Things to do in Wales.

Well what can we say about Wales? We have our home in Wales, south Wales. It is where Joel and I grew up, along with our children. Blog.

Wales is such a beautiful place! Oh and castles! We have 3 castles near us, within 15 minute drive! Cardiff Castle, Caerphilly castle and Castell Coch. All amazing castles!

The Big pit coal museum

Wales is full of history! You have the Big pit national coal museum.

This is an authentic coal mine, that used to employ up to 1,300 workers. It is a great experience for those who are interested in Welsh history. As mining is a huge part of history for the Welsh people.

You can experience a tour, led by a real miner. The tour will take you 300ft underground through original mine workings. It gives you a living, breathing taste of what life was like, for those who made their living at the coal face.

Rhondda heritage park

The Rhondda heritage museum. We took our children there multiple times. At Christmas, there is Santa’s toy mine and you can go through the mines to see Santa. At the end and receive a lovely gift.

Cardiff

There is PLENTY to do in and around Cardiff! There are some amazing attractions, exciting activities, quality entertainment, plenty of shopping and fascinating tours. Whatever you are looking for, there will be something for you. Check out the links above! I recommend Cardiff Museum. You can contact the museum direct to organise a trip here.

St Fagins National Museum

St Fagins. Again, I have lost count on how many times we have visited.

St Fagans is one of Europe’s leading open–air museums and Wales’s most popular heritage attraction. Discover how people lived and worked in Wales in the past. Visit one of our many original re-erected historic buildings.

Rugby

If you talk to anyone in Wales, you know the passion for the rugby is there! Home of the welsh squad, the Principality stadium.

Check out the link above. You can access tours of the stadium, events and tickets to events, concerts, football, motorsports and rugby union!

Cycling

Check out this website if you are a cycling fan.

National parks

• Snowdonia national park -This is the highest peak in Wales the third highest in the UK, and the very mountain that Edmund Hillary used for training to climb Everest. 
• Brecon Beacons national park – it is a land of red sandstone mountains, glacially-carved rock formations, castles and waterfalls hidden in ancient woodland. It is home to Wales’ first international dark-sky reserve.
• Pembrokeshire coast national park -This was the first British national park to consist entirely of coastal landscapes. The best bit by far has to be the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. This 186-mile-long route runs from St Dogmaels in the north to Amroth in the south, passing lagoons, lighthouses, remote headlands and rock formations like St Davids. Or the limestone Green Bridge of Wales, with flocks of seabirds nesting on its grass-covered arch.

Castles – Things to do in Wales.

• Laugharne Castle –

Mighty medieval castle, Tudor mansion and poet’s hideout. This is the ‘brown as owls’ castle beloved of Dylan Thomas, Laugharne’s most famous resident.

• Caernarfon Castle –

Caernarfon Castle is recognised around the world as one of the greatest buildings of the Middle Ages.

This fortress-palace on the banks of the River Seiont, is grouped with Edward I’s other castles at Conwy, Beaumaris and Harlech as a World Heritage Site. For sheer scale and architectural drama Caernarfon stands alone.

• Raglan Castle – one of the longest sieges of the Civil War, it fell to parliamentary forces and was deliberately destroyed. Among the looted treasures, was a piece of Tudor wooden panelling. Now proudly displayed in the visitor centre, after being rescued from a cow shed in the 1950s.

• Caldicot Castle – Every view from the incredible medieval Caldicot Castle could be a picture postcard, and its history is the stuff of legend from Norman beginnings, to conflict in the Middle Ages, and Victorian domesticity.

• Conwy Castle – Thanks to the restored spiral staircases in its great towers, you can walk a complete circuit around the battlements of Conwy Castle. We highly recommend it. This is one of the most magnificent medieval fortresses in Europe.

• Chirk castle – Chirk Castle was one of several medieval Marcher fortresses sited on the Welsh-English border to keep the Welsh under English rule.

More castles

• Cilgerran Castle – The Normans’ penchant for defences with river views means Cilgerran Castle has an amazing vantage point, overlooking the River Teifi.

• Caerphilly Castle – Not 10 minutes from our doorstep, the largest castle in Wales, and the second-largest in Britain.

• Dinefwr Castle – In the 12th century, the fortress was in the possession of The Lord Rhys. Ruler of the ancient south Wales kingdom of Deheubarth, His reign saw a rare period of peace and stability. Which led to a flowering of Welsh culture, music and poetry.

• Cardiff Castle – Cardiff Castle is one of Wales’ leading heritage attractions and a site of international significance. Located at the heart of the capital, Cardiff Castle has nearly 2,000 years of history just waiting to be explored.

• Powis castle and gardens – has a rich history. Famed for their French and Italian styles, adorned with plants and an orangery.

• Castell Coch – Castell Coch, or the ‘Red Castle’, rises up from the ancient beech woods of Fforest Fawr. Yet these great towers with their unmistakable conical roofs only hint at the splendour within.

Given free rein by the third Marquess of Bute, architect William Burges didn’t hold back. The highly decorated interiors and rich furnishings of Castell Coch make it a dazzling masterpiece of the High Victorian era.