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Places in Wales
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Brecon Beacons The Brecon Beacons cover 1,344 sq. kms. (approx 519 sq. miles) and is mostly sparsely populated moorland grazed by ponies and sheep and are abundant in wild life, inhabited by foxes, badgers, pole cats, squirrel, and a large variety of birds.. The park is visited by huge numbers of tourists during the summer with pony trekking and hill walking a common sight.For the Railway enthusiast, the Brecon Mountain Railway.  Read more...

Caerphilly Castle  Caerphilly Castle is claimed to be one of the largest Castles in Europe, occupying a ground-space of around 30 acres(12 ha). However it is the second largest castle in Britain. Windsor Castle is the largest.Legend has it that the Castle is plagued by creature called the Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, which I think is a sort of a cross between a banshee and a ghoul. Probably female because she is known as the "night hag!  Read more...

 Cardiff City Cardiff is a very attractive city to the visitor. It is an under-statement to say the architecture is very eye-­catching, with it's Norman Castle and Edwardian civic centre, surrounded by flowering trees and ornate flower beds.The history of Cardiff Castle goes back to the eleventh century. It was built on the site of a derelict Roman fort and many non-Welsh people settled there. This brought about many attacks from the surrounding villages of the native Welsh.  Read more...

Royal Horticultural Show, Cardiff   It is generally in the month of April each year that the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) holds its first Flower Show of the year in Cardiff.What has always impressed me about the RHS Flower Show in Cardiff is the friendliness and freely-given advice by the exhibitors that attend. There are  many stalls that sell plants and flowers of all descriptions.  And the latest garden tools..  Read more...  

Kidwelly Castle  There's something magical about the ancient castle, that for me seemed to come alive with knights, swords and great battles. It is said that Kidwelly is haunted by the headless ghost of Gwenllian and in recent years that have been reports of strange sightings there. The Normans considered Gwenllian Ferch Gruffyd, wife of the Welsh prince, Gruffyd ap Rhys, seriously. Gwenllian and has often referred to a ‘Welsh Boudicca’ who caused the Norman invaders no end of problems. Her life story is fascinating…  Read more...

Swansea City  The name Swansea was derived from the original 'Sweyns-ey' or Sweyn's island. Sweyn it is believed was a Dane (probably a Viking), who built a fort there around 1000 AD in order to carry out his raids around Wales.  An island because it stood on the estuary or the River Tawe - not really an island in the conventional sense. The Welsh name for Swansea is Abertawe. Aber is a Breton word meaning for mouth of a river or estuary. Tawe being the name of the River Tawe.  Swansea has always been popular with tourists being right on the doorstep of the Gower Peninsular, famous for some of the most beautiful coast line in South Wales...  Read more... 

Tintern Abbey  Tintern Abbey is quite an awesome structure and was built in the early 12th century. In 1348 the Black Death visited the area and many of the monks at Tintern perished. The Abbey then stood for a few hundred years until the 16th century when Henry VIII ordered its destruction... There have been reports that Tintern Abbey has its ghosts... Read more

Vale of Glamorgan   The Vale of Glamorgan is at the southern-most tip of South Wales and had a host of places to visit in Wales such as villages, hamlets, historical buildings and sites. The Vale runs from Penarth (nr Cardiff) in the East to Ogmore-By-Sea in the west.   Read more of places to visit in the vale through these links...  Old Beaupré Castle,   Dyffryn House & Gardens,   Llantwit Major,  Llantwit Major Beach,   Ogmore Castle,  Boverton Village & Castle,   Neolithic Tinkinswood & St Lythan Burial Chamber.

Cefn Cribwr Iron Works Ruins In 1770 an industrialist named John Bedford from Birmingham came to South Wales with a dream of creating the greatest iron works in South Wales, and built a blast furnace in Cefn Criwbr, a small village near the town of Bridgend.  The site he purchased was "2 miles in length,  and is now known as Bedford Park which occupies 40 acres  of land...  Read more...

Some Welsh Stories and Legends

Welsh Legends: Merlin & Vortigern  King Vortigern was a warlord that lived in the 5th century AD just after the Romans had left the British Isle to fight invaders back in Europe. It is suggested that he historically existed, but that Votigern was his title rather than his name. What follows in this story has not been proven as historical fact so considered to be a legend of betrayal and sorcery involving the greatest magician ever, Merlin!   Read more...

The Welsh in America (pt.1) We can go back as far as medieval times to find a Welsh connection to America, albeit by a  legend of a Welsh Prince who discovered America. This was claimed to be in the year 1170, some three centuries before Columbus first landed on American shores...   Read more...

 The Welsh in America (pt.2)   Around the end of the 18^th century, one of the first Welsh colonies of Baptists was established in Cambria, Pennsylvania and the Welsh culture and Baptist religion was established there by one Morgan John Rhys, an evangelical Baptist minister from South Wales. The Welsh language was used and adhered to by the inhabitants. Pennsylvania was originally called New Wales, but the King renamed it Pennsylvania – Pen means ‘head’ in Welsh. Cambria is the Latin word for Wales, and was derived from the Welsh word Cymru, also meaning Wales...  Read more...