Wales Guide

Travel in Wales

The beauty of the Welsh landscape and mountains is breathtaking. However, it does also slow down the process of travelling around the country: although it is easy enough to travel from east to west, travelling from North to South proves to be much easier. Most of the time it is quicker to fly from top to bottom rather than try and drive. The air is also a great place to see the sheer scale of the Welsh national parks.

If you are travelling from North to South by car, allow for about 2 hours longer than it would take you to make the journey on the flat - the terrain means that roads slope and divert quite often, adding extra time to the journey. If you plan your route well, you can find yourself going through Snowdonia national park with its stunning mountainous vistas.

Mount Snowdon in Wales

If you want to travel by train, there is one high speed train a day between Holyhead and Cardiff, though the route is not a direct one - it goes through many villages in England. Other than that, you are best off travelling on the local trains, currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales which, despite being slow, go through some stunning scenery.

Things to see in Wales

The many National Parks and areas of Outstanding National Beauty are worth a visit - at least take time to appreciate the sheer beauty of these big mountains that slow your journey down. Even better, why not take a few days out and hike with a tent through the mountains?

The biggest of all mountains is of course Mount Snowdon, complete with a mountain railway that goes straight to the summit. Be aware that the weather can change rapidly and you should dress accordingly.

Llanberis, the village at the bottom of Mount Snowdon, also has other things to explore. One of these sites includes the mighty hydroelectric dam at Electric Mountain, from which it is possible to reboot the whole of the National Grid.

Top of the Snowdon Mountain railway

There are a wide range of heritage, mainly narrow gauge, railways scattered around Wales, especially to the North and West. These railways often date from the industrial revolution and were originally designed to carry mined minerals down the valley, from where they will be sold on. Nowadays, however, they are tourist attractions and offer a great day out - many of them are even relied upon for public transport. Many railways offer a discount ticket that gets you entry into other railways in the local area.