Britain England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland select a region Mid Wales North Wales South Wales South West Wales

Wales, like its sisters, is administratively divided into counties. In Wales there are 22 counties, but for the purposes of this guide Wales has been divided into 4 areas:  

North Wales: Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Wrexham

Mid Wales: Ceredigion, Powys

South Wales: Bleanau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff,  Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath & Port Talbot, Newport, Rhondda, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan

South West Wales: Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire

Hover any of the areas and its title will be revealed, click the area and you will be taken to the relevant destination guide.

The relationship between England and Wales has never been entirely easy. The Saxon king Offa, impatient with constant demarcation disputes, constructed a dyke to seperate the two countries. This was more than 1000 years ago. Still today, a long-distance footpath running from near Chepstow in the south to Prestatyn in the north follows its route. During the reign of Edward I the last of the Welsh native princes was killed and Wales passed uneasily under English rule. Trouble flared again with the rebellion of Owain Glyndur in the 15th century, but finally, when the Welsh prince Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth to become king of England, he paved the way for the 1536 Act of Union, which joined the English and Welsh in restless but perpetual partnership.

Steady contact with England has watered down the indigenious Welsh culture. Bricked-up, decaying chapels stand as reminders of the days when Sunday services and chapel choirs were central to community life. Original Welsh music, poetry and dance are shown every summer at the International Music Eisteddfod Festivals in Llangollen. Nevertheless, the Welsh language is undergoing a revival and you will see it on bilingual road signs all over the country - but are most likely to hear it spoken in north and mid-Wales.

Much of the country, particularly the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains in the south and Snowdonia in the north, is relentlessly mountainous and offers wonderful walking and climbing terrain. Pembrokeshire to the west also boasts a spectacular rugged coastline, dotted with offshore island nature reserves. The biggest towns, including Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth and Caernarfon, cling to the coastal lowlands, but even there the mountains are no more than a bus ride away.

For the fans of Dylan Thomas, Laugharne is a must see. It houses the Dylan thomas museum. A visit to Laugharne can be combined with Tenby, a posh beach resort.