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 Impressions of Wales Wales is a quiet corner of Great Britain, a special place where history, song, poetry and the ancient Celtic traditions are alive and well in the beauty of a very green, unspoiled country. By Mary Ashcraft |
 The presence of the Welsh Dragon is everywhere... |
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This little corner of Britain with its Big Country skies, green rolling hills dotted with grazing sheep and ancient inns and castles remains virtually unknown to many people in the world. Oh sure, they've heard the name. It has something to do with Britain, doesn't it? The Welsh would like you to know that Britain is made up of three countries, England, Scotland and Wales. Wales is the smallest of the three countries--only 160 miles long and 60 miles wide--and has a great many treasures packed into its borders as anyone would expect from the homeland of King Arthur and Merlin. With its 400 fortresses, it is sometimes called the Land of Castles. Most were built under order of King Edward 1 to keep the unruly Welsh in check. The pre-Roman castle Caernarfon has become particularly noticeable in recent years because, as tradition would have it, the English heir to the throne Prince Charles was invested on its grounds with great pomp in 1969 to become the latest Prince of Wales. |
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As the Welsh would say, Croeso I Gymru (Welcome to Wales.)
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It is true that most of us know a good deal about England and Scotland. Both have been very good at drawing attention to them-selves through the years. Even though Wales is a part of Britain, the Welsh people have clung fiercely to their identity at all costs. Part of this identity is teaching and speaking their traditional Welsh language spoken originally by the old Celtic tribes that made Wales their home. Don't worry, everyone speaks English, but the melodic sounds of Welsh can be heard in all corners of the land. Even their signs are first in Welsh with the English translation below. Yes, you are still in Britain, but the presence of the Welsh Dragon is everywhere. So, as the Welsh would say, Croeso I Gymru (welcome to Wales.) |
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Wales also has drama in the towering wild peaks of Mt. Snowdonia.
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 The Welsh people, much to their dismay, are aware that the picture of Wales by many outsiders is still thought of in the way that the 1941 movie "How Green Was My Valley" portrayed it, being full of sooty coal mines and disenfranchised miners. Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. Most of Wales is, to put it simply, picturesque with green hills and valleys, waterfalls cascading over craggy cliffs and lakes chock full of trout. It also has drama with the towering wild peaks of Mt. Snowdonia, the natural wilderness of Brecon Beakons National Park and 750 miles of sandy beach on the Pembrokeshire coastline dotted with estuaries and rugged cliffs. |
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Eisteddefad is a grand festival where all are invited to share their poetry and music.
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 Llangollen In 1568, Queen Elizabeth 1 being a little uneasy with all Welsh poets, rhymers and bards roaming the country-side, established the Royal Eisteddefad as a gathering place to keep most of them contained in one central place. Today, it is a grand festival held in July or the first week of August where all are invited to share their poetry and music. Echoing the mysterious Druidic past of Wales, a special group of Welsh poets dressed in white, blue or green robes are present at two ceremonies officiated by an Archdruid who awards the two main poetry prizes of the Crown or the Chair. All is spoken in Welsh, but there are head-sets for those of us who are out of the loop. |
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If you have never marveled at a Border Collie minding his flock of sheep, then you are in for a real treat.
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 Corwen Making up a big part of the bucolic countryside are the thousands of sheep scattered over the hills, and family owned sheep farms tucked away in the hillsides. Ewe-Phoria (www.ewe-phoria.co.uk) outside Corwen in North Wales is just such a farm. If you have never marveled at a Border Collie minding his flock of sheep, then you are in for a real treat. Owner Aled Owen has a Border Collie named Bob, who is an International Sheepdog Society Supreme Champion 1999 and 2000 and Bob loves his work. Aled, with a variety of whistles will tell Bob where to guide the sheep, to slow them down, to speed them up, left, right, or wherever and Bob is more than happy to oblige. Aled and Bob make this demonstration look more like play than the essential working bond we know it is. The public is welcome to visit and watch Bob in action.  There is also a Ram Parade in the barn where ten different kinds of sheep on the farm are identified. Some of the breeds are: Suffolk Welsh Mountain, Gray Faced Dartmoor, Blue Faced Lester, Border Lester, and Hampshire Down or Cheviot. Each type is raised for a particular reason. Aled points out which sheep have wool that is good for very fine weaving and which sheep are bred for lamb chops. As you will notice as you traverse the countryside, you are never far away from sheep. |
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Avid followers of Patrick McGoohan's, "The Prisoner," will be interested to know that the surreal TV series was filmed here...
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 Portmeirion From the first look at the fantasy village and hotel in Portmeirion ( www.portmeirion.com )by the sea, one feels as Alice must have felt as she stepped through the looking glass. Seventy five years age, serious Architect and Designer Clough Williams-Ellis who claimed he practiced the "Light Opera" of architecture traveled the world collecting architectural elements and decorations for the purpose of incorporating them into his hotel and fantasy village. The buildings, gardens with fountains and statuary are reminiscent of Italian villas with Victorian and Oriental overtones. He believed that a beautiful place could be developed without spoiling its surroundings and this was his goal. The hotel is tucked into a tree filled hillside with a view of the Snowdonian Mountains and the green coastline of the Llyn Peninsula. From the beginning, it has been a magnate for creative people who appreciated its imaginative quality. People like George Bernard Shaw, Noel Coward, and H.G. Wells were regulars. Even Frank Lloyd Wright came and liked what he saw. The avid followers of Patrick McGoohan's, The Prisoner, will be interested to know that the surreal TV series was filmed here in this appropriately surreal, village. |
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Hay-On-Wye... is a book-lover's paradise.
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 Hay-On-Wye Driving through the Black Mountains and the peaceful Wye Valley, passing small market towns and country villages you can begin to understand how William Wordsworth escaped the "fever of the world" in this tranquil environment. In this valley is the small, bustling border town of Hay-On-Wye which is a book-lover's paradise.  It is called the Town of Books and has the largest grouping of second-hand bookstores in the world, perhaps forty in all. Books are stacked floor to ceiling in these fusty buildings sometimes with very little squeeze room. You may browse the packed shelves to your heart's content and may even find that out-of- print book you always wanted. Bring your unwanted books and sell them or, trade them for other books. In early summer, there is a Festival of Literature drawing famous writers from around the world. Tired of books? Stroll your way along the narrow winding streets and into some of the antique and craft centers and, of course, into the ever-friendly pub for a Welsh cake and bitters. If you want to toast your newfound friends, try, Hwyl (cheers!) |
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...you will be following in the footsteps of thousands of pilgrims in the Middle Ages...  |
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Medieval Pilgrimage Leave Hay-on-Wye and continue over and around the lofty peaks of the Black Mountains. There are hiking trails and summit walks with spectacular views of the countryside below. These mountains are still quite wild and the higher trails can disappear before your eyes if a dense fog rolls through. Gospel Pass is the peaks' highest mountain pass, where sunshine can sometimes be seen above the passing clouds. In March, there can still be the odd patch of snow. When you travel this route, you will be following in the footsteps that thousands of pilgrims in the Middle Ages walked on their way to St. Davids Cathedral. Why was little St. Davids important enough for a pilgrimage you may well wonder? It just so happened the Bishop of St. Davids was a good friend of the Pope and thought it would be a good idea for the devout to pilgrimage to his house of worship. As luck would have it, the Pope declared that the path to St. Davids was a holy one and that two pilgrimages there equaled one to Rome, and three, equaled one to Jerusalem.  As you travel through the mountains toward Crickhowell, you will come to the small medieval church in Patrishow with its ancient stone well and original well worn remaining frescoes on the walls. One wall has a drawing of the Doom Figure with his shovel, scythe and hour-glass that would give the bravest parishioner pause. Walk down to the stream just a stones throw from the church and you will find, if you look very carefully, a hollow in the side of the hill lined with stones that was a sixth century Celtic shrine. Slowly you will begin to notice, if you look in the trees nearby and around the shrine, that there are many rough crosses made from the natural twigs and grasses around you. Even though no one is ever seen at the shrine, there are always new crosses being brought while the old ones weather away. |
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The charming inn of Ty Gwyn has been serving the wayfarer since around 1636.
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 Ty Gwyn There are many and varied accommodations in Wales. Some are in the prestigious European Federation of Traditional Accommodation and Historic Houses, which ranks them up with the Pousadas of Portugal and the Chateaux of France. However, if you would like real "meet the people" delightful places to stay, I have a couple of suggestions. There is a Charming inn in Betws-y-Coed, once the popular Victorian Resort in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park, that has been serving the wayfarer since around 1636 called Ty Gwyn (www.tygwynhotel.co.uk) or White House in Welsh. Its mellow dark woods, overstuffed chairs in happy flower- prints, cozy eating and drinking rooms, and bedrooms decorated with antiques take you back to another time in history. In this atmosphere, conversations with locals and fellow travelers come easily. |
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The Skirrid Mountain Inn has the distinction of being the oldest pub in Wales.
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 Skirrid Mountain Inn Another choice with a very special atmosphere is the Skirrid Mountain Inn (phone: 011-44-1873-890258) in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. It has the distinction of being the oldest pub in Wales and has lived two lives in its long history. In its first life there was, and still is, a small busy pub entertaining stopper's-by in front of its huge roaring fire with its Welsh slate floor and always lighted candles in the window as a welcoming sign. Halfway up the stairs is a room behind an oval door where prisoners were kept before trial, while on the second floor were the courtroom and judges quarters. If a prisoner was unlucky enough to be convicted, he was strung up on the thick house beam just opposite the bar downstairs. It is still a cozy and cheery pub with the addition of a restaurant. The courtroom and judges quarters are now three large eclectically and comfortably decorated bedrooms. Proprietor Heather Grant has many stories to share about her pub and the surrounding area. |
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Exploring Wales by bus or car is a good way to become acquainted with its unspoiled countryside.
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Exploring Wales by bus or car is a good way to become acquainted with its unspoiled countryside. You can literally travel from the top of Wales to the bottom without passing a large city unless you want to, of course. The farms, abbeys, castles ancient villages and historic monuments will keep you busy. However, if the idea of map-watching distracts you from the green rolling hills and valleys, the charming villages and winding lanes, you might want to get in touch with Dragon Tours (www.dragon-tours.com), a specialist in small group luxury guided tours. Dragon Tours' Dr. Mike Davies, who is a published historian in Welsh History and culture is the perfect driver-guide. He is able to show you all the fascinating nooks and crannies that large tour buses can't. Getting to know you ahead of time via e-mail, he is able to customize a trip to your own liking and the whole experience becomes more like a trip with a friend who, luckily, can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Wales. It's a great way to arrive at your own impressions of Wales. |
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Photo Credits: Mary Ashcraft, Wales Tourism Bureau, Towns of Hay-On-Wye, Llangollen, Corwen |
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© 2002 ROMAR TRAVEL GUIDES
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