Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for wales
Gateway to Wales
By Linda Tancs
Adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England, Chepstow (meaning “marketplace” in Old English) is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales. Appropriately known as the “gateway to Wales,” you can appreciate what it’s like to have a foot in both jurisdictions by standing in the center of the town’s landmark iron bridge. Another gem is its Norman castle, built at a strategic point overlooking the River Wye. Within the castle is Marten’s Tower, named for its most famous prisoner, Henry Marten, who signed the death warrant for King Charles I.
Share this:
Bustling Barry
By Linda Tancs
Fans of the BBC’s award-winning TV series Gavin & Stacey are familiar with the town of Barry, a seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, that served as a backdrop for many of the show’s scenes. It’s believed that the town gets its name from the sixth-century Celtic Saint Baruc. You can visit the remains of the chapel dedicated to him which date back to the eighth century. The locale is also known for Barry War Museum, which explores what life was like in the area during both world wars. It features a World War I replica trench and an Anderson shelter from World War II. The Wales Coast Path (heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the world to cover the entire length of a country’s coastline), runs right around the coastline at Barry to Rhoose Point, the most southerly spot in Wales.
Share this:
Like No Other Welsh Castle
By Linda Tancs
Arguably one of the greatest buildings of the Middle Ages, Caernarfon Castle in North Wales is a feat of medieval engineering. It was built by King Edward I as part of his “iron ring” of castles to encircle and subdue Wales and is the place where his son, Edward of Caernarfon, was invested as the first Prince of Wales. It might be better known as the investiture site of King Charles III when he became Prince of Wales. The Eagle Tower, with its three great turrets and 18-feet thick walls, is the crowning glory of the fortress and one of many highlights. In two towers you’ll also find the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum, which recounts over 300 years of service of Wales’s oldest infantry.
Share this:
Bogging in Wales
By Linda Tancs
Bog snorkeling is a sporting event where competitors aim to complete a run in a water-filled trench cut through a peat bog in the shortest time possible, wearing traditional snorkel, diving mask and flippers. This unique test of endurance results in a world title at the annual Bog Snorkeling Championships in Llanwrtyd Wells, a small town in Wales. However, this is no small town affair; the competition attracts competitors from as far afield as Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic and even Australia. Held over the August Bank Holiday weekend, this year’s event falls on August 27.
*************
Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
Share this:
The Supermodel of British Beaches
By Linda Tancs
The first place in Britain to be named an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Gower is a small peninsula in South Wales. It lives up to the adage that good things come in small packages, considering that one of its assets, Rhossili Bay Beach, has been anointed the “Supermodel of British Beaches.” Moreover, it ranks in the top 10 of the world’s best beaches. Not bad for a 3-mile expanse of shoreline, a good deal of which is exposed at low tide. That’s when it’s possible to walk across the bay to Llangennith or even cross onto Worm’s Head, a sea-serpent-shaped island lurking at the end of the bay. The sole holiday cottage on the bay is the Old Rectory, boasting a prime location facing the beach. The nearest town is Swansea, which is served by London Paddington and connected to Rhossili by bus.
Share this:
Wildlife of Skomer
By Linda Tancs
Designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the Welsh island of Skomer is a haven for wildlife. Over 22,000 puffins reside there alone. Also, together with its sister island Skokholm, Skomer has the largest known concentration of Manx shearwaters in the world. In addition to its wildlife wonders, the island sports a standing stone of unknown origin known as the Harold Stone as well as two large 19th-century lime kilns that were used to heat lime for mortar and fertilizer. This season is a great time to visit. During spring the island is covered in a display of bluebells so vast that the whole island appears blue. Just off the coast of Pembrokeshire, the island (open from April to September) is accessible by boat from the village of Marloes.
Share this:
Going to Fawr
By Linda Tancs
Pont Fawr (Big Bridge) is a steeply ramped, stone road bridge of three segmental arches that crosses the River Conwy in Llanrwst, North Wales. Picturesque as it is, its reputation may be enhanced by the legend that it was designed by one of England’s most famous architects, Inigo Jones. On the west bank of the river is another feast for the eyes, Tu Hwnt i’r Bont (Beyond the Bridge), a popular tearoom that began as a farmhouse in the 1400s and later served as a courthouse. It’s much older than the bridge and even more of a visual curiosity, being so laden with Virginia creeper that it looks like it sprouted from the ground. Do drop in for one of their scrumptious scones.
*************
To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
Share this:
In Knots in Wales
By Linda Tancs
Wool is historically one of the most important industries in Wales. So of course you’d expect to find a museum or two dedicated to the Welsh manufacturing process. But nowhere is the dedication to woolen arts more ardent than in the “knitted village” of Llwyngwril. Located in South Snowdonia, the tranquil village is awash in life-size knitted folks, animals and fairy tale characters and other creatures. You can thank the yarn bombers for keeping the community knit together.
Share this:
Sleep for Bibliophiles
By Linda Tancs
A haven for bibliophiles lies just miles from the English/Welsh border in Hawarden, Wales. In that small, ancient village you’ll find a “residential” library fit for a king. That’s right, a place where you can sleep, eat and drink—and read, of course. Founded by Victorian Prime Minister William Gladstone, Gladstone’s Library is a Grade-I listed building with 26 rooms surrounded by a print collection of 250,000 items accessible well after the general public has left the building. The U.K.’s only residential library, it gives new meaning to the term “bedtime stories.”
Share this:
Wonderful Wetlands in Wales
By Linda Tancs
Wetlands are the primary source of drinking water for people and wildlife. Boasting amazing biodiversity, more than 100,000 species of animal rely on freshwater ecosystems alone. Although the world has lost more than half its wetlands in the last 100 years, conservation groups like The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) in England protect, repair and actually create exciting new wetlands for people and wildlife. The Llanelli Wetland Centre near Swansea, Wales, is one of many wetland centres offering unforgettable opportunities to connect with nature. Boasting 450 acres of wildlife, a visit there features a flock of Caribbean flamingos and a chance to hand feed the rarest goose in the world, the Hawaiian nene. This time of year the first of the new season’s ducklings are hatching, and wild orchids are among the many wildflowers blooming.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 