Wales - The South
Phil Taylor

Wales is probably the least famous of the three countries that make up Great Britain. Not many tourists include it on their itineraries, preferring to visit Scotland to see castles and wild scenery. However, Wales is not only closer to London but is home to some very beautiful unspoiled mountainous countryside, dramatic coastlines, plenty of castles and friendly people, who speak in a unique and beautifully lilting accent. As soon as you cross the border, you know you are not in England anymore. There's something indefinable in the air; an unforgettable Welsh atmosphere which many grow to love!

The history of Wales (or "Cymru" in Welsh) is incredibly long and full of strange facts...did you know that Saint Patrick (of Irish fame) was actually Welsh? Did you know that the red dragon on the unique Welsh flag is said to have escaped to Wales after being chased out of England by Saint George? Or that North Wales is home to the town with the longest station name in Britain? Or that all signs in Wales must be written in both English and the ancient Welsh language, although few people can understand it?!
So, let's cross the River Severn into this amazing country, and start by exploring a little of South Wales...

The one place many people do visit in Wales is the capital city, Cardiff. In the last few years the city has really become special and is now known to be a fashionable and cultural place. The main attraction here is Cardiff Castle which is found conveniently in the compact city centre. You will see the moat and the huge walls right next to the main shopping area, not far from the railway station. The castle is also interesting as it is made up of different ages and styles of buildings, including some Victorian apartments decorated in a really lavish style. Next to the castle is Bute Park and the River Taff.

A quite unique feature of Cardiff is the arcades - a total of six beautiful narrow glass-covered shopping streets, which were constructed in Victorian and Edwardian times and are now home to small specialist shops.
Away from the centre a little, at the end of a new wide tree-lined boulevard, is the redeveloped Cardiff Bay area. This is home to some interesting old and new architecture, a science museum and a good fish and chip shop! It's a nice place to walk around on a warm afternoon.

Once you're out of the city you will immediately see the beautiful Welsh countryside. A great place to go if you like walking and enjoying nature is the Brecon Beacons National Park. If you're driving around the area you might see wild ponies on the moors, or find tiny ancient churches and windswept standing stones. These are a reminder of the history of Wales, which goes back thousands of years to times before the Romans came.
To walk, you can start off at the Mountain Centre and hike for miles across the fields and hills, or of course climb the mountains. None are particularly tall or challenging, but the views are amazing. Pen-y-fan is the highest peak in South Wales, but is only 886 metres high and takes only an hour or two to climb on the most popular route, which starts at the Storey Arms visitors centre on the A470.

There are lots of other interesting attractions not too far from Cardiff. The Museum of Welsh Life in St Fagans has over 30 old buildings from all around Wales which have been moved here and restored. You can go inside them all, and see how people lived in Wales over the past few hundred years. You can also go down a real coal mine, at the Big Pit, and see the underground machinery and stables where "pit ponies" were once kept. If you enjoy being underground then you should also try the Dan-yr-Ogof caves, which are lit up beautifully and contain huge caverns and underground waterfalls.

If you want to have a taste of the real South Wales, visit some of the valleys and their ex-coal mining villages. These villages were once busy and prosperous places which were home to thousands of coal miners and their families. Sadly these places are now quite poor and run down, as the mines have now all closed and there are very few jobs. A good way to see some of these places, as well as some of the beautiful surrounding scenery, is to walk or cycle along part of the 55 mile (88km) Taff Trail (which actually starts in Cardiff Bay).

LINKS
http://www.visitwales.com - the official tourist site
http://www.cardiffcastle.com - for details of Cardiff Castle
http://www.south-wales.org.uk - an independent guide to South Wales
http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/wales/index.shtml - a lot of information about walking in Wales including the Brecon Beacons.
http://www.wales-underground.org.uk - contains information about the Big Pit and Dan-yr-Ogof caves
http://www.tafftrail.org.uk - good details and pictures of the whole 55 mile trail.