
Avoid Cardiff on March 27th as there is a rugby international on.
One small piece of advice - when visiting Wales, please don't call it England!!

StevePWales

AR's advice sounds good to another 'local' (I live near Chepstow and went to University in Swansea).

I would suggest squeezing Chepstow in on your way to Tintern - you drive through it anyway so may as well stop of for a look at the impressive castle.

It will probably take approx 1 hour to drive from Tintern to Cardiff, and then another 50 minutes or so from Cardiff to Swansea.

My favourite beach in the Gower is Three Cliffs Bay, its a bit of a walk down to the beach - but worth it in the end.

Have a good trip.

judybarnes

Thanks, all, for the great tips. AR, I usually don't even say the E word, I usually say UK.

Maybe I'll be able to persuade my brother-in-law (lives in Bath) to drive us on our jaunt. Otherwise, it sounds like AR's plan of renting a car in Bath would work well. We can take the train to Heathrow from Bath.

I thank you all for the recommendations of sights not to miss. That's all i need and I am very grateful. My entire trip is now fully planned, which feels good. All I've got to do now is to squeeze in a visit with cousins in Hampstead.