Wales: From Snowdonia to Cardiff

Arrive at the Manchester Airport in England where you will be met by your Program Leader and taken by private bus to Wales. Travel west to your accommodations at the Snowdonia National Park Study Center (Plas Tan y Bwlch), situated on the edge of the valley overlooking the Vale of Ffestiniog.  Formerly the home of the Oakeley family, who owned the slate mines in this area, the estate once covered over 1,000 acres.  Lunch at Plas Tan y Bwlch  and check into your room and unpack before a brief introduction to the weeks program.

Have some time to walk around Porthmadog Habor and town before returning to Plas Tan y Bwlch for dinner followed by a talk about the Snowdonia National Park and more details about your week in Wales.  L/D  

We start your first full day in Wales with a journey into the hills above the town of Harlech, to visit a typical Welsh hill farm, where the farmer will talk to you about his life and work, and where you will be privileged to see an amazing demonstration of shepherding by the farmer and his dog.  We travel next onto the town of Harlech and view Harlech Castle (WHS), with its impressive position overlooking Cardigan Bay.

From Harlech we travel to Porthmadog to board the world famous Ffestiniog Railway, and travel from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog.  Enjoy lunch as the railway winds its way along the valley of the river Dwyryd before ascending to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The views from the line are some of the finest in the world.

We have now arrived in the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, once known as the Roof of the World as it provided much of the roofing slates for buildings from Russia to Australia. Your tour goes underground into the Llechwedd Slate Mines to see how the slate was extracted and to learn about the life of a North Wales quarryman.  Return to your accommodations.  B/L/D   Plas Tan y Bwlch

After breakfast, you will head north to explore spectacular North Wales and to visit one of the castles of the Princes of Gwynedd at Dolwyddelan (WHS) built to defend Wales from the invading forces of King Edward I of England. Continue your journey north to visit Gwydir Castle the ancestral home of the powerful Wynn family, decedents of the kings of Gwynedd.  The surviving building dates from c.1500.

Following a lunch of Welsh fare, enjoy a guided visit of picturesque Conwy Castle (WHS) & its walled town, once a bustling fishing port that still retains some of this character.  There will be time to explore the town, visit the quay where the smallest house in Britain can be found or walk the walls. Conwy is the best example in Europe of a walled town as it is the only town in Britain to retain its complete walls.

Conclude the day with a dinner at Deudraeth Castle on the Portmeirion estate.  B/L/D   Plas Tan y Bwlch

Today will be spent on the Isle of Anglesey, known in Welsh as Mon Man Cymru, the Mother of Wales, as it was this area that produced much of the produce that fed the early nation.  Visit the Beaumaris Gaol (Jail), Courthouse & its famous Castle (WHS). The Goal, built in 1829, was a house of correction for men and women, a cruel place indeed. Beaumaris Castle, the largest of the castles of Edward 1^st, was begun in 1295 with construction continuing until 1330. 

After lunch, spend the rest of the afternoon on Ynys Mon visiting various historical and nature sites, these may include a Neolithic Burial Chamber or National Nature Reserve.  The choice of sites visited will depend of the weather and the interests of the group.  On the return trip to your manor house accommodations, pass through the village of Beddgelert.  Dinner.  B/L/D   Plas Tan y Bwlch

Today's excursion in Snowdonia takes you to firstly along the Nant Gwynant Pass and then the Llanberis Pass skirting Snowdon.  The first visit of the day will be to the Welsh Slate Museum.  The workshops are laid out as if the workers have just left, although they have not been used for many many years.

Following lunch we continue onto Caernafon (WHS) for a self-guided tour of perhaps the most impressive of all the castles of Edward I in North Wales.  The castle stands on the banks of the Menai Straits and includes a museum of the Welsh Fusiliers.  On our return to we will visit the Lloyd George Museum in Llanystumdwy, memorializing the famous wartime British leader. Following dinner, enjoy some Welsh entertainment with music by an award-winning harpist.  B/L/D   Plas Tan y Bwlch

Your last day in South Wales begins with a visit to the Outdoor Museum of Welsh Folk Life at St Fagans.  St. Fagans is one of Europe’s foremost open-air museums, presenting the life and culture of Wales in 100 acres of parkland.  The museum includes a bakery, village shop, Celtic village tannery, a Victorian school, a series of progressively furnished workers’ homes, and much more.  The craft workshops have a working woolen and flour mill, a blacksmith’s forge, and saddlers’, copper, and wood turners’ workshops.  Packed lunch will be provided for you to take in one of the many picnic areas within the grounds of the museum.

Drive to Tredegar House, which some say is the most significant late 17^th c. building in Britain.  It is mainly constructed of brickwork, with a medieval wing of stone, we will have lively and entertaining tour of the house, which includes the magnificent State Rooms, the elegant family apartments and the intriguing warren of rooms "below stairs."  Later visit the remains of the Caerleon Roman Fort, with impressive remains of the fortress baths, amphitheater, barracks, and fortress walls.  The site of the 50 acre Roman legionary fortress of Isca, this was the permanent base of the Second Augustan Legion in Britain from about A.D. 75.

Enjoy a farewell dinner this evening with a chance to reflect on the history and culture of Wales.  B/L/D   The Vale Hotel, Golf and Spa Resort (4-star)

After breakfast have a morning departure from Cardiff for London's Heathrow Airport and your return flight to the US.