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Wales

Written by John Birch

tenby Wales has a varied and dramatic landscape. It is a haven for walkers and sailors as you are never far from mountain or sea. The regions of Gower, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay all have wonderful beaches.There are over 1,200km (750 miles) of coastline which includes the well known resorts of Tenby,Saundersfoot, Aberystwyth, Llandudno and Portmeirion. The highest mountains in Wales are the Snowdonia range in the north, and include Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), which, at 1085 m (3,560 ft) is the highest peak in Wales. In mid Wales there are the Cambrian Mountains

and moving further south The Brecon Beacons. In southern Wales you will find the steep-sided valleys once home to coal mines, carved up by rivers like the Rhondda, Taff, Rhymney and Cynon.

The capital city of Wales is Cardiff which in recent years has become a destination for culture and world class sporting events.Wales has a wealth of castles and historical houses to visit and enjoy.

Wales is famous for lamb and black beef and there are other treats like Laverbread, not to be mistaken for bread, but actually seaweed.Laverbread is often fried into crisp patties with eggs and bacon for a traditional Welsh breakfast. There is plenty of cheese on offer including the world famous Caerphilly.Welsh cakes and Bara brith, a wonderful sticky fruitcake are both delicious smothered in butter and served with a cup of tea,perfect after an afternoon of sightseeing.

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John said:

Wales History
A proud and passionate nation

We Welsh have a strong sense of our history. Maybe it’s because of all those invasions.

We’ve been conquered by the Celts, the Romans, the Saxons and the Vikings - and we’ve come out the other side a proud and resilient bunch.

We’ve looked after the remains of our past. You’ll discover ancient castles where famous battles were fought, fortresses built to keep invaders at bay, as well as more modern records of the industrial revolution, like our coal mines.

We really can’t do justice to thousands of years of fascinating history, so here is just a taster looking at some of the most interesting stories and people. You can find out more by using the links on this page.

St David
St David's Day is celebrated on March 1, in honour of Dewi Sant or St David, our patron saint.

Find out more about St David and St Davids Day.

Owain Glyndwr

No look at our history is complete without reference to Owain Glyndwr, the last native Welsh person to hold the title Prince of Wales.

A descendant of the princes of Powys, in 1400 he instigated a brave revolt against English rule. Initially it was successful but the uprising was eventually quashed by the English. Glyndwr was last seen in 1412 and was never captured.

He remained an important cultural figure. Shakespeare’s Henry IV portrays him as a wild, exotic, magical and spiritual man.

The nationalist movement always held him in high regard, but he is now a figure of mass culture in Wales, with everything from statues to pub names commemorating him.

Useful link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owain_Glyndwr

Offa’s Dyke

Offa was King of Mercia from 757 to 796 AD. His kingdom covered a huge area of England, right up to the Welsh borders at Powys.

But he realised his powers weren’t going to get him far into the Welsh mountains, so he ordered a dyke to be built – from sea to sea.

Offa’s Dyke has more or less defined the Welsh / English border ever since. Much of the dyke is still traceable along the 80 miles from the Wye valley to Wrexham. In places it still retains most of its original impressive dimensions; in others it has disappeared due to 1200 years of agricultural activity and can only be detected by archaeological work.

Useful link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Offa's_Dyke

The Welsh Flag

Our national flag - The Red Dragon (or in Welsh Y Ddraig Goch) - was granted official status in 1959, but the dragon itself has been associated with Wales for centuries. Some say it’s the oldest national flag still in use, and that it was the used by King Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders.

It is the only flag of the constituent countries of the UK not seen on the Union Flag. This is because after the Laws in Wales Acts in the 16th Century, Wales was considered to be a part of England.

There have been proposals to include the dragon or the flag of Saint David on the Union Flag. It hasn’t happened yet, but watch this space..!

Useful link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_flag

Welsh Not

The Welsh Not was a piece of wood hung around the necks of children who spoke Welsh in the 19th century.

It was given to any boy overheard speaking Welsh, and he would pass it to a different boy whom he overheard speaking Welsh. At the end of the day, the wearer would be given a lashing.

It was used – in some schools only - to discourage pupils from speaking Welsh, at a time when English was considered by some to be the only suitable medium of education.

Castles

How would you like your castle? Concentric, square, restored, dilapidated, 10th century, 18th century… And would you like coffee with that? Then we recommend Cardiff Castle. It’s an impressive fortress, built in 1106. And it’s handy to the Queen Street Starbucks, a much rarer sight around here.

Myths and Legends

Tales of King Aurthur and Merlin the Magician are inspired by Wales's wonderful landscapes and seascapes. Which may explain why Pembrokeshire in West Wales is still proud to be known as Gwlad hud a lledrith - 'The land of magic and enchantment'.

King Arthur regularly appears in Welsh mythology. Legend has it that Arthur killed a giant called ‘Rhitta’ on Mount Snowdon, and fought another fierce battle nearby at Bwlch y Saethau. Even now, he and his knights are thought to be sleeping in a cliff-top cave beneath Chepstow Castle.

Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen) is believed to be Merlin’s birthplace, and is named after him. Some way north, in the caves below the ruins of Dinefwr Castle, Merlin is said to have communed with fairies.

More concrete evidence of the mythical king can be found in a valley in northern Pembrokeshire, where two ancient standing stones are known as ‘Meibon Arthur’, or Arthur’s sons.

For more information on Arthurian legends in Wales, try the National Library of Wales

08, December 2009
Votes: +1

John said:

Six of the best Welsh signs
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerych- wyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Anglesey is officially the longest name in Britain and one of the longest in the world.

The name is Welsh for “St Mary’s church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave” and was used as the password for revolutionary Dildano’s headquarters in the 1968 sci-fi classic Barbarella.

The Welcome to Wales sign on the M4, above, has been saluted and cheered by generations of travelling Welsh as they approach their homeland from England.

In 1993, the then MP for Gower, Gareth Wardell, demanded the sign be moved onto the actual English-Welsh border but Sir Wyn Roberts, the Minister of State for Wales, said the actual border was “in the middle of the River Wye”.

An ancient sign welcomes visitors to the imposing Caernarfon Castle built by King Edward I of England, following his conquest of Gwynedd in 1283.

The site selected for Caernarfon Castle was strategically important, located on the banks of the River Seiont where it flows into the Menai Strait. It had been the site of a Roman fort, and a later motte and bailey castle.

A sign etched into the granite wall of the new Hafod Eryri building at the top of Mount Snowdon contains the words by former Poet of Wales Gwyn Thomas: “Mount Snowdon, here you are nearer to heaven”.

It also informs exhausted visitors who have climbed Snowdon to watch the eye-popping vistas visible from the position 1,085m above sea level.

This sign at the Royal Welsh Show 2008 points to a dizzying array of things to do and see in both Welsh and English.

It is the biggest agricultural show in Europe, organised by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society. It takes place in July of each year, at Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells, in Powys.

Cast-iron signs in the village of Llandewi Brefi, home to the fictitious Daffyd, the "only gay in the village" in the TV series Little Britain, have been stolen and placed on eBay because of the village’s new-found fame.

08, December 2009
Votes: +0

John said:

	Favourite place in Wales I love Tenby and that area of Wales. The beaches are great, the walk to Saundersfoot along the coastal path and back along the beach when the tide out is brilliant.
	report abuse vote down vote up

03, December 2009
Votes: +1

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