Chepstow

At The Wye River's Mouth , the fortress town of CHEPSTOW is the site of a spectacular castle build tight into a loop of the Wye and comprised of three separate enclosures. The mainly thirteenth- century Lower ward holds the Great Hall, home to a wide-ranging exhibition on the castle's history. Twelfth-century defences separate the Lower Ward from the Middle Ward, which is dominated by the still-imposing ruins of the Great Tower, whose lower floors include the original Norman keep. Beyond the great Tower is the far narrower Upper Ward which leads up to the Barbican watchtower, from which there are some superlative views back over the castle and down to the mudflats of the river estuary.

Once you've exhaused the charms of Chepstow, you could follow the fairly challanging, two hour Wye Valley Walk to Tintern Abbaey, Which Starts from the castle car park. A map - or a ₤1 leaflet available from the tourist office - is advisable, as the path meanders around and above the twisting Wye.

The Wye Valley

Crisscrossing between England and Wales, the River Wye cuts through the beguilingly rural countryside of the meandering Wye Valley. Make a beeline for the fortress town of Chepstow, its massive castle radiating an awesome strength, its massive castle radiating an awesome strength, while just to the north lie the inspirational ruines of the Cistercian Tintern Abbey, where there are beatiful walkes through the surrounding bluebell woods and oak fotrests.

Where to GO - Southeast Wales

Home to some sixty percent of the country's population, Southeast Wales - the former heartland of the Welsh mining industry - is one of Britain's most industrialized regions. The nation's youthful capital, Cardiff, is a busy and entertaining place, but both population and industry are also heavily concentrated around the sea ports of Newport and Swansea, as well as inland along the coal valleys, where former mines have reopened as gusty and hand-hitting museums.

Towards the English border, the beguiling Wye Valley provides a sylvan for Tintern Abbey, while to the west of the capital the beaches and quiet hills of the Vale of Glamorgan make a peaceful escape. Yet further weest, the bays and cliffs of Gower are an essential detour from Swansea.

Getting Around

The large cities and densely populated valleys of south Wales support comprehensive train and bus networks, but the more thinly inhabited areas of mid and north wales are less well served. That said, it's rare to find somewhere that isn't reached by an occasional bus. Of course, with a car you'll be able to see a lot more of the country in your own time - the major rental companies have outlets in Cardiff, Swansea and many of the smaller towns, as well as at Cardiff international Airport.

Wales Tours

Although you may want to see Wales at your own speed, don't dismiss the idea of booking your trip via a tour operator. Some of the backpacker tour operators listed below run regular bus services throughout Wales allowing ticket-holders to get on and off at each overnight stopping point and rejoin the tour when the next bus (or the one after that) pulls through. These are suitable if you are on a budget and fancy traveling with like-minded individuals. You can stay where you want, through most people book into the YHAs and independent hostels recommended by the tour company. More conventional operational operators offer slightly more upmarket bus tours, including meals and accommodations; these take the hassle out of getting around the sights, and can often work out cheaper than accommodation and transport booked independently.

Tour Companies

Back-Roads Tours - 020/85665312
Backpacker Tour Company - 0870/7451046
Bicycle Beano Cycling - 01982/560471
Bus Wales Tours - 0800328
Bushwakkers - 08174636552
Discovery Wales - 029/20666879
Dragon Backpacker Tours - 08174658124
Haggis Britain - 0131/5579393

How to go to Wales

By Train

Two main lines provides frequent, fast services to wales from London: the south wales line from London Paddington via Reading, Swindon and Bristol to Newport, Cardiff and Swansea; and the north coast line to Bangor and Holyhead.

Contacts

National Express: 08750/808080
National Rail Inquiries: 08457/484950
Traveline Cymru: 0870/6082608

By Bus

Inter-town bus services duplicate a few of the major rail routes, often at less than half the price of the train. The biggest national operator is National Express whose chief routes are: from London to Cardiff, Swansea and on to Pembroke and Milford Haven; London to Wrexham; London to Aberystwyth: London to Wrexham along the north Wesh coast to Holyhead and Pwllheli; Birmingham to Cardiff, Swansea and Haverfordwest; Chester along the north coast to Liandudno, Bangor and Holyhead; and Glasgow and Edinburgh to Wrexham.

About Wales

Perched on the rocky fringe of western Europe, often gets short shrift in comparison to its Celtic cousins of Ireland and Scotland. Neither so internationally renowned nor so romantically perceived, the country is usually defined - if it is known at all - by it's male voice choirs and tightly packed pit villages. But there's far more to the place than the hackneyed stereotypes, and even it's comparative anonymity serves it well: instead of being reduced to some misty Celtic pastiche, wales remains brittle and brutal enough to be real, and diverse enough to remain endlessly interesting.

Only 160 miles from north to south and 50 miles from east to west, wales is smaller than Massachusetts and only half the size of the Netherlands, Yet it packs in some stunning physical attributes.