Leicester

Nevertheless, the Welsh language is undergoing a revival and you will see it on bilingual road signs all over the country - but are most likely to hear it spoken in West, North and Mid-Wales.
Other lesser-known gems include a stone age settlement, often referred to as the "Rhondda Stonehenge" on Mynydd-y-Gelli in Rhondda Fawr, which also lends fantastic views of the valley. There is also another marvellous vantage point and an indication of the marks left by the ice age where a glacier has carved a furrow from which you can view the coast from the mountains of the Rhondda and betrays the image of a valley scarred by heavy industry. Rhondda is not alone in this and much of Wales offers surprising vantage points, views and the best that nature can offer.

Much of the country, particularly the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains in the south and Snowdonia in the north, is relentlessly mountainous and offers wonderful walking and climbing terrain, as well as special nature reserves like Eyarth Rocks Reserve. Pembrokeshire to the west also boasts a spectacular rugged coastline, dotted with offshore island nature reserves. The biggest towns, including Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth and Colwyn Bay, cling to the coastal lowlands, but even there the mountains are no more than a bus ride away.

For the fans of Dylan Thomas, Laugharne is a must see. It houses the Dylan thomas museum. A visit to Laugharne can be combined with Tenby, a posh beach resort.

__________Sights
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photo

Rigotti Matteo
There are three National Parks in Wales: Brecon Beacons, Pembrokeshire Coast and Snowdonia.

There are four Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty exclusively in Wales:

Bryniau Clwyde / Clwydian Range

Gwyr / Gower

Llyn / Lleyn

Ynys Mon / Anglesey

Wye Valley / Dyffryn is shared between England and Wales.

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Caernarfon Castle
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Built between 1283 and 1301, this castle was Edward I's most impressive stronghold. The polygonal towers and colour-banded masonry were based on Constantinople 's 5th-century walls, and set it apart from the other castles of North Wales .

It has proved almost impregnable; in 1404, 28 bedraggled men withstood a Owain Glyndwr's siege, and during the 17th-century civil war it was unsuccessfully attacked three times.

Originally built as a seat of government rule and royal palace, the towers were decorated with ornate stained glass. The Eagle Tower is the finest more..
type: Hotspots
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Eyarth Rocks Reserve with inset of Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Eyarth Rocks Reserve with inset of Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Jan Miller
Eyarth Rocks Butterfly Conservation Reserve

The Eyarth Rocks reserve is part of Craig-adwy-wynt (Welsh for 'windy ridge'), which lies between the villages of Llanfair DC and Pwll Glas, about two miles south of Ruthin. It is one of the richest butterfly sites in North Wales: - 32 of the 34 species known to occur in the region have been recorded on this limestone hill-top. The national charity Butterfly Conservation completed the purchase of this important new reserve in 2001. Twenty acres of this Site of Special Scientific Interest have so far been secured as Butterfly Conservation’s second nature reserve in Wales and its first in the north of the country.
To reach the reserve make first for Ruthin (turn off the A55 for Mold). Take the Bala road out of Ruthin for about 2 miles. Just before the village sign for Pwll Glas take the left turning signed Llanfair D.C. Immediately over the stone bridge is a layby where there is parking for about 4 cars (do not obstruct the field gate.) Grid Reference; SJ 127553. Follow the public footpath from the corner on the opposite side of this lane, along the old railway line. (Don't confuse this path with the one for the North Wales Wildlife reserve which is on the other side of the main road you have just turned off.) The path is short but quite steep and good walking footwear is recommended. At the stile cross the field along the right side to the stile near the house. Cross the lane and follow the footpath up behind the house. This path goes through woodland and comes out at a gate at the northern end of the reserve.

The cap of the ridge is ‘limestone pavement ’ , a distinctive worn and fissured type of dense, hard limestone that is one of Britain’s rarest habitats. The majority of this habitat in the British Isles is found in the Yorkshire Dales, Cumbria and north Lancashire, where the Carboniferous limestone was scoured by glaciers during the last ice-age. There are only a couple of limestone pavement sites in Wales and this ridge is of particular importance for the extent and quality of the habitat. This importance is demonstrated by the Site of Special Scientific Interest designation that applies to the ridge and adjoining areas of ancient woodland .

The pavement’s clints and grikes, formed by post-glacial weathering, make them of great interest as geological features. These fissures, pits and hollows in the rock provide a varied topography and special micro-habitats. This results in a distinctive plant community where limestone calciolous grassland with abundant mosses and lichens, occurs alongside woodland species and those indicative of the acidic soils derived from pockets of decayed vegetation. Bloody cranesbill, ( Geranium sanguineum ) Hound’s Tongue ( Cynoglossum officinale ), Mountain melick ( Melica nutans ) and Moonwort ( Botrychium lunaria ) are amongst the most notable and distinctive species present. Yellow archangel,( Lamiastrum galeogdolon) Dog’s mercury ( Mercurialis perennis ) , woodruff (Galium odoratum) , wood sorrel ( Oxalis acetosella ), Harts-tongue fern ( Phillitis scolopendria ) and Sanicle ( Sanicula europara ) are normally all indicators of ancient woodland sites and demonstrate how long the clints and grikes have been providing them with moist sheltered conditions.

The main reason for acquiring the reserve is the importance of the Craig-adwy-wynt ridge for the Pearl-bordered Fritillary ( Boloria euphrosyne ). This butterfly has declined so much throughout the UK that the population on this ridge is now one of the most important of those known to remain in Wales. Only 17 sites for the species were located in the 1997 UK survey, the species has since disappeared on some of them and Craig-adwy-wynt is one of the few that can be considered a ‘stronghold’. The bare rock and bracken litter with abundant violets make the site’s habitats particularly suitable for this butterfly’s warmth-needing caterpillars. There is a delicate balance needed between the bracken and the violets for the Fritillaries to thrive. The larvae of Pearl-bordered Fritillary usually feeds only on the Common Dog Violet (Viola riviniana), whilst those of the Small Pearl-bordered ( Boloria selene ) and Dark Green Fritillary ( Argynnis aglaja ) generally use a wider selection of violets including Marsh violet (Viola palustris) and Hairy violet (Viola hirta) . Research by the Society has shown that the shelter of the growing bracken in April, plus up to 15cms.of the dead plant litter from previous years, raises the temperature around the violets by as much as 15 to 20 degrees above ambient air temperature. The Pearl-bordered Fritillary emerges earlier than most other species from its hibernation as larvae in the litter , so it needs this extra warmth early in the season. The litter provides them with ideal basking surfaces and to a point suppresses most other plant growth apart from violets. However, if the bracken litter gets too deep even the violets can disappear. The presence of suitable nectar sources such as early flowering species like Bugle (Ajuga reptans) and Wood Sage (Teucrium scorodonia) also characterises good Pearl-bordered Fritillary sites. Thus management of such sites is difficult to get right. Experiments are being carried out by volunteers in strimming and then raking bracken litter from controlled patches and monitoring the re-growth of both bracken and violets, plus monitoring their usage by egg-laying female butterflies. This will be a long term project to determine the optimum number of years rotation of such bracken control.

The rapid changes in agriculture and woodland management that occurred during the 20th. century have had a serious impact on this species. Sedentary in its habits, but nevertheless with the capability of colonising over distances of a few miles, it was well adapted to the habitat created by earlier woodland management practices. Its bracken habitat would have been patchy in its suitability, or availability being both controlled and cropped such as for stock bedding. Since WWII the shift to large scale afforestation with conifers, the reduction in regular ride opening and creation of other clearings, and the removal or abandonment of bracken areas, have all taken a toll on the habitat available to this butterfly an others.

Other important species also occur on the site. They are not as threatened as the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, but nevertheless are in need of conservation measures. These include Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages), Grizzled Skipper (Pyrgus malvae), Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Grayling and Brown Argus (Aricia agestis) , each of which has quite specialised habitat requirements. With its areas of flowery grassland that warm-up rapidly because of the thin soils, exposed rocks and sheltering scrub, Craig-adwy-wynt provides the sort of specialised habitat that these species, and many others thrive on.

Orchids growing across the site include Twayblade ( Listera ovata) , Butterfly orchid ( Platanthera chlorantha ) and Early purple (Orchis mascula) . There are also some specimens of the rare Welsh Yew; The North Wales Wildlife Trust reserve on the opposite side of the road through Pwll Glas has larger numbers of both the Yew and native orchids.

Butterfly Conservation volunteers in North-east Wales as well as from the Wirral and Cheshire, have already put an enormous effort into scrub management on the reserve the last four winters. The results are excellent, already showing a six-fold increase in the numbers of Pearl-bordered Fritillary counted on site, as well as the return of Dingy Skipper and Grayling that have been absent for many years. But more needs to be done and the aim is to reinstate a suitable grazing regime that will help make the task of controlling scrub growth much easier. For this the site’s boundary walls and fences need to be repaired, which will require considerable expenditure provided by an Objective One grant from the EU. Local members of the small North Wales Branch of Butterfly Conservation have been raising funds and doing the physical work on the reserve, and more volunteers are always very welcome. Volunteers to classify the many species of mosses, lichens, fungi and other specialists of this unusual habitat would also be very welcome.

A bilingual guide leaflet to the reserve is now available from www.northwalesbutterflies.org.uk

For further information please contact:
Jan Miller; e-mail volunteer.organiser@northwalesbutterflies.org.uk ;

Rob Whitehead; e-mail; Records@northwalesbutterflies.org.uk or

Butterfly Conservation Wales office; Swansea: 0870 770 6153 e-mail; wales@butterfly-conservation.org

Contributors
September 05, 2005 change by giorgio

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Jan Miller
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To find out when the next Butterfly Conservation local branch guided walk is to this or other rare butterfly sites, or to go moth-trapping in North Wales visit the events page on www.northwalesbutterflies.org.uk or e-mail info@northwalesbutterflies.org.uk to be added to our mailing list.
type: Hiking
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tel: 01352 711198
url: www.northwalesbutterflies.org.uk
address: Pensychnant Conservation centre
email: info@northwalesbutterflies.org.uk
:::::::::::Abersoch Travel Guide
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Located on the western tip of the Penisula. Abersoch retains its repuatation of a sometime camping haunt and summer gettaway for the Cheshire Set who own houses in the area.

Pretty much a sleepy town until summer comes Abersoch has a sailing club. Good fish and chip shops and is a good place to relax with the possibility of a few pints on the side.

Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: http://www.lonelyplanetexchange.com

:::::::::Aberystwyth Travel Guide
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Constitution Hill and Camera Obcursa

Constitution Hill and Camera Obcursa

Harry Hayfield
Aberystwyth is a university town in Wales with a name that is rather hard to pronounce. It's an easy going place with many things to do at night, which is mainly due to the presence of the student population.

The town is surrounded on three sides by some of the most glorious countryside in Great Britain - the Rheidol Valley, the Pumlumon mountains, not to mention Ceredigion's Heritage Coast and the most concentrated collection of award-winning beaches in the UK.

Aberystwyth was established over seven hundred years ago by virtue of a charter awarded by Edward I. Neighbouring Llanbadarn Fawr is a much older settlement whose history is more based upon the historical Welsh culture.

An original castle was built by invading Anglo-Saxon forces far to the south of the site of the existing castle ruins. The original fortifications would probably have been much nearer to the mouth of the river Ystwyth ("Aber Ystwyth" in Welsh means mouth of the river Ystwyth) than are the ruins of the later, stone-built castle, that remain.

Although its origins stemmed from an intent to subdue the Welsh people, Aberystwyth became the home of some of the most important institutions for and of Wales. The very first college of the University of Wales was established here and education remains to dominate the calendar of the town for much of the year. The University of Wales Aberystwyth now encompasses the College of Librarianship Wales and the Institute for Rural Studies - previously the Welsh College of Agriculture.

Aberystwyth also houses the National Library of Wales - where many of the greatest literary treasures of Wales and the other Celtic countries are securely stored, including the illuminated "Black Book of Carmarthen", the oldest surviving manuscript written in the Welsh language.
:::::::::::Anglesey Travel Guide
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Island and county including Holyhead in North Wales connected to mainland Wales and the county of Gwynedd by two bridges; Britannia and Menai (or Porthaethwy) Bridges.

In Welsh it is called Ynys Mon.
:::::::::::Bangor, Wales Travel Guide
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Bangor , in north Wales , is one of the smallest cities in the United Kingdom . It is a university city with a population of around 20,000, about a third of whom are students at the University of Wales, Bangor .

The origins of the city date back to the founding of Bangor Cathedral by the Celtic saint Deiniol in the early 6th century AD. The name 'Bangor' itself comes from a Welsh word for a type of fenced-in enclosure, such as was originally on the site of the cathedral. The present cathedral is a somewhat more recent building and has been extensively modified throughout the centuries. While the building itself is not the oldest, and certainly not the biggest, the bishopric of Bangor is one of the oldest in the UK. Another claim to fame is that Bangor allegedly has the longest High Street in Wales.

Bangor is largely contained to the south by Bangor Mountain although the large estate of Maesgeirchen , originally built as council housing , is to the east of the toe of the mountain near to Porth Penrhyn . The presence of Bangor Mountain casts a shadow across the High Street, Glan Adda and Hirael areas such that from November through to March some parts of the High Street in particular receive no direct sunlight as they lie in the shadow of the mountain. Bangor has two rivers within its boundaries. The River Adda is a largely culverted watercourse which only appears above ground at its western extremities near to the Faenol estate , whilst the River Cegin enters Port Penrhyn at the eastern edge of the city.

Bangor railway station , which serves the city, is located on the North Wales Coast Line from Crewe to Holyhead .

Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangor,_Wales
::::::::::Brecon Travel Guide
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Brecon is a nice old town with narrow streets and passageways lined with Georgian and Jacobean shopfronts. Located at the confluence of the Usk and Honddu rivers the town is the commercial centre of the southern part of Powys. Market dates are Tuesday and Friday.
::::::::Bridgend Travel Guide
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I can think of no reason to go to Brigend. There is a discount outlet right by the M4, so if you do go there, it will save you the pain of entering Bridgend itself.

Bridgend is a place of beauty, it has plenty of shops in the centre, and plenty of places to eat good good food, to say there is no good reason for going there is not correct!!

::::::::Caernarfon Travel Guide
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Caernarfon castle

Caernarfon castle

wojsyl
Caernarfon is a historic town in northern Wales.
It features one of the most impressive English castles in Wales.
Nearby places of interest include Conwy and Llandudno further east.

:::::::::Cardiff Travel Guide
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photo_13

o.trevino
Cardiff became the capital of Wales in 1955, but it has risen to the occasion pretty fast. The town is getting a real European capital like atmosphere and is very much alive and kicking. The area near Tiger Bay is completely being renovated there is a new Opera house.

Cardiff is maybe more English than Swansea, but you have to be more Welsh than the Welsh if you let this fact stop you from enjoying yourself in this vibrant city!

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Chepstow Travel Guide
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Chepstow is the gateway to Wales. It is the first town on the main road to the South Wales. Located on the banks of the river Wye, the town developed quickly in the Middle Ages due to its strategic importance. The old city centre has many sights dating back to that time. Chepstow Castle is the most important of these.

From Chepstow you can take a two hour walk to Tintern Abbey through the Wye Valley. For those who want to go for a real hike, choose Offa's Dyke Path, which takes you along the border with England all the way to Prestatyn on the North Wales coast. That's more than 250 km...
:::::::::::Colwyn Bay Travel Guide
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Front of Blods

Front of Blods

Owner
Colwyn Bay and its close neighbour Rhos-On-Sea promise something for all the family - from hugh action watersports to the high drama of lifesize dinosaurs in the flesh! Gentler persuits include visiting the local mountain zoo (free bus available from c/bay station), cycling along a coastal track, watching a puppet theatre show or simply strolling along historic sights such as St Trillo's Chapel and Llys Euryn. The Emphasis is firmly on fun and enjoyment

Did you know?

The Harlequin puppet Theatre at Rhos-On-Sea is Britains's longest running permananent marionette theatre.

::::::::::Laugharne Travel Guide
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Laugharne is just accoss the river from Llansteffan and where both towns have impressive castles, Laugharne has something no other town has: it's where Dylan Thomas lived wrote and drank.

The small Dylan Thomas Boathouse is the big tourist attraction, of course, but you can also visit his favourite pub (Brown's Hotel) and his grave. The Laugharne castle makes your day complete. While your at it, pop in the Town Hall with its Italian campanile as well.

:::::::::Llandudno Travel Guide
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Victorian holiday town.

Still retains punch and judy show on promenade.

Set between two rocky outcrops the Great Orme and the Little Orme.

Little Orme being the site of Britain's earliest pre-historic Bronze mine currently protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Mining can be shown to have taken place there from 6,000 BC up till 600BC through carbon datings of scrapping instruments.
Bronze promoted early links with Bronze trade in north wales and as far away is Ireland.

Great Orme, meaning Great worm, is the larger outcrop. It was named by sailors as they rounded the peninsula.
There's good fishing to be had around the headland from conga in the wrecks lying offshore.


Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: http://www.lonelyplanetexchange.com
:::::::::::Lleyn Peninsula Travel Guide
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photo
This is a wonderful peninsula with terrific coastal scenery that sticks out westward beyond Snowdonia. It is quite narrow so that anybody with a car can easily get to both north and south coasts.

Many of the beaches are National Trust property, perhaps the best known being Porth Oer or Whistling Sands, though the lesser known southern beach of Poth Ysgo is a place of great beauty. At the end of the peninsula, beyond Aberdaron is a headland and glorious viewpoint overloking Bardsea Island.

Abersoch, on the south coast, is a popular sailing resort; Criccieth, with an old castle, was Lloyd-George's birth place and at the end of the peninsula on the southern side is the Itliaanate village of Portmeirion, noted for its Chian and Portmadoc with perhaps the best preserved railway in the UK.

Unfortunately there is no youth hostel in Lleyn.

::::::::::Machynlleth Travel Guide
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Machynlleth Energy Park, Machynlleth, Powys

Machynlleth Energy Park, Machynlleth, Powys

Harry Hayfield
Machynlleth [pronounced roughly like Macuncleth] is a town passed heading south from Dolgellau. Here Owain Glydwr (Owen Glendower) formed a Welsh Parliament in the Fifteenth Century. It makes a good cheap rail trip in an evening from Pwllheli in the Lleyn Peninsula but is perhaps best known for the Centre for Alternative Technology a short distance away on the road to the North. Here a living community live a sustainable life using natural resources such as wind, water and surprisingly for the Welsh hills sunlight!

www.cat.org
:::::::::::Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Travel Guide
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Whitesands

Whitesands

J.sutton
Pembrokeshire is at the south-west of Wales with a long coast line because of a major indentation from the west. There are beaches galore, some being practically like resorts with donkeys, such as Broad Haven and Little Haven. At the other end of the spectrum are Druidson Haven, whose inadequate parking keeps it quiet and those which need a walk like some near the cathedral cty, the smallest in Britain, of St. David's.

Here you will find lumps of only a few hundred feet called 'mountains,' full of possibilities for 6-year old achievement. There is a railway to Tenby, Saundersfoot and the oil tanker terminal of Milton Haven and Fishguard is the terminal for Irish ferries.

Pembroke itself has a splendid castle but the chief claims to fame of this area are monuments of a far earlier time. There are Bronze Age cromlechs in plenty and at Abereiddy, on the north coast, fossils are frequently found which make the cromlechs seem like yesterday's remains.
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Whitesands

Whitesands

J.sutton
You can see a different coastal sight every day to occupy a long holiday, Some of the best of the less spoilt beaches are Marloes Sands, Musselwick Bay, Abereiddy, Porthgain [industrial archaeology,] Trefyn and Pyllderi. St David's Head is a great headland, with its own cromlech and the cliff area around Strumble Head lighthouse is immensely picturesque.

If you are lucky you will see dolphins and seals and the wild flowers are as good as anywhere in the UK, often spread out all over the cliffs like monstrous blankets.

However one very distinctive sight is not a natural wonder at all but the enchanting village sized city of St David's and the adjoining Bishop's Palace of the same red sandstone. The city and its cathedral were built so as to be invisible from the nearby coast which is on three sides. Hence the tower is one of the lowest in the UK but it is nevertheless an architectural treat.

Davidx [forgot to log in!]

:::::::::Shirenewton Travel Guide
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Well Cottage, Kilgwrrwg

Well Cottage, Kilgwrrwg

Rob H. van Dort
Shirenewton is a small village close to Earlswood forest, on the road B4235 between Usk and Chepstow. Though only 15 minutes from the Severn bridges and some 40 minutes from Newport it's well situated in a very nice environment. There are several pubs, golfcourses and at Parsons Grove cottages are for rent. (www.parsonsgrove.co.uk)

:::::::::::Swansea Travel Guide
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i

Swansea is located on the beautiful Gower Penisular, the UK's first designated 'area of outstanding natural beauty'. Although much of the city's architectural heritage was destroyed in war time bombing, its wide sandy beaches, spectacular coastal scenery, varied cultural events, lush parks, magnificient Maritime Quarter and medieval castles have preserved Swansea's place as a major vacation destination. Walk the streets of Swansea and you'll know why Wales is a European economic tiger!

Mumbles is right next to Swansea and has some great beaches. Continuing west from Mumbles along the coast road lets you see some wonderful scenery.

Swansea is also home to some of the best funded museums in the UK.

Swansea is the birth place of the internationally acclaimed poet and play-write Dylan Thomas and the Oscar winning actor Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Swansea-Cork Ferries operate a ferry service between Swansea and Cork in Ireland
:::::::::::Tenby Travel Guide
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x

Tenby Town Centre

www.tenby.net
Tenby is an old fashioned beach resort filled with beautiful long sandy beaches. The views are spectacular and the town is full of friendly people and wonderful shops. Although it is mostly popular with retired people, there are quite a few activities for the young as well. In summer the town is full of tourists and the weather is pleasant.

The city goes back to the 9th century and because of the strategic importance many castles were built in the area. Tenby is an excellent base for doing walks along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.

Tenby is a great holiday place. But also a great place to live. It attracts huge amounts of tourists and is generally a brilliant holiday resort.

:::::::::::Wrexham Travel Guide
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x
Not only renowned for it's buzzing fast food culture and street fighting, Wrexham is also home to some of the finest modified Novas in Wales.

Don't know who wrote that but don't be put off. Wrexham was once a coalming and steel town. It also had two renowned breweries. Recently it has undergone a makeover and is now a very good shopping centre. There are also some buildings of architectural interest including St Giles' Church with its ornate tower, a copy of which can be found at Yale University in the USA. In fact the founder of Yale University, Elihu Yale has his tomb at the church. The colourful ceiling of the church is decorated with flying musical angels and there are two very early eagle lecterns. Modern buildings of note include the swimming baths and the police building next door.

The area around Wrexham has some excellent visitor attractions including Bersham Ironworks where John Wilkiinson one of the early Ironmasters of the Industrial Revolution set up a foundry. Close by the Bersham Visitor Centre Chronicles the Industrial and Geological Heritage. The Clwedog Valley trail leads through a picturesque valley to Minera with its disused Lead Mines. These were mined from Roman Times until the start of the 20th Century. The City Shaft Engine House has been restored and can be visited.

Coal mining is represented by the Headgear and winding house at the old Bersham Mine. Location for the 1979 remake of "How Green was my Valley". Close by is Erddig Hall a National Trust property well worth a visit as the servants here were very well treated when compared to other stately homes such as Penrhyn Castle.

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Wrexham

Wrexham

www.eurapart.com
The town has undergone a huge redevelopment of late and is now a very popular shopping centre. In the middle of the town a steel sculpture shows two of the old industries namely coal and steel.
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:::::::::Wye Valley Travel Guide
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photo

Rigotti Matteo
The Wye starts in Mid-Wales and joins the Severn at its mouth going into the Bristol Channel. At times it forms the border between England and Wales but at other times it is entirely in Wales.

It is a lovely river throughout but the best known stretch, that always known as 'the Wye valley', is the lower part near the great viewing area of Symond's Yat and lower still at Tintern Abbey.

In its upper reaches the river gives its name to two towns, Hey-on-Wye and Ross-on-Wye the first being possibly the best venue in Britain for second hand books in Powys and the second being in England.

http://www.visitwyevalley.com/home_frame.html