Just a two hour train ride from London, England you can find yourself in a whole new country - Wales. A country that will soon charm you with the warmth of its welcome and amaze you with the richness and depth of its culture. In fact, the Welsh culture is one of the oldest in the world: Cardiff, the capital city, has well over 2,000 years of history. Wales has 641 castles – more per square kilometer than any other European country – a testament to its fascinating and turbulent past. The castles of Wales are open to visitors: climb towers, walk ancient walls and explore dungeons. This is the land of magic, myth and dragons!       

Welsh is the oldest living language in Europe and the most widely spoken Celtic language. This land resonates with literature and song and is bursting with creativity in both its official languages. The beautiful landscapes of Wales inspired Lewis Caroll to write Alice in Wonderland and Beatrix Potter to write her Peter Rabbit books. Many film makers have used the stunning Welsh scenery as a backdrop to their movies. Harry Potter, Robin Hood and Snow White and the Huntsman were filmed in Wales, just to name a few. Wales has recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dylan Thomas – so you could add Fishguard in Pembrokeshire to your film locations list. The famous 1972 version of Thomas’ Under Milkwood (starring Welshman Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor) was filmed there.

The stunning Welsh scenery goes way beyond the film set. Wales is officially beautiful! Over 25% of the land is designated as either a National Park or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In fact, Wales has three National Parks in a small country that is only the size of Massachusetts!

In Snowdonia National Park you can climb Mt. Snowdon - the tallest mountain in England and Wales - or take a historic steam railway to the summit for the spectacular views. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park takes in sandy coves, fishing villages, cliff-top walks and the rich nesting grounds for millions of seabirds. In the distance, spot dolphins in Cardigan Bay, or seals basking in the sun. And get outdoors in the Brecon Beacons National Park – where you can explore on horseback, bicycle or on foot to really be at one with the enchanting landscape.

After all that hiking you will be hungry – and Wales is increasingly achieving an excellent reputation for its gastronomy. Produce served in Wales is FRESH! Here you will find a real culture of farm to table and organically produced food. The seafood is excellent, and the oysters are superb as there is little to no fertilizer run off.

Other notable authentic cuisine includes cheese and lamb and Pembrokeshire new potatoes. The Welsh also love teatime! There is traditional bara brith (the famous speckled bread of Wales as well as cakes galore, including the famous spicy Welsh cakes. Griddle cakes are also favourites: scones, pancakes, cakes, breads, turnovers and oatcakes.

To wash down all this amazing cuisine - the Welsh have a justified reputation for producing world-class cider.

You can eat in family run restaurants in coastal communities with amazing views of the sea or dine in cozy local pubs. Cardiff in particular has a vibrant and varied foodie scene. Head to Machynlleth in Mid Wales to dine like a king or queen at Ynyshir Hall. It was once owned by Queen Victoria and is now a fine dining restaurant and luxury hotel.

And this isn’t the only hotel with Royal connections in Wales! For instance, Plas Dinas Country House, a couple of miles outside Caernarfon in North Wales, has been in the possession of the Armstrong-Jones family since the 19th century, and was once home to HRH Princess Margaret. Equally you can stay in small hotels, vacation cottages, cozy inns and Bed and Breakfasts in charming towns and villages throughout the country.

The Wales Way is a new family of three national touring routes that lead you into the heart of the real Wales. Once you arrive in Wales you can choose between:

• The Coastal Way that travels the west coast around Cardigan Bay, a 290km road-trip between the sea and mountains.
• The Cambrian Way crosses the spine of Wales for 300km between Llandudno and Cardiff, through National Parks and big green spaces.
• The North Wales Way leads 120km past mighty castles into the island of Anglesey.

And getting to Wales is easy with excellent train connections from the rest of the UK. So, with the added incentive that Wales is celebrating the Year of the Sea in 2018 - this is the year to visit Wales!

This year in Wales it is the Year of the Sea. There is so much to celebrate, and the sea has been central to the legends and life blood of the Welsh people across the ages. In fact, Wales has 1,200 kms of coastline with breathtaking scenery – it is the only country in the world to have its entire coastline as one continuous coastal pathway. And even if you can only take a short coastal walk - the views from this hiking trail are an essential part of any Welsh experience. Wales will also surprise you with 43 Blue Flag Beaches – this is the international standard of excellence, promising the cleanest and safest beaches with excellent facilities.

Cardiff Castle

National Museum

Millennium Centre and Millennium Stadium

Victorian Arcades

Cardiff Bay

On the Trail of Dr Who

Dylan Marlais Thomas was born on 27 October, 1914 in Swansea, Wales and died in New York in 1953 at the age of just 39. He has left behind a lasting legacy as one of Wales’ best known poets, writers and broadcasters.

Some of Dylan Thomas’s most popular works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", the play for voices, “Under Milk Wood”, and stories and radio broadcasts such as “A Child's Christmas in Wales” and “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog”. 

Although Thomas was appreciated as a poet in his lifetime, he found earning a living as a writer difficult - so he augmented his income with reading tours and broadcasts. His radio recordings for the BBC during the latter half of the 1940s allow us still to enjoy his beautiful voice – however no known moving footage of the poet remains.

While living in London, Thomas met Caitlin Macnamara, whom he married in 1937. Their relationship was turbulent and marred by alcoholism. In the early part of his marriage, Thomas and his family lived hand-to-mouth, finally settling in the Welsh fishing village of Laugharne.

In the last few years of his life Thomas travelled to America, where his readings brought him a level of fame - though his erratic behaviour and drinking worsened, and he had a reputation as somewhat of a drunken and doomed poet. During his fourth trip to New York in 1953, Thomas became gravely ill and fell into a coma from which he did not recover. His body was returned to Wales where he was buried at the village churchyard in Laugharne.

There are sites related to the poet that are part of the Welsh landscape and heritage and you can visit them any time.

Swansea – Birthplace of Dylan Thomas

The Dylan Thomas Centre is a beautiful building in the Maritime Quarter of Swansea. It has a permanent exhibition on Dylan Thomas and his life and is also home to many literary events throughout the year - including the annual Dylan Thomas Festival during October and November. This is the ideal starting place on a quest for Dylan Thomas as the exhibition places the poet's life and works in an historical context.

The poet was born in Number 5 Cwmdonkin Drive in the Uplands suburb of Swansea. The Thomas family bought it in 1914 as a new house and Dylan was born in the front bedroom of the house that very year. He continued to live at Number 5 until his parents moved out in 1937.

The Dylan Thomas House has been restored and recreates exactly how the Thomas family would have seen it in 1914. Imagine standing in the bedroom where one of the most iconic figures in Welsh literature was born! Or drinking in the atmosphere of the writing room where the greatest poet and writer of the 20th century first put pen to paper….

If you plan far enough ahead you can actually sleep under Dylan Thomas’ roof. You can rent the whole house or maybe stay on a bed and breakfast basis if all the rooms aren’t filled.

Laugharne – inspiration for “under Milkwood”?

Dylan Thomas wrote Under Milk Wood in 1954 as a radio drama. It was later adapted as a stage play and the 1972 film version starring Richard Burton is still a landmark movie.

Under Milkwood is centred around characters in a fictional small Welsh fishing village called Llareggub. Typical of Thomas - Llareggub is "bugger all" spelt backwards. The actual geographical inspiration for the town has generated much curiosity.

In 1938 Dylan Thomas moved his family to Laugharne, a town in Carmarthenshire with spectacular views of the estuary of the River Taf. Their house was called 'Sea View'. This town was probably the inspiration for the people of Llareggub, although the topography of the town is thought to be based on New Quay, where Thomas was staying when he started writing the play seriously in 1944.

Laugharne – Dylan Thomas’ last resting place

In 1949 Dylan and Caitlin moved back to Laugharne and he lived at The Boat House. Dylan Thomas chose the garden shed as his writing place. The Boat House terrace offers wonderful views over the Taf estuary to the Gower beyond – it’s a haven for egrets, lapwings, herons, oystercatchers, seals and otters with fishermen and cocklers continuing the ancient traditions. Today Laugharne is also a stop for hikers on the Wales Coast Path.

The Boat House houses a small museum and a tearoom with a locally sourced, home-cooked menu. You can also follow Dylan Thomas’ footsteps on the “Dylan Thomas Birthday Walk”. In 1944, Dylan wrote “Poem in October” about his birthday walk to the shoulder of Sir John's hill. The poem is simply about his love of Laugharne and getting older. The poem was set on the 27th of October, 1944; his 30th Birthday. The sounds of the estuary and the memory of the herons awaiting the tide were on his mind…

The walk is approximately 3.2 kilometres in length and will take you uphill to enjoy the magnificent views of the estuary, Dylan's boathouse, the Gower, north Devon, Caldey Island and Tenby. And as you enjoy a stroll around the quaint town of Laugharne – drop by the cemetery to visit Dylan’s grave and wish him well. Then drop by historic Brown’s Hotel, originally built in 1752, where Dylan loved to sink a pint of beer!

Want to know more about the destination? Check out Chris' Travel Notes!