Wales
From World travel guide
| Flag | |
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Cardiff |
| Government | Constitutional monarchy |
| Currency | Pound Sterling (£) |
| Time zone | WET (UTC; UTC+1 in summer) |
| Area | total:20,779 km² water: 1.9% |
| Population | 2,903,085 (2001) |
| Language | English, Welsh |
| Religion | |
| Country Calling Code | +44 |
| Internet TLD | .uk |
Wales (Welsh, Cymru) is one of the countries that make up the United Kingdom. Rich in history and natural beauty, Wales has a culture distinct from the rest of the UK. Travellers are attracted to Wales because of its beautiful landscape, the wide open spaces of its stunning national parks and the wealth of history and culture.
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Regions
Due to the central mountain range, Wales is culturally and economically divided into three regions:
- Mid Wales - a mountainous region with a coastal area facing the Irish Sea
- North Wales - several holiday destinations along the coast, but primarily a rural area.
- South Wales - Wales' main centers of population are established along the South Wales coast.
Cities
Below is a list of Wales' largest urban areas. Other cities and towns are listed under their specific regional sections.
- Cardiff - the capital of Wales and largest urban area.
- Newport - the third largest city in Wales.
- Swansea - Wales' city by the sea and second largest urban area.
Other destinations
These are some of Wales's most famous destinations outside the major cities. For other places of interest, check under specific regional sections.
- Brecon Beacons National Park (Mid Wales) - spectacular mountain scenery and castles.
- Caernarfon Castle (North Wales) - one of Wales' best preserved castles.
- Gower Peninsula (South Wales) - UK's first designated area of outstanding natural beauty - under the jurisdiction of the City of Swansea.
- Pembrokeshire National Park (South Wales) - stunning coastal scenery.
- Snowdonia Mountains (North Wales) - national park covering Wales' highest mountain.
- Tenby (South Wales) - medieval walled town and elegant seaside resort.
Understand
Wales was once an independent, though rarely unified nation, but after King Edward I defeated Llywelyn the Last in 1282, the nation fell under the jurisdiction of England. However, Wales remains a bastion of Celtic culture and the Welsh language continues to be widely spoken to this day, especially in rural areas. Over the centuries, there have been minor revolts aimed at gaining independence, but generally Wales has accepted its position as a member of the UK, and indeed the first in the line of the 15th and 16th century Tudor monarchs who ruled both England and Wales as a united country, Henry VII, was Welsh, as was the early 20th century prime minister David Lloyd George. In 1999, the first elected National Assembly for Wales, sitting in Cardiff, devolved minor law making powers to Wales and gave the nation certain rights for local decision making.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, south east Wales was mainly dominated by coal mining and steel production, while the rest of the principality was devoted to agriculture. Outside of that, the ports of Cardiff and Swansea had established themselves as commercial centers, offering banking, shopping and insurance facilities, and there were pockets of fun-fair type tourist resorts on the north coast at places such a Rhyl and Llandudno.
In recent years, coal mining has ceased and heavy industry declined. However, Wales' stunning mountainous and coastal scenery has lent itself to tourism developing as a major alternative source of revenue for the region. Furthermore, throughout the transformation, both Cardiff and Swansea have retained their rankings as centers of commerce, while at the same time attracting many cutting-edge, high-tech industries to their areas. A blue class super computer installed at Swansea University is enhancing Wales' standing in this respect.
Talk
Wales has its own language, Welsh (Welsh: Cymraeg), which is spoken by some 21% of the population (thought this varies geographically, from under 7% in Gwent to over 61% in Gwynedd). Additionally, according to Census 2001, some 39% of all 10-15 year olds can speak, read and write Welsh. Although there are several Welsh-language television and radio channels, English is still the main language spoken in Wales - very few people can only speak Welsh.
Sleep
Wales is very tourist-friendly, so finding hotel accommodation or a place to pitch a tent should not be a problem. However, you might need to make prior reservations during the summer season in tourist areas such as Llandudno, Llangollen, Rhyl, Swansea/Mumbles and Tenby.
Eat
Wales is not famous for its cuisine, but there are a few speciality dishes that you might like to try:
- Welsh Rarebit - a melted cheese dish, often spiced with ale and herbs and served on toasted bread.
- Laver bread (pronounced "lar-ver") is not, as the name implies, bread, but a specially-prepared purée made from sea-weed. If you know Japanese cooking, it's the same kind used to make nori. It is generally rolled into small cakes mixed with oatmeal and served at breakfast alongside bacon rashers. This dish is only available in Swansea and places west and can be purchased raw at Swansea market.
Get in
Immigration and visa requirements
Wales has the same immigrationa and visa requirements as the rest of the UK.
- Citizens of the European Union do not require a visa, and have permanent residency and working rights in the UK. Citizens of the Republic of Ireland have additional rights allowing them to vote in elections.
- Citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland also have permanent residency rights, but may require a work permit in some circumstances.
- Citizens of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States do not require a visa for visits under 6 months.
- Most other countries will require a visa, which can be obtained from the nearest British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate.
- The UK also operates a Working Holidaymaker Scheme for citizens of the Commonwealth of Nations, and British dependent territories. This allows residency in the UK for up to 2 years, with limited working rights.
For more information of UK Immigration and visa requirements, see the UK's Home Office website
By air
The main airport is Cardiff International Airport, located nine miles south of the city. This is the only major airport in Wales, and is served by the following airlines.
- Air Wales operates services to Aberdeen, Dublin, Liverpool, Newcastle, Norwich, and Plymouth
- bmibaby operates domestic services to Edinburgh, Glasgow (Prestwick Airport), Jersey and international services to Alicante, Cork, Faro, Malaga, Mallorca, Paris and Prague.
- KLM operates a daily service to Amsterdam
- Ryanair operates a daily service to Dublin
- Zoom operates a seasonal summer service to Toronto.
There are regular bus services from the centre to the airport. Alternatively, you can also get to the airport using a bus service from Barry Station, which is closer to the airport and on local rail lines.
By car
South Wales enjoys good motorway connections with the rest of the UK
- The M4 links London with Bristol, and via the Severn (toll) Bridge, Newport, Cardiff, Swansea, and Carmarthen
- The M50 links the Midlands with South Wales
North Wales has no motorway connections. However there are still good road connections with the rest of the UK
- The A5, followed by the M54 after Shrewsbury, to London and the Midlands takes you through the spectacular Snowdonia National Park
- The island of Anglesey is along the A55 road along the North Wales coast. If you are approaching from the south try the A5 that takes you through the mountains of North Wales.
By train
- South Wales - Main line rail services connect south Wales (especially Newport, Cardiff and Swansea) with all parts of the UK, via Virgin Trains (to Birmingham and the North East, including Scotland), Central Trains (to the Midlands), Arriva Trains Wales and First Great Western (to London Paddington).
- North Wales - Connections to Birmingham New Street and Manchester are provided by Arriva Trains Wales.
- Arriva Trains also run the famous Heart of Wales Line from Swansea to Shrewsbury.
See National Rail's website for train timetables, or The TrainLine's website for tickets.
By motorbus
National Express operates coach services around the UK including to and from many parts of Wales.
By boat
A regular ferry service operates between Holyhead, the main port in Anglesey off the coast of North Wales and Dublin. The service is operated by Stenaline and bookings can be made through their website. Swansea-Cork Ferries operate six sailings a week between Swansea and Cork in Ireland, with a reduced schedule in autumn and winter. Inquires:456116.
Get Around
- Arriva Trains Wales operates most local rail services in Wales.
- Arriva operates a large amount of bus services in North Wales.
- First Cymru operates services in South West Wales
- Stagecoach operates services in South Wales
Contact
See Contact entry under United Kingdom for national information on telephone, internet and postal services.
See Contact entries under individual cities for local information.
External links
- Official Wales Tourist Board
- Welsh Historic Monuments
- Castles of Wales - non-profit web guide of Wales' 641 (!) castles
- Wales Tourist Information
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