1 Family Highlightsof Wales

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Since our childhoods Wales has been the place for classic familyholidays, offering windswept beaches and sandy sandwiches,

castles and green hillsides. It still offers all those things, but now it’salso the home of television’s regenerated Doctor Who, with youngstersclamouring to see the Daleks in the exhibition at Cardiff ’s hip newCardiff Bay development. It is also a place parents will recognise fromthe dark and decidedly adult alien-fighting TV hit Torchwood – aDoctor Who spin-off. There are major new attractions, a host of historicrail journeys, and the biggest natural attraction in England or Wales –Mount Snowdon. It’s a place we love to take our own children.

Family holidays in Wales have a retro joyfulness, open spaces,mountains, rivers and coastal walks, Thermos flasks and ginger bis-cuits. But, should you choose to do so, you can stop for a cappuccino,shop for hip surfing gear and visit hi-tech hands-on attractions.

Hopefully, there will always be parts of Wales that are far enoughfrom the crowds to provide a natural antidote to the rigours of astressful modern life. There’s still a delightful Famous Five feel toexploring distant bays, climbing sand dunes and poking around inrock pools. Holiday resorts still look like they’ve been lifted straightfrom the 1950s. Yet peek behind the lace curtains and discerning par-ents will find smart and trendy hotels that welcome children withmore than a hastily-scrawled sign.

It’s not hard to find restaurants that revel in local produce, and takepride in providing youngsters with more than chicken nuggets andketchup. There are also family pubs that really are family places –smoke-free and cheery without having the feel of a playbarn.

Don’t, though, think that Wales is simply a quiet backwater. Theholiday resorts of north Wales – Rhyl and Llandudno – are awashwith people in high season, and the masses of smart holiday cottagesin Pembrokeshire down south generally get booked up months inadvance. Lanes leading to picturesque beaches (or at least to the cliffpaths to picturesque beaches) reach gridlock – and far too much ofthe coast is covered in a sea of past-their-sell-by-date caravan parks.

But forget any thoughts that a family holiday here is a poor rela-tion to a week on the Costas. Our children, Georgia and Henry, at thetime of writing 10 and 7, have been here more times than they cancount and loved every minute – whether staying in the luxury of theItalianate resort Portmeirion or sleeping in the roof of a camper van;in a cosy B&B or in a tent at one of the green and pleasant new breedof camping and caravan sites.

Every day is an adventure, filled with splashing in the surf on abalmy summer’s day, eating creamy Welsh-made ice creams, and play-ing beach cricket, barbecuing juicy local lamb burgers, creepingthrough the dark tunnels of abandoned mines, climbing mountainsand generally enjoying the great outdoors.

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It can still be a place for a cheap holiday, and you can have a greattime on even the tightest budget if you take a tent (or brave the bleakregimentation of a caravan park). But it is also a place to splash out onsmart accommodation and fun

Wales has all the attractions of Europe’s lakes and mountains desti-nations, places that families cheerfully get on a plane to visit at greatexpense – so why not stay in Wales?

essence of Wales, coal-mining-turned-tourism, man-made in the very biggest sense, with thechance to go underground wear-ing helmet lamps.

Best Natural AttractionsSnowdon, obviously, but theBrecon Beacons and the BlackMountains are also a treat. On amore focused level, HenrhydFalls (p 98) and other waterfallsin the Beacons are stunning, andthe National Showcaves (p 97)are eerily beautiful.

Best Beaches Where do youstart? Almost any beach on theGower Peninsula – especiallyThree Cliffs Bay – althoughPembrokeshire is our family’sfavourite part of Wales with the

WALES FAMILYHIGHLIGHTS

Best Experiences We love thevariety of experiences that Waleshas to offer, from the city life ofCardiff (p 21), to the wonderfulbeaches of the west coast (p 120),to the awesome splendour ofSnowdon and the BreconBeacons (p 219 and p 91).

Best Man-made AttractionsDr Who Up Close (p 31) inCardiff ’s Bay is a favourite of chil-dren and adults alike, with anever-updated, changing collectionof memorabilia, from outfits tofull-size talking Daleks andCybermen. The Big Pit (p 66), inthe valleys north of Cardiff, is the

View over Cardiff Bay

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wildly beautiful Marloes Sands(p 137), the desert island feel ofBarafundle Bay (p 132), or themiles of wide open sand atNewgale (p 138), and the seasideresort sands of Tenby (p 128).Neighbouring Cardiganshire(Ceredigion) is also a delight,especially Mwnt, near Cardigan(p 161) or the sands and dunesat Ynyslas north of Borth, justacross the river from Aberdyfi,which itself has an unusuallylovely estuary beach. Thenthere’s the crescent beach atAbersoch (p 00) on the LlynPeninsula, and uncrowded sandycoves further west.

Best Resorts Tenby (p 128) isthe main resort town in the south,which along with its villagey-harbour neighbour Saundersfootoffers a near-perfect blend ofbeaches and town life. New Quay(p 164) on the west coast issmaller, combining seaside funwith sea-faring adventures. AndBarmouth (p 228), on the edge of

the Snowdonia National Park, hasquietly become a favourite ofours. The small but lively townhas a long beach and a backdropof mountains.

Best Outdoor ActivitiesWalking stretches of thePembrokeshire Coastal Path(p 123) can be fun for parentswith teenagers or energeticyoungsters – try heading up onto the cliffs at Stackpole (callingat Barafundle Bay), or walkingaround Dinas Head, nearFishguard. In fact, just about anyseaside spot you visit will havethe path meandering through.The National Mountain Centreat Capel Curig (p 00), offersmountain fun of the organisedvariety, including children’s andfamily taster days – one ofdozens of activity centres aroundthe country.

Best Watery ActivitiesCardigan Bay Active (p 145) is aloose collective of enthusiastictypes who organise everythingfrom delightfully peaceful tripsthrough Cilgerran Gorge, justsouth of Cardigan, to sea kayak-ing and coasteering (climbingand splashing your way alongthe coast).

Best Boat Ride The DolphinSurvey Ship from New Quay(p 164), Cardiganshire, takesyou to look for dolphins andother creatures. VentureJet (p 147) operates from outside St David’s, Pembrokeshire, withhair-raising jaunts to look forsealife, darting into caves in jet-propelled dinghys.

Seaside spades, New Quay

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Best Castles Caerphilly (p 46)is one of Europe’s biggest, and isjust what every youngster thinksa castle should be – battlements,towers, arrow slits – all thatstuff. However, perhaps morefascinating to both young andold are the magical faux castlesbuilt on old foundations for coalbaron Lord Bute. Cardiff Castle(p 27) in the city centre andCastell Coch (p 41) in the hillsoutside, are magical fantasylands of ornately painted rooms,exquisite craftsmanship andextravagant style, like a crossbetween Harry Potter and TheLord of the Rings, while CastleCoch – with its circular, roofedtowers – has a touch of ChittyChitty Bang Bang thrown in.

Best Museums The NationalMuseum of Wales (p 30) inCardiff is of international qualitywith art, dinosaurs and muchmore. The National SlateMuseum (p 221) in old slatequarry buildings in Llanberiswas a surprising hit with us, andSt Fagans: National History

Museum (p 42) near Cardiff, issuperb, too.

Best Family Events Cardiff hasregular events in Roald DahlPlass, outside the MillenniumCentre on the Bay, such asCardiff Harbour Festival inAugust. Food festivals alsoabound, with Abergavenny oneof the biggest (p 95). All –including Cardigan (p 158) withits riverside setting – includefamily entertainment.

THE BESTACCOMMODATION

Most Family-friendly OptionThe Porth Tocyn Country Hotelon the cliffs above Abersoch (p 211) on the Llyn Peninsuladoes it with style. Family-run,you feel like you’re part of a bigcountry house party, childrenrunning around the meadowsoutside then sitting down to theirown dinner, with adults dininglater (along with outsiders in the

Pembrokeshire Coastal Path

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know) in a restaurant that’s beenin the Good Food Guide for years.

Best City Hotel We stayed atthe cool, modern Hilton (p 47)opposite Cardiff Castle and nowthe children whoop the nameand want to stay whenever wepass a Hilton sign. The stylishrooms, stainless steel swimmingpool and Razzi restaurant (withactivity sets and free qualitymeals for youngsters eating withhotel guests) went down a storm.It has a perfect position, too.

Best Grand Hotel Portmeirionis an Italianate folly (star of TV’sThe Prisoner) just outsidePorthmadog. There’s the hotelitself and a number of rooms andapartments in fantastical build-ings around the ‘village’, which isenclosed, safe, and somewhereour children adored for simplybeing a brilliant place to stay.

Best Self-catering These arethe places that companies such asEnglish Country Cottages offer –

not just cottages but historicfarmhouses and country piles,sleeping anything from parentswith a baby to a multi-generationfamily get-together.

Best Setting It has to bePortmeirion again.

Best Camp Site It’s difficult tochoose the best camp site becausemuch depends on how full it is –particularly at weekends. But,during the week, Hillend CampSite on the Gower Peninsula (p 89) is as close to the beach atRhossili Bay as you can get – yetsheltered by huge sand dunesand with family-only fields, playarea and café.

Best Boutique Hotel Escape inLlandudno looks as trad as itssurroundings, yet beyond thegardens and white façade is adeliciously-modern B&B. Thereare PlayStations in rooms alongwith posh TVs (and sea andmountain views) They take chil-dren from age 10.

Portmeirion

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Best Budget AccommodationWe really are fans of YouthHostels. They’re often in spotsthat money couldn’t buy and we(and the children) love the free-dom they offer. Port Eynon YH,a former lifeboat station on theGower Peninsula (p 89), is quitesensational.

Best Extended FamilyAccommodation Feel like lordsof the manor at Tros Yr Afon, astone manor house near therocky shoreline of the MenaiStrait in Anglesey. The mainbuilding sleeps 16, plus two.Then converted cottages andstables in the courtyard takeanother nine. Beaches aboundand the charms of the town ofBeaumaris are just a stroll away.

THE BEST EATING

Most Child-friendlyRestaurant Castle Deudraeth atPortmeirion. The brasserie-stylerestaurant is big and airy, withlots of youngsters wanderingabout. The picture windowsopen on to a large lawn withviews of the sea where theyplayed happily. Children’s foodwas both tasty and attractive –Georgia’s grilled chicken withchips was something we’d havegladly eaten ourselves.

Best Seafood Hive on the Quayin Aberaeron serves crab, lobster,grilled mackerel and otherdelights from Cardigan Bay in anold wharf building in one of thecoast’s most delightful towns.

Best Budget Nosh Pete’s Eats,a kind of hippy hikers cafe inLlanberis, where those who’vewalked Snowdon have tuckedinto huge meals for 30 years. It’swhere mixed grill eaters meetbrown rice lovers – and chil-dren’s meals cost less than £2.50.Open for dinner – and wine’s£6.70 a bottle.

Best Ice Cream There are anynumber of swish ice cream makers in Wales, but we all loveCadwalader’s, available at themaker’s growing chain of cafeswhere you can also get sand-wiches, coffee – and alcoholic icecream cocktails. Ices come ineverything from chocolate todragon’s breath (don’t ask!) and,should you visit at the righttime, Christmas pudding. Theone at Cardiff Bay is great forgrabbing a cornet, the one inPortmeirion fun for people-watching, and the brand newone at the original 1927 shop inCriccieth best for sea views,across Tremadog Bay.

CYCLING

This is the place. There aremore than 1,000 miles of cycletrails in Wales that are part of the10,000-mile National CycleNetwork throughout the UK.Whether you want to cruise withtots along the Promenade at Rhylor put in serious training on theslopes of Snowdon, there’s some-thing to suit every family. Abouta third of the trails are off-road –more generally meaning that

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they’re on paths or old railwaytracks rather than being seriousmountain biking for experts. Anddespite the mountains, many areflat and safe for even the youngestcyclist, deep in the country andreturning softly to their startingpoint.

For the more fit and adventur-ous there’s the 377-mile CelticTrail from Chepstow on theEnglish border to Fishguard onthe Pembrokeshire coast. Well,perhaps more realistically youcould try part of it, which is howit’s designed. The MillenniumCoastal Path near Llanelli, on thesouth coast, translates into a 12-mile seaview dream loop. To thewest, the Camarthen–Fishguardloop is 146 miles of spectacular –but hilly – scenery.

Bike hire shops are suspris-ingly in evidence in most areasof Wales. For full details visit theNational Cycle Network siteswww.sustrans.org.uk, or www.cycling.visitwales.com.

GOLF

Wales has gone golf madsince winning the right to hostthe 2010 Ryder Cup, at theCeltic Manor Resort nearNewport, Gwent. Its 200 coursesare experiencing a boom, whichmight mean crowds but alsomeans top facilities, as well as a

drive to encourage youngsters totake up the game. The GolfFoundation works towardsimproving standards in schools,and attitudes are more relaxedtowards children at many clubs.The Celtic Manor, a luxury resortfor all the family, offers junior golftuition, including coaching weeksduring school holidays. If it’s justdad or mum who wants to play,there are courses across the coun-try that are ideal for slipping offfor a few hours while the rest ofthe family hits the beach or arange of other attractions. Visitwww.golfasitshouldbe.com.

FISHING

Nowhere is better for a bit offather and son (or daughter)bonding than Wales, whereyou’ve got an unrivalled collec-tion of rivers, reservoirs, lakesand sea. You can fish for hugepike in the ancient waters ofLake Bala in SnowdoniaNational Park, or huge sea bassat many locations around thecoast. Charter boats take you offPembrokeshire where you canbag a shark, or you can findtrout in the River Usk in theBlack Mountains. There aremore than 500 lakes in Waleswith dozens of rivers and charterboats in almost every port. Seewww.fishing.visitwales.com.

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