Welcome to Wales

WELCOME TO WALES - Croeso i Cymru

More Americans visit the British Isles than any other foreign destination, including France and Italy. Many go to see gardens but American tourists gravitate toward the southern counties of Kent and Hampshire, or the West country then head up north the Lake District and Scotland. Few ever venture into Wales which is a pity because not only is it a beautiful country, with outstanding gardens, it has 100 castles and mountains as dramatic as those in Scotland.

My mother was Welsh and I spent a lot of time with my grandparents who lived in Llanfairfechan in North Wales. I no longer speak Welsh which is an impossible language to master and some of the names of the villages are beyond most people. Wales is a land of contrasts with spectacular mountain ranges. Sheep and cattle farming retaining a rural way of life in the north, and more industrial in the south.

Two Welsh gardens I have visited regularly are Powis Castle, near Welshpool and Bodnant near Conway. They are world class and I think Bodnant is perhaps the most beautiful I have ever seen. It is mostly a woodland garden at a high elevation, with magnificent views toward the Snowdonia mountain range and a fantastic collection of azaleas and rhododendrons growing down the sides of a ravine in a dappled shade of Welsh oaks and giant redwoods. Go in the Spring, when the rhododendrons, daffodils, laburnum, and tulips are in bloom. Powis Castle is completely different. Perched high on a rock, dating back to Medieval times.

I am going to give you what I consider a perfect itinerary for exploring Wales.

I would start your tour in the old Roman town of Chester, best shopping outside of London, then cross the border to drive along the coast. Stay at the Grosvenor Hotel in Chester, great location, and a wonderful hotel. Visit Conway, Caernarvon (two wonderful castles) take the little narrow gauge railway from Portmeirion to Blaneau Ffestiniog up to the top of Snowdonia, then wind your way down the centre of Wales, all 200 miles of it. Cardiff is a lovely modern city and worth visiting. It is only two hours by train from London. The people in the north all speak Gaelic, whereas in the south, you don’t find Welsh spoken as much.

No visit to Wales would be complete without an overnight stay in the unique coastal resort village of Portmerion. A cluster of fantasy buildings designed by the eminent British architect Sir Clough Williams Ellis, who took inspiration from Italian coastal resorts. Its gardens are a collection of Australian tree ferns, giant echiums from the Canary Islands and New Zealand dragon palms which all do well in the Gulf Stream which passes offshore.

Wales will surprise you with its unique customs, scenery, its many waterfalls, and you must be prepared for very narrow roads with high hedges, so only rent a small compact car. You will be driving on the left side of the road Petrol is equal to $6.50 a gal. (they sell by the litre -my sister told me today that it is 1.45 pound for a litre.) There is no train service in Wales (just between Cardiff and London) so if you want to see the country you need to rent a car.

Maureen Jones

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