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of Wales : A Brief Guide to Wales As two young Americans wrote, after visiting this country, "We found the Welsh people warm and friendly, the landscape beautiful, yet somehow mysterious."
Wales is a country bursting with a wealth of history, culture, customs and language. A holiday in Wales enables visitors to enjoy a tremendous diversity of activities in a forever changing land and seascape. It has a vitality and excitement, and yet, just around the corner, there is that peace and tranquillity - a stillness to be enjoyed. There is so much to see and do, with so little time, and Wales with its riches, waits, wondering where you have been all these years!
With its soft green valleys and hills, rugged mountains, rivers, lakes and golden beaches, Wales is a land of contrasts. It has a language of its own, which is older than either French, or German and thrives as a living language; a mother tongue. In West and North Wales the population is predominantly Welsh speaking but with different dialects.
In the county of Pembrokeshire English has been the main language since Norman times. A ring of castles was built around the county, to keep out the 'warring' Welsh, whilst people from England were brought in to populate and farm the hinterland; isolating the Welsh language in this area. With this in mind, it's interesting to hear the Pembrokeshire accent that results from the influence of those past inhabitants. The county is also known as 'Little England beyond Wales'.
Into this melting pot, add the cities, market towns, cathedrals and churches, with many dating back to pre-Norman times, the industrial heritage sites, the new 'high tech' industries, the re-vitalised ports that have become leisure orientated, these are some of the ingredients that make Wales what it is today.
Having travelled to every town, city and many villages throughout Wales also known as the Principality, I have experienced the jewel-like facets of the country and its people, the varied land and seascapes, the language and the stories about our beautiful land.
The Romans were the first recorded invaders and made bases at Caerleon, Cardiff and Carmarthen, plus other towns and ports on the strategic route, along the coastal plains of South Wales and a number of major routes through Mid and West Wales. The 'gold' route was from Pumsaint in Carmarthenshire where the Dolaucothy goldmines are situated (on the A482 Lampeter to Llanwrda road) to Llandovery, Brecon, Abergavenny and eastwards to Gloucester Cirencester and beyond.
When the Normans invaded, much the same happened. Wales was never totally subjugated by the Romans or the Normans, with the exception of the coastal plains of South Wales, the county of Pembrokeshire, and strategic parts of the coast from north to south. The castles controlled the rivers and estuaries, which were the main lines of communication for trade and military control. The Normans had the richest agricultural land, so food was relatively easy to obtain and control, but at a cost. The number of castles built by the Normans, and later on the English, is an indication of the turbulent history of this nation, in fact there are more castles in Wales, than in the whole of Europe. A ring of castles was built around Pembrokeshire, to keep out the 'warring' Welsh, and people from England were brought in to populate and farm the hinterland, hence the isolation of the Welsh language in this area.
Regarding the Roman occupation of the country, there is an old story about a cohort of Roman soldiers, marching somewhere in Wales . From a hill-top, one of the local population shouted, "One Welshman can take on five Romans." The Centurion said to one of his men, "Send ten of your troop to take that man." The ten Roman soldiers climbed the hill to where the Welshman had shouted at them. They went out of sight of the rest of the cohort, but the sound of shouting, screaming and the clash of metal could be heard below. A silence followed, until the same Welshman appeared again and shouted, "One Welshman can take on ten Romans." The Centurion, exasperated, then said, "Take twenty men up there; I want that Welshman brought back alive." The twenty Roman soldiers went up the hill and again disappeared from view. There followed a tremendous sound of battle, screaming, shouting and the crashing sound of swords and shields. After a while, the soldiers below saw a lone legionnaire coming down the hillside, covered in blood and desperate to escape to safety. He shouted to the Centurion, "Don't send any more men, it's a trap; there are three Welshmen up there!"
During the troubled times, when Britain and France were at war, Welsh archers filled the ranks of the British armies. They were highly regarded as a disciplined fighting force and the French experienced this, to their cost, at the battles of Agincourt and Crecy when Welsh directed arrows, rained down on the French aristocratic knights. The immense and sustained fire power, of the Welsh archers, contributed to the defeat of the French armies.
Prior to visiting South Wales people sometimes perceive this part of the Principality as being an area dominated, and indeed blighted, by heavy industry. Earlier in the last century, this may have been partly true; coal and steel were the principal activities, employing tens of thousands of people.
Coal, from the hundreds of mines in the South Wales valleys, was exported to most of the industrialised nations around the globe. Cardiff closely followed by the neighbouring ports of Penarth, Barry and Swansea was the largest coal exporting port in the world.
Today, the noise of thousands of coal wagons and dockside hoists, loading ships bound for distant shores has ceased. A few small, privately owned, drift mines still produce coal, and also a large 'deep mine' - Tower Colliery, at Hirwaun, owned by the mineworkers. They successfully work the rich anthracite seams in this large mine to extract the 'black gold' beneath the famous Rhondda valleys.
Steel was produced at a number of centres in South Wales - Merthyr Tydfil, one of the oldest steel producing towns in Britain, Ebbw Vale, Newport, Cardiff, Port Talbot, Neath, Swansea and Llanelli. Steel is now produced only at the giant Port Talbot plant, with iron ore being unloaded from huge ore carriers at the plant's deep-water berth. Port Talbot is acknowledged as being one of the most efficient producers of steel in the world.
During the early 1800s, there was a religious revival and a huge growth in Methodist and Baptist chapels. During the early 1900s, the strength of the churches and chapels, combined with the close-knit communities, and the camaraderie of men who were working together in the heavy, and sometimes dangerous, industries of coal and steel, saw the emergence of male choirs. Some of these have become world-famous; the Treorchy, Morriston Orpheous, and Pendyrus Male Choirs.
South Wales now enjoys much more of a mixed modern economy, being a thriving centre for electronics, information technology, call centres, food and drink, auto components, chemicals and materials. The Welsh Assembly, Wales's ruling body, is located at Cardiff Bay; the Government Office of National Statistics is based at Newport; and a number of head offices for national and international, financial and service industries are also located in the area.
In some respects, Wales has been a well-kept secret. My wife and myself were hosting an American lady some years ago. During her visit, here at Penarth, she wanted to visit Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset and also to meet up with some American friends who were also visiting the UK. When we met these young Americans, they said that they were going on to other parts of the UK from Glastonbury. I asked them if they had thought of visiting Wales. With a questioning look on his face one of them replied, "Wales ... where is Wales, should we be going to Wales?" When we told them why they should visit the country, they changed their plans and came to Wales the following day.
During the first few days of their stay we introduced them to Penarth, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. After this they ventured out to the Gower Peninsula and, with limited time, continued their journey of discovery to other delightful places; Carmarthen Haverfordwest, St. David's and the cathedral. Because this part of their visit to the UK was for only a short period of time, there were many other places that they were unable to see - Wales is a bigger country than many people realise. They wrote to us, on their return to New York stating how much they had enjoyed their unexpected visit to Wales; their final remark is recorded above in the opening sentence.
The topography and geology of Wales is full of contrasts. Many of the beaches are outstanding, in terms of water quality, with clean golden sands, suited to swimming, surfing or just plain lazing. The coastline and the Welsh countryside compare admirably with any worldwide; the National Park areas of the Pembrokeshire coast, the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia. Harbours and marinas abound with sailing ships and motor cruisers, whilst the rivers and estuaries offer excellent boating and fishing opportunities. The hills and mountains are magnificent, offering panoramic views of rivers, lakes and streams running through peaceful valleys; ideal for walkers and climbers. There are many first class golf courses throughout the Principality such as Celtic Manor, St. Pierre, The Glamorgan Golf Club, and Royal Porthcawl.
Welsh cuisine offers a variety of local and traditional recipes for good eating and there is a cosmopolitan selection of food from restaurants run by people from many countries.
Wales is approximately 2½ hours from London, 1 hour from Birmingham, and 45 minutes from Manchester, by road; so what are you waiting for? Wales is so near and yet, a world away.
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