Brecon Canal
The Welsh people are proud and strong, with a current population of just under three million or so. They are set apart from others in part by their language; Welsh is one of the oldest European languages but it continues to be alive and vibrant even in our modern world. It is often a difficult language to pronounce, as many of the letter combinations represents sounds that are far different from what they represent in English, but the Welsh people make it easy for visitors by posting most signs in both Welsh and English.
The geography of Wales is both diverse and stunning. Much of the land was shaped by glaciers and ice about 10,000 years ago during the most recent Ice Age, resulting in a very mountainous and rugged terrain. The Snowdon Range is the highest in Wales and a popular destination for mountain bikers, climbers, and hikers. Other mountain ranges include The Brecon Beacons and the Cambrian Mountains.
Brecon Beacons National Park
Despite the dominant mountainous features, the middle and southern parts of Wales are a bit less jagged and harsh than the northern parts. It is in the south of Wales where you will find the rural areas as well as the lovely rivers of Cynon, Taff, Rhondda, and Rhymney. The rivers themselves are beautiful, but so are the breathtakingly steep valleys they have carved into the hills over the millennia.
The sea touches over 1,200 kilometres of Welsh coastline, including both rugged rock cliffs as well as wonderful beaches, too. Cardigan Bay, Carmarthenshire, Bower, and Pembrokeshire are all examples of places with excellent beaches that visitors want to come back to again and again. And of course where you have the ocean you find marine life, but the marine life found along the coast of Wales is quite surprising. There are basking sharks, leatherback turtles, Atlantic grey seals, and even porpoises and dolphins. If you visit New Quay in the summer months you may catch a glimpse of bottlenose dolphins, the only pod known to take up residence anywhere in the UK.
Ynys Llanddwyn - Newborough Forest
In terms of heritage and history, Wales is absolutely packed with important and interesting sites. There are over 640 castles in Wales, an exceptionally high number for such a small country. Many of them are thousands of years old, and they are built in a huge variety of shapes and forms. Some are square, come are concentric, and you can see a full range of conditions ranging from fully restored to nearly completely fallen apart.
The national parks in Wales are truly extraordinary. For instance, Snowdonia National Park is home to the tallest mountain in all of Wales and England as well as some of the most unspoilt coastline anywhere in Europe. Brecon Beacons National Park, on the other hand, is home to soaring bluffs made of sandstone that geologists estimate are at least 470 million years old. It is a place where you will find few other living creatures and the ones you do meet are most likely to be either hikers or sheep.
Finally, consider spending time at Pembrokeshire National Park. It is the only national park in Britain that sits on the coastline, so you can imagine the stunning views and amazing array of wildlife to be seen there. From the beaches to the lakes to the forested woodlands, this is truly an outstanding destination to include on your Welsh holiday.
|
