5D/ 4N - 2019 Discover Wales

day 01 London-Cotswolds-Aberystwyth

Departing London at 09.15, the road North West takes you through the Cotswold’s, an area of outstanding beauty that is unchanged in many ways for hundreds of years. Following lunch you will travel west through the Welsh Marches - the borderlands between England and Wales marked out by the ancient Offa’s Dyke. The route then leads into the heart of the Cambrian Mountains and the beautiful Elan Valley from where pure Welsh water is supplied to the distant City of Birmingham. Leaving here in the late afternoon it is just an hour or so to the beautiful seaside town and cultural centre of Aberystwyth where you will spend the next 2 nights.

day 02 Aberystwyth-Beddgelert-Harlech-Aberystwyth

Travelling north our first stop of the day is in the ancient market town of Machynlleth, the gateway to the mountainous region of the Snowdonia National Park. We then head for the beautiful mountain village of Beddgelert, the resting place of a legendary hound, ‘Gelert’, and the nearby copper mine – no longer working but open to visitors. You will travel on to Porthmadog, home of the Ffestingog light railway and over the Cob causeway before reaching the castle at Harlech - one of Edward I’s masterpieces of medieval military architecture and part of a set of similar castles which that ring the north Wales coastline. You will return to Aberystwyth in late afternoon

day 03 Aberystwyth-Aberaeron-Laugharne-Tenby

Leaving Aberystwyth we travel around the coast of Cardigan Bay through the pretty little planned town of Aberaeron to New Quay with its a charming sandy harbour containing fishing boats and its connections with Dylan Thomas. From the breakwater wall you may be lucky enough to spot dolphins or whales out in the bay. We continue inland to Carreg Cennen Castle, home to the Welsh princes of Deheubarth and later a stronghold of King Edward 1. Explore the castle and learn more about the great period of castle building that helped to consolidate the English kings claim on Wales. Later we head for the coast again at Laugharne where Dylan Thomas wrote the famous play “Under Milk Wood”. From here it’s a short distance to Tenby, the small, picturesque seaside town that will be your base for 2 nights.

day 04 Tenby-Pembroke-St David-Tenby

Our last full day in Wales is spent exploring the extreme south-west of the country, in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. This region was the birthplace of both the patron saint of Wales, St David, and the Twdyr (anglicised to Tudor) royal dynasty. After stopping in the county town of Pembroke itself with yet another fabulous castle you will travel on to the tiny cathedral city of St Davids for lunch and time to explore this magical place. In the afternoon, we return to Tenby for an afternoon exploring this colourful town with its beachside Georgian Houses, Cobbled Alleys and 13th century medieval town walls.

day 05 Tenby-Cardiff-Castle Combe-London

Leaving Tenby in the morning, you begin your return journey to London. We pick up the motorway taking us past the big industrial cities of South Wales to the outskirts of Cardiff for a visit to St Fagans outdoor National History Museum (an optional drop-off for anyone wanting end the tour in Cardiff is available). Afterwards we head back in time 2000 years with a stop at the remarkably well preserved Roman Fortress at Caerleon. From here sadly it is time to leave Wales behind and head back across the Severn Estuary Bridge into England. We will take one final break at Castle Combe, a quintessentially Cotswold village where you can stroll amongst ironstone cottages dating back to the 16th Century. We will arrive back in London at approximately 19.30.

Inclusions: twin share in a 3* hotel, breakfast daily, accommodation with private facilities, mini-coach transportation with maximum capacity of 16 seats, professional Irish driver-guide, local taxes and service charges.

Note: itinerary is subject to change

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