A day and night out in Cardiff – Wales

When you start a holiday, you’re always eager to see as many sights as you can, but if you get too excited, you end up seeing them all, and if you’re holidaying over the course of a week or fortnight, you find yourself bored with a few days still to go. Fortunately, when visiting Cardiff, you won’t have that problem.

Many people don’t have the time to go on a week-long break, but day and night breaks can be just as relaxing. You can take in plenty of sights, with time left to have a meal at one of the Welsh capital’s outstanding restaurants before retreating to one of those comfortable, welcoming Cardiff hotels for a great night’s sleep.

As you would expect from a capital city, Cardiff is jam packed with attractions. It has numerous parks, sporting and cultural venues, historical sites, top-class shops and eateries, all of which make the city a fantastic place to spend a weekend in.

The Millenium Stadium, the home of the Welsh national rugby union team, is one of Europe’s largest purpose-built sporting venues. As well as hosting top-class sporting events, the stadium also hosts concerts for rock and pop groups, plus the amazing Welsh National Opera.

Cardiff plays host to Wales’ National Museum and Art Gallery, which puts on various exhibitions with relevance to both the local area and the wider world. Admission is free, so if you’re holidaying with children, this is an ideal place for the whole family to visit.

Parks are plentiful in Cardiff, and if you’re looking for a peaceful weekend, then a stroll through Bute Park on the edge of the city centre, or Roath Park, which lies within its leafy suburbs could be the answer. Cardiff has more parkland per capita than any other major city in the UK, so you’re spoilt for choice.

Other attractions of note include St. David’s Hall, which is one of the country’s best concert halls, the magnificent Cardiff Castle and the inspiring St. David’s Cathedral. Shopping in Cardiff is a joy, particularly around precincts such as St. David’s, Royal Arcade and the Capitol Centre.

Once you’ve taken in all the sights, then why not cap off your day by having a meal at one of the many top-class restaurants in the breathtakingly modern Cardiff Bay area. Eateries such as Signor Valentino’s, Bosphorus Turkish Restaurant and Miller and Carter Restaurant and Bar offer flavours from South Wales and beyond, and are guaranteed to re-energise you after taking in all the sights of this wonderful, underrated city.

When you’ve finished your meal, then you’re able to retreat to a quality hotel such as the Ibis Hotel Cardiff Gate and sleep soundly in a freshly-made bed knowing that you’ve had the best day break imaginable, and if there’s anywhere you didn’t see, you can always come back for another trip.

Photo Credits: All photos by cardiffandco

More Things to see in Wales

Walking In Wales – 10 Easy And Inspirational Day Walks
Camping in sunshine and showers – on the Gower in Wales
A snowy break at Laswern Fawr holiday in the Brecon Beacons, Wales – video

My thanks for this sponsored post to Eurobookings.com, the European booking specialist

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

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Walking In Wales – 10 Easy And Inspirational Day Walks

As the weather warms up, this article from Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports will give you some great ideas for inspirational but not too demanding one day walks in beautiful Wales. Ready to ramble? Then choose one of these accessible and easy routes in Wales.

It’s fair to say that when you think of walks in Wales, imposing peaks, undulating hills and valleys and precarious coastal pathways spring to mind more readily than easy and accessible walking routes. Yet there are plenty of less challenging strolls to embark upon that will still enable you to enjoy the breathtaking countryside scenery – without turning you into some kind of reluctant extreme off road hiker. However, it’s still worth noting that the weather in Wales can sometimes be inclement (who’d have thought it!), so even if you consider the walk an ‘easy’ one make sure you have the right kit in case you’re caught in the rain or wind.

Here’s a selection to whet your appetite and make sure rambling’s on your mind…

1. Anglesey – St Beuno and St Cwyfan

These two circular walks – two and four miles respectively – are very flat and involve the coast path and Ffraw estuary, starting and ending at the village of Aberffraw.

2. Anglesey – Caer y Twr

An Iron Age hill fort on top of Holyhead mountain is accessible via a well-trodden track from the café car park. There are remains of the base of the tower, and the fort’s advantageous position makes it a site of ancient historical interest.

3. Snowdonia – Morfa Nefyn to Porth Dinllaen

Take in panoramic views of the peninsula on this mostly flat walk across all kinds of terrain, beginning with the beach. Keep your eyes peeled: you might even spot a few seals and porpoises…

4. Bangor – Llandegai Village

Strike out from Llandegai and head for the village of Llanllechid. Prepare to check out the Rhiw Goch hill fort and expansive vistas over the Menai Straits.

5. Dolgellau – Barmouth

There are a number of gentler strolls involving Barmouth, a historic town situated between the sea and the mountains at the South West corner of Snowdonia National Park. The Mawddach Estuary and Fairbourne & Barmouth Railway offer other accessible diversions.

6. Betws-y-Coed – Conwy

This short but sweet circular walk starts out at the Conwy Valley railway station, crosses to the Conwy Valley Rail Museum, then passes by St Michael’s Church, and continues sandwiched between the golf course and riverbank. Finally, you’ll come to a farm and a Motor Museum, of all things, before returning to the station car park.

7. Penbryn to Llangrannog – Ceredigion

Penbryn Beach to Llangrannog, nine miles from Cardigan Bay, is a coastal treat of a stroll along a wildlife-packed two-mile stretch. It also takes in the Castell Bach Iron Age fort, and rounds off in the village with its two pubs, shop and café.

8. Talacre – Clwyd

This two-hour beach and occasionally tarmac path route features superb wide-angle views, an atmospheric lighthouse, dune-bound yet flat terrain and an RSPB hide, plus easy opportunities to extend your walk. Beware the tide however…

9. Chirk Castle and the Ceiriog Valley, Wrexham

A beautiful river walk of around three hours, with varied scenery courtesy of the Ceiriog Valley (aka Little Switzerland). Plus there’s the National Trust-owned castle built in 1310 by King Edward I to explore.

10. Bosherston Lakes, Stackpole Estate, Pembrokeshire National Park

A haven for otters and other wildlife, the Stackpole Estate also has great accessible walking through woodland from the Stackpole Centre, around the picturesque Bosherston Lakes. More challenging circular routes radiate out from here to take in cliffs, beaches and bird colonies.

My thanks for this sponsored post to Ellis Brigham, who offer a full range of trekking and walking clothes and camping equipment online and in any one of their 25 stores. Pop in and see them for any of your walking kit needs.

Photo credits: Aberffraw by chrisbravotown, Mawddach estuary photo by Andy2580, Ceredigion coastline photo by Rikdom, and Talacre lighthouse photo by Eifion.

More inspiration from Wales

A fairy tale of camping in mid Wales
Camping in sunshine and showers on the Gower in Wales
A snowy break in the Brecon Beacons

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

How to find the perfect campsite for your family?

How do you find the perfect campsite for your family? If the responsibility for organising a family camping trip falls on your shoulders, you may be forgiven for thinking it’s a thankless task. Decisions, decisions – should you go for the full-on holiday-park campsite with all the facilities or choose somewhere smaller for that back-to-nature experience?

For one thing you can’t control the weather, yet if it pours the disappointed faces will be turned in your direction. If you experience some damp days you’ll wish that you’d booked that larger site with swimming pool, games room and some indoor space to shelter from the showers. On the other hand, if the weather’s glorious, there’s nothing better than pottering about in some unspoilt beauty spot with amazing views, far from any amenities or civilisation, as epitomised by the Tiny Campsite style of camping.

I think we found the perfect balance last year at Trericket Mill in Wales, when we booked a bunk-room for shelter, yet camped in the old orchard with ducks and chickens for company and went swimming in a deep plunge pool in the mountain stream that ran through the site. Should the weather have been really unkind we would have retired to the guest sitting room in the main mill house and ordered a home cooked vegetarian meal.

This year I thought I’d found a great combination in Bucklegrove campsite near Cheddar in Somerset. Only an hour from where we live in Bristol, it is easily accessible by public transport – useful when you have hoards of teenagers and only one car for transport. The famous Cheddar caves are just down the road and there’s glorious walking on the Mendip Hills. The campsite itself is a well-kept family-run place with spotless amenities and colourful hanging baskets everywhere. We found that we had the best of both worlds with a swimming pool, a small shop and a family bar where you can relax with a drink and the paper. If you don’t want to join the neat rows of mobile homes, caravans and large family tents in the main site, you can opt for the wilder option in the camping field next door with bags of space between the tents, room to play a game of cricket or two and a fabulous view of the Cheddar countryside.

But I think that my family’s tastes are erring on the wild side. When I asked my daughter whether she and her friends had enjoyed staying at the campsite she said yes, but the swimming pool had been rather packed with other children for their taste. Next year, perhaps we could find a campsite with a lake to swim in? The search for the perfect campsite goes on ….

Have you found you perfect campsite yet?

This was posted as part of Photo Friday hosted at Delicious Baby – do head on over to check out all the other Friday Photos

By the way, thanks so much to Onetravel.com for publishing my Guest post on the hill towns of Groznjan and Motovan in Istria, Croatia – do take a look.

Camping resources

Bucklegrove Caravan and Camping Park, Wells Road, Rodney Stoke, Cheddar, Somerset, BS27 3UZ, UK
Trericket Mill, Erwood, Builth Wells, Powys, LD2 3TQ, Wales, UK
Cheddar Caves and Gorge, Somerset

Other camping trips you’ll enjoy reading about

A Fairy Tale of camping in mid-Wales
Camping in sunshine and showers – on the Gower in Wales
10 Tiny campsites and eco-travel – interview with Dixe Wills – podcast

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Camping photoset

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

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