Wales Disney Travel Agents Near Me

Overview

Introduction

Attached to but very different from England, Wales conserves the oldest Celtic traditions of Britain in its language, its literature and its songs.

It's a mountainous country skirted on three sides by a rugged coast. There are many castles, especially along the border with England, where they bear witness to a turbulent past. Four of them (Conwy, Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Harlech) are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Wales is small but varied, with a distinct difference between the south, where some of the earliest scenes of the Industrial Revolution were played out, and the more conservative, rural north. Everywhere, though, Wales is famed for the friendliness of its music-minded people.

Wales is conveniently compact—no point is more than a few hours' drive from another, although the winding roads can make journeys longer. But this doesn't mean that it should be seen in a rush. Take time to enjoy its wild and beautiful scenery, historic villages and craggy seascapes. It's a delightful place for country rambles and good conversations in cozy pubs (over a pint, of course).

Geography

Although Wales is a small country, its landscape is extremely varied, encompassing mountains, moorlands, valleys and beaches. North Wales is the most rugged area—a walker's paradise that's dominated by Snowdonia National Park with its dramatic peaks, tumbling waterfalls and former slate-mining towns.

The western edge of the park merges into the low-lying Llyn, a finger-shaped peninsula etched with quiet beaches. Some of the sandy beaches of the north coast sadly have been ruined by tacky resorts, but the charm returns as you travel west from Colwyn Bay and reach the genteel Victorian seaside town of Llandudno. In contrast to the mountain scenery, the fertile island of Anglesey on the northwest coast is a largely agricultural landscape.

Central Wales is green and rolling, a quiet area dotted with reservoirs, forests, moors and old spa towns. The hills provide habitat for a healthy population of birds, including red kites, while the coastline in the west hugs Cardigan Bay—home to a pod of bottlenose dolphins.

The most populous region is South Wales, where you’ll find the bustling capital, Cardiff, as well as the coastal cities of Swansea and Newport. This was once the industrial heartland of the country, although The Valleys—the name given to the former coal-mining valleys that nestle in the mountains—are green now, and some of the mines have been converted into museums. In contrast, Pembrokeshire in the southwest tip is serene and unspoiled, with miles of sandy beaches and craggy cliffs.

History

Many invaders tried to subdue the country's original Celtic inhabitants, but as the inventors of the longbow—the first armor-piercing weapon—the Welsh were best approached with caution. Still, at various intervals, their country was occupied by the Romans, Vikings and Normans.

In the eighth century, the Mercian king Offa built a great dike along the border between England and Wales, confining the Welsh in their mountain homeland and establishing the modern-day boundary between the English and Welsh lands. (Today you can follow Offa's magnum opus along a scenic, long-distance footpath.)

The long-running rivalry with the Anglo-Saxons gave the Welsh their name—it is derived from the Saxon word for stranger. (Perhaps not surprisingly, the Welsh-language name they gave themselves, Cymry, means "fellow countryman.") Though patriotic and always ready to assert their differences from the English, the Welsh have never pushed for full independence as strongly as the Scots, despite a firebombing campaign carried out by Welsh nationalists against English-owned property in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Wales has had its own directly elected National Assembly since 1999, which has returned some autonomy to the country after nine centuries of English rule—although in reality it confers little in the way of true political power.

In a June 2016 referendum commonly known as Brexit, the U.K voted by a slim margin to withdraw from the European Union. The most immediate effect of Brexit was a drop in value of the pound sterling; economic uncertainty is expected to continue for some time. The separation became official on 31 January 2020, and terms of the new trade deal went into effect on 1 January 2021.

Snapshot

The foremost attractions of Wales include castles, hiking, beaches, ancient ruins, museums, narrow-gauge trains, a rugged coastline, traditional music, mountain biking, wildlife watching, horseback riding, camping, golf and mountainous scenery.

Almost anyone will enjoy Wales, especially those looking for a slow-paced vacation with something interesting to see at every step of the way.

Potpourri

Although it was once suppressed, the Welsh language is now flourishing. It is an official language of the U.K.; there are Welsh-language TV and radio channels and official documents. Road signs are written in both Welsh and English. About 20% of the population speaks Welsh, and for many, especially in the northwest of the country, it is the first language. English, though, is understood everywhere.

Rugby is a passion of the Welsh. It's entirely possible to be drawn into heated debates on the game, even if you claim to know nothing about it.

Plaid Cymru is the name of the Welsh National Party. It is Welsh for "Party of Wales" and is pronounced something like plide cummry.

Welsh national parks are not parks in the traditional sense—they are not owned or maintained by the government, and they are not primarily used as recreation areas. In fact, they lie almost entirely on private property that is usually inhabited or worked. These areas have received recognition as parks because of their beauty, and they're laced with public footpaths that cut through the private property. (It's important not to stray from the paths.)

St. David's in Pembrokeshire is the smallest city in the U.K. Its population of fewer than 2,000 makes it the size of a mere village, but its remarkable cathedral gives it metropolitan status.

Merlin, the magician in the legends of King Arthur, is thought to have been based on a Welsh holy man called Myrddin. He lived in the sixth century and was apparently famed for his prophecies.

The leek is a Welsh national symbol. The Welsh Guards always wear a leek on their uniforms on St. David's Day.

A little village in north Wales claims ownership to the longest place name in Britain: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlllantysiliogogogoch. (Locals shorten it to Llanfair PG.) It means "the church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the church of St. Tysilio near the red cave." Don't get carried away with its charm—the name was invented by Victorians to convert a dull railway station into a tourist curiosity.