Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 51 total)
  • Talk to me about Wales…
  • flyingmonkeycorps
    Full Member

    I’m having a couple of weeks of in July with the Mrs. The plan is to work our way down Wales, then back up again, stopping at as many exciting places as we can on the way. We’ll mostly be camping.

    So – recommend me some “must visit” places. The only solid plan we have is to watch the sun rise from the top of Snowdon…

    Bikey and non bikey welcome, I’ll probably stop at some trail centres early morning / late evening, but natural stuff would be good too…

    wattsymtb
    Free Member

    must visit place?

    Swansea

    Because it is exactly like the film twin town. it might as well be a documentary.

    dangerousbeans
    Free Member

    They’re not fish, they’re mammals.

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    flyingmonkeycorps
    Full Member

    I’ve been to Swansea. Once was probably enough! I did used to live in Newport though…

    BigButSlimmerBloke
    Free Member

    I believe if you learn to converse in Sheeptongue, you’re guaranteed to pull.
    Stay away from Holyhead.

    DezB
    Free Member

    Bikey: Glyncorrwg is brilliant. If you haven’t ridden there -go.

    Non-bikey:
    Also this place is nice. Although I can’t remember the name of it. I’m sure someone will.

    flyingmonkeycorps
    Full Member

    I think I would like to go to that place. Beaches are good!

    hugor
    Free Member

    Wales is stunning. Its amazing how interesting the landscape gets once you cross that border.
    So many must see’s.

    Caerphilli Castle – 2nd biggest in Britain
    Llanelli beach – breathtaking location
    Swansea/Mumbles – walks, bars, restaurants
    Gower peninsula – walks, swim, rides
    Cardiff Bay – walks, dinner, bars
    Doethie valley – walks, ride
    Brecon Beacons – climb Pen Y Fan, ride gap road, walk the waterfall trail
    Must ride the Millenium Coast path – its a dedicated cycle path fit for any bike and is truely beautiful
    I could go on and on

    MrWoppit
    Free Member
    rogerthecat
    Free Member

    St Davids is brill, if you can go see a Shakespeare play in the Bishop’s Palace it’s a great evening.
    Whitesands Bay is a great beach just north of St Davids
    Boat trip out to The Bitches is also worth doing
    Llangollen aqueduct is impressive
    You used to be able to drive onto the beach at Porthmadog
    Llyn Peninsular is quite pretty (Abersoch is Cheshire by the sea bu still nice)
    Slate Museum in Llanberis was surprisingly good (kept my 2 amused for over half a day!)
    Anglesey is also cool – local castles are worth seeing – Conwy, Beumaris, Cernarfon.
    Rhosneigr is a nice bay but you do get the RAF taking off from Valley.
    South Stack lighthouse is worth a visit and you can go up inside to see the light.
    (sorry to the Taffs for any spelling mistakes in the names. :oops:)

    schrickvr6
    Free Member

    Newport, skip the rest anything else is a waste of time.

    hugor
    Free Member

    The Gap

    Gap road with Pen Y Fan on left

    Llanelli

    Milllenium Coast path

    Caerphilli Castle

    cloudnine
    Free Member

    Dezb… beach pictures are of tenby.. some cool little coast paths to walk or ride

    DezB
    Free Member

    Tenby! That’s it. Lovely beach.

    I think I would like to go to that place. Beaches are good!

    You can go on the big rock too (no doubt that has a name too!)

    Excellent theme park round there, if you go that way. Maddest roller coaster I’ve ever been on.

    Bikingcatastrophe
    Free Member

    Tenby itself can be a bit of hole. Go a bit further West in Pembrokeshire (as mentioned above in the St Davids / Whitesands response) and you get fabulous beaches (Freshwater, Whitesands, Newgale, Barafundel (spelling??), Druidstone etc) which also tend to be very quiet. Pembroke Castle is good fun to visit as is the Bishop’s Palace in St Davids. Lovely Italian ice creams in St Davids too!

    Great walking to be had in the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains. Good walking or riding to be had at Nant-Yr-Aran (near Aberystwyth). Good riding at Afan. Swansea as a city is a bit of a dump but the developments at SA1 are smart and the Mumbles is well worth a visit.

    Overall Wales has a terrific amount going for it. Love it.

    flyingmonkeycorps
    Full Member

    Awesome – cheers all, some great stuff to be looking at there.

    colonelwax
    Free Member

    schrickvr6 – Member

    Newport, skip the rest anything else is a waste of time.

    +1 greatest city in the world.

    piha
    Free Member

    Mwnt is nice!

    molgrips
    Free Member

    I wouldn’t go to Caerphilly castle – it’s a bit bleak and dull. Chepstow is nice, as is Llansteffan and Laugharne is quite cool too. Best to see a few castles since you get to see the differences. Carreg Cennen has a nice setting.

    I like Barmouth for its scenery, not the town! And beaches – well take your pick. Loads everywhere. West Wales and North wales, also Anglesey for literally miles and miles of empty beaches without even any houses never mind towns. That Manic Street Preachers album cover is on Anglesey.

    Hard to say what’s ‘must visit’. Every hillside spot with sweeping views over mountains or coastline, they are all must visits to me 🙂

    Culturally – Cardiff has a lot, including good shopping. There’s a good open air museum here which is actually pretty good if you like some lightweight history.

    SaxonRider
    Full Member

    I would definitely add Tenby to villages/towns/beaches worth staying in. I camped there with the family a couple of summers ago. It was beautiful.

    mrsgrips
    Free Member

    I love Chepstow and Tintern Abbey…one of my favorite places to show off to family is the Wye valley. Drive from Monmouth down A49 to Tintern (fantastic peep show of the abbey through the trees in a few places which makes everyone all oooh! what was that?!) and then on to Chepstow.

    mrsgrips
    Free Member

    And I’d agree abt Afan being a great ride (even for the non-rider)

    colonelwax
    Free Member

    Ignore Molgrip’s comment about St Fagans open air museum. Make’s me suicidal thinking about it. It is immensely boring.

    However, this might be influenced by my memories of school trips there rather than fact.

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    molgrips – Member
    I wouldn’t go to Caerphilly castle – it’s a bit bleak and dull. Chepstow is nice, as is Llansteffan and Laugharne is quite cool too. Best to see a few castles since you get to see the differences. Carreg Cennen has a nice setting.

    +1. Caerphilly town centre is a total hole. There are far nicer castles to visit and apart from being large, the only other point of interest with Caerphilly is the leaning tower. (Nice firework display in November though…)

    And the thing about Wales is that there are castles everywhere. Around every corner. Within a 30 minute ride I can go past at least 8 that I can think of off the top of my head.

    If you do visit Swansea, give us a shout and we’ll show you some decent riding: http://www.mtbpigs.org.uk/forum/index.php

    flyingmonkeycorps
    Full Member

    Cheers – may well take you up on that Jon 🙂

    T1000
    Free Member

    visit Raglan castle, camp at Llanthony abbey, visit hay on wye

    konagirl
    Free Member

    As said, a lot of the things ‘to do’ in Wales are getting out and enjoying the countryside.

    If you are in to nature/wildlife:
    – Look for dolphins off the New Quay to Cemaes Head coast (e.g. Ynys Lochtyn, Mwnt) walking along the coastal footpath.
    – If you get far enough west visit the puffins at Skomer/Skokholm or from the Stacks off Anglesey.
    – Both the Anglesey and south-west coasts are fantastic to try out sea kayaking.
    – If you’re staying around Tenby/Saundersfoot you can look for otters, owls and bats at dusk at Carew Castle.

    Heading north to south on the coast, this campsite is great, right on the coast, middle of nowhere, but might be busy if its the school hols. You can bike round the foothills of Cadair Idris from the site if you’re fit.

    If you like solitude, the Berwyn mountains are very remote and not at all touristy. Pistyll Rhaeadr is the tallest single drop waterfall in the UK. I have been recommended this campsite by friends, on the River Dee in Carrog, over the bridge to a pub, and 10 mins drive the Pontcysyllte Aquaduct, which I would also recommend seeing if your passing.

    To be honest, I could spend 2 weeks in just one bit (Anglesey, Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire)… as long as the weather’s reasonable!!

    bedwasboy
    Free Member

    Any of the Gower beaches, Three Cliffs was runner up to Wast Water as the best view in Britain. Rhosilli another beautiful beach especially weekdays when quiet.
    If your going to Cardiff take a look at Castell Coch (fairytale castle) just north on the A470.
    If you want to have a look at Welsh mining Heritage I suggest the Big Pit mining mueseum at Blaenavon, just off A465.
    If your feeling energetic camp in Pencelli nr Talybont on Usk and do some walks in the Brecon Beacons.
    If you do manage to make it to the Mumbles don’t miss having a Joe’s Icecream…

    project
    Free Member

    Pontcysycle viaduct, not to far from llandegla and llangollen,

    Rhyl, to see how a once popular tourist resort has been allowed to decay to the point of almost no return, even the sea goes out twice a day,and comes in twice a day to wash the sand.

    Barmouth, bala and dolgellau, nice little towns,

    project
    Free Member

    oh and not everything revolves around south wales as a lot of the above posters seem top think.

    Munqe-chick
    Free Member

    Caerphilly Castle is quite cool yes area isn’t the best but worth it to do to the Castle! When it was built it was the 2nd biggest inhabited Castle in Europe. If you went to Caerphilly there is some fantastic natural ridinga round from there, I’m sure the locals could show you around .. Manon Carpenter’s stomping ground!! you could even MTB over to Cwmcarn from Caerphilly do a lap then come back probably 2 hr ride from Caerphilly maybe less.

    St Fagans is great…. but then I have over riding memories of great picnics there as a family. Worth a trip.

    Definately worth doing Pen Fan… 2nd highest mountain in wales!! Just remember the weather in Brecons CAN be lethal so go seriously prepared.

    pistyll rhaeadr water falls are SPECTACULAR too.

    I like Tenby, the Gower and you could camp at Llangennith and surf on the beach and at Worms head…so lovely views.
    tintin abbey is cool too … more childhood memories!
    Fishguard..

    there are loads of trail centres then, brechfa, Afan, coed-y-Brenin, Penmacho (if up snowdon way).

    Man I want to move home .. I LOVE WALES.. can you tell?

    If you want a campsite near CyB and Snowdon, we have stayed here before. http://www.caegwynfarm.co.uk

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Mate of mine came back from Wales recommending a lovely beach he’d found, but warning that it must’ve been a bloody big one from all the signs he’d seen.

    “Which one’s that, then?” I asked.

    “Traeth Beach,” he says.

    toys19
    Free Member

    Because it is exactly like the film twin town. it might as well be a documentary.

    Lived in swansea for four years. This ^ is true.

    molgrips
    Free Member

    Project, I live North Wales but I just don’t know it well enlightenment to recommend anything other than climbing mountains. Plus I did put Barmouth down!

    emma82
    Free Member

    We drove round the coast and just followed the water, everywhere in the national park is beautiful, just get up there and have fun 🙂

    donsimon
    Free Member

    Starting with the nice stuff and going anti-clockwise.
    Conwy- castle and smallest house and some beautiful scenery inland.
    Ynys Mon- nice big empty beaches and Beaumaris Castle.
    Caernarfon- another castle.
    Llyn Peninsula- Aberdaron, Abersoch, Nefyn and Pwllheli lots and lots of beaches.
    Criccieth- castle.
    Port Meirion- The Prisoner
    Harlech – great beach, golf links and castle.
    From Harlech to Conwy via Capel Curig you can work your way through Snowdonia, possibly the most beatiful scenery in the world.

    project
    Free Member

    Anglsey, south stack lighthouse,Rhosneigr, on anglesey,Britania bridge and menai bridge linking anglesey to mainland wales,just out of wales Welshpool,Shrewsbury,and Aberystwyth in wales again.

    Dont forget Blaenau Festiniog and the new trails being built there, along with Betws y coed, and LLanwrst, landudno, and conway castle,Porthmadoc, and abersoch.

    So much to see and do in the north,

    donsimon
    Free Member

    Wrecsam.

    southbeds
    Free Member

    getting a bad case of Hiraeth

    donsimon
    Free Member

    Where’s that then? 😉

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