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WALES, THE LAND OF SONG Wales - derived from the Saxon word for foreigner. It was to these hills that England original Celtic inhabitants retreated before the conquering Roman, Saxon and Norman armies. Where 'foreigners' established their Celtic redoubt and preserved their culture. It is here that you find the living heart of the modern Welsh culture. The hills are alive; both with singing and the second oldest language spoken in Europe. But, despite the 'retreat' and preservation of an ancient culture, made possible by the protection of the magnificent mountains, the invader left his tell tale sign in castles, settlement and industry. On this tour you'll see the fantastic scenery of the Snowdon National Park and the most impressive range of 12th Century castles of anywhere in the British Isles. You'll enjoy a heritage coastline, a steam train ride into the mountains, see Cardiff the capital city and the fantastic National Folk Museum of Wales. You'll see fabulous industrial heritage of the Rhondda. We'll show you prehistoric tombs, Roman remains, walled cities, the Valley of Kings, beautiful gardens and hear a Welsh Male Voice Choir. All in all, a simply perfect holiday in a simply perfect country! This Land of Song departure is a combination of our shorter Red Dragon tour of South Wales and our Wales Mountains & Lakes tour of North Wales. DEPARTURE DATES & PRICES FOR YEAR 2008
Tour Code Depart Manchester Return London LS Saturday Saturday LOS 01 19 Apr 26 Apr LOS 02 03 May 10 May LOS 03 17 May 24 May LOS 04 31 May 07 Jun LOS 05 14 Jun 21 Jun LOS 06 28 Jun 05 Jul LOS 07 12 Jul 19 Jul LOS 08 26 Jul 02 Aug LOS 09 09 Aug 16 Aug LOS 10 23 Aug 30 Aug LOS 11 06 Sep 13 Sep LOS 12 20 Sep 27 Sep LOS 13 04 Oct 11 Oct Cost: $2099 USD per person in a twin share room. Single $2229 USD single occupancy What your tour price includes: Your accommodation for 7 nights while on the tour including both full breakfasts and most dinners. Your price also includes all entrance fees to attractions, transportation, services of driver/guide-companion and all taxes and tips other than those you may wish to give your guide. Airport transfers and accommodation pre and post tour is not included but can be reserved at a specially discounted price.
TENTATIVE ITINERARY Day One - Saturday We depart central Manchester at 08.30. En route to North Wales we stop to collect tour participants at Chester who are combining this tour with our previous three day Peaks Tour. We'll enjoy a tour of the Roman walled town of Chester with its cathedral and medieval shopping 'rows' before continuing to Llandudno. Llandudno is an elegant Victorian seaside resort. The pier with its pier-end theatre, the wide, flower-filled promenade, the imposing Victorian buildings that face the sea and the covered shopping streets are all reminiscent of a bygone age. The town also boasts a funicular railway that takes us to the top of the Great Orme where we'll get splendid views of the Snowdonia we have set our to explore. We follow the coast a short distance to our second walled city of the day at Conwy. This wall was erected in the 12th century by Norman conquerors and with the massive castle dominating one corner, it makes this harbour town one of the most interesting in the UK. We'll find what claims to be Britain's smallest house, as well as an impressively restored mediaeval one. Climbing the turrets of one of Edward I's most imposing fortresses will not be forgotten in a hurry! ACCOMMODATION: Conwy
Day Two - Sunday Today, we explore the heart of Snowdonia. This National Park is one of dominating peaks (the highest in England and Wales), narrow mountain passes, flowing stream, cascading waterfalls, sheep-covered uplands and verdant, hidden valleys. It has been claimed that these secluded valleys were home to the real King Arthur. Certainly an ancient Welsh culture and language still thrives here today. We'll explore it in true Back-Roads fashion taking you beyond the regular tourist haunts downs tracks and paths that will have you gasping! Our day will also include a visit to the great slate mine at Blaenau Ffestiniog, or copper mine at Sygun, a steam train journey through the mountains on a half-gage railway, a woollen mill, Harlech and the Llewyn Peninsular. ACCOMMODATION: Conwy
Day Three - Monday Following an obligatory visit to Caernarfon, we continue to the isle of Anglesey, crossing the Menai Straits by Thomas Telford's famed suspension bridge - a wonder of the age of the industrial revolution. This ancient and mystic island offers an astounding wealth of attractions including prehistoric burial chambers and monuments, Celtic and Viking settlements, fabulous flora and forna, and the village with the World's longest name - There's the fabulously pretty harbour of Beaumaris with its Victorian gaol (it has the only working tread-mill wheel in Britain), a magnificent 12th Century Norman castle, and a Roman Army museum, in addition to a 900 year old pub! The island's geography is a natural haven for birds, with its wildly contrasting variety of sheer cliffs, sheltered coves, estuaries, dunes, heaths, wetlands, lakes and woodlands. Along the coast you will discover major breeding colonies of puffins, guillemots, razorbills, terns and cormorants - among many other species. Spring and summer turn the Isle of Anglesey into a giant rock garden, carpeted with flowers of every hue. Seal colonies are a common sight on the rockier stretches of the coastline, whilst dolphins can sometimes be glimpsed from shore. We'll spend the full day exploring this unique corner of the British Isles. ACCOMMODATION: Conwy
Day Four - Tuesday Garden lovers are in for a treat this morning with a visit to Bodnant gardens. Quoting from their own website, it's 'one of the most beautiful gardens in the UK, spanning some 80 acres and is situated above the River Conwy on ground sloping towards the west and looking across the valley towards the Snowdonia range. The garden has two parts. The upper garden around Bodnant Hall consists of the terraced gardens and informal lawns shaded by trees. The lower portion, known as the "Dell" is formed by the valley of the River Hiraethlyn and contains the Wild garden. This afternoon we drive via lake Bala to Llangollen. From the canal wharf you embark on either a horse drawn boat trip along the feeder for the main canal, or a motorised aqueduct cruise which takes you across the famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct built by Thomas Telford. It's an unforgettable way to complete our North Wales explorer. Some tour participants may leave at this point but those continuing with our Land of Song tour will travelling south by train from Crewe (16.30) to arrive in Newport South Wales (approx 19.30,) where they will be met by our local representative. A light dinner is included tonight. ACCOMMODATION: South Wales
Day Five - Wednesday After a leisurely start exploring the local village and seeing life on the working farm on which we are based for the next three nights, you will be met by your tour guide at approximately 10.30. Our quaint local village throws up some surprises, like evidence of a 17th century Tsunami that hit this area, and the village stocks - which at least no longer house local criminals! Your next major sightseeing of the day is at the ancient town of Chepstow. Some new tour participants may join us at this time. This attractive town is dominated by a huge 13th century castle. Climbing the battlements and gazing over the surrounding countryside is something you'll not forget in a hurry! Chepstow also boasts a Stuart Crystal outlet and some other interesting shopping. Our next stop is at the romantic Tintern Abbey (inspiration for one of William Wordsworth's loveliest poems). Then to see the fallen walls of the once mighty Roman city of Caerwent, reputed by some to be the home of the great King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. ACCOMMODATION: South Wales
Day Six - Thursday The civic centre of the Welsh capital - Cardiff - is magnificent by world standards. It will be the showpiece of a panoramic city tour (which will also feature the Millennium Stadium, formally known as the Arms Park, Mecca for the millions of Rugby Football fans worldwide). On then to the superb cathedral at Llandaff before arriving at the open-air Museum of Welsh Life in the nearby village of St Fagans. This fascinating mirror of hundreds of years of Welsh life embraces dozens of authentic buildings, removed from all corners of the country and painstakingly and faithfully rebuilt and refurbished here. Houses, churches and chapels, a mill, bakery, pubs and even a school, have been wonderfully preserved. This afternoon we explore the verdant Vale of Glamorgan, choosing from the market town where Sir Anthony Hopkins went to school, the Valley of Kings where the wizard Merlin was schooled, rugged coastline where smugglers lured ships to the rocks, and we'll cross a river by 13th century stepping stones. ACCOMMODATION: South Wales
Day Seven - Friday According to our accommodation stop, today will either begin or end in the once grey and hard world of a Welsh mining valley, now transformed, but a time so memorably captured in the great novel of industrial Wales, 'How Green Was My Valley'. We'll climb the rim of the saucer of the coal-seam bearing, Rhigos Mountain to view the sole surviving deep Welsh coal mine and the breathtaking scenery of the Brecon Beacons, our next calling point. 'There'll be a welcome in these hillsides' sing the Welsh. The market town of Brecon could be our lunch stop (where there's an interesting military museum ), or perhaps Wales's oldest inn, used by the infamous 'Hanging Judge' Jefferies as a court room. We'll also view the remote and atmospheric ruins of Llantony Priory and a historic 'hidden' rural church. Depending on time, we'll also be visiting Abergaveny and its cattle market or the historic town of Monmouth, well-known to Admiral Nelson, Mr Rolls of Rolls Royce and Henry V. As with all Back-Roads Touring Co. Ltd tours, tour participants will be able have an input into what we visit as we'll make allowance for weather conditions, local festivals and individual interests. ACCOMMODATION: South Wales
Day Eight - Saturday On our way back to London we'll visit the mysterious ancient standing stones of Avebury and the amazing Silbury Hill. But this will only be after a final memorable morning in Roman Wales. The now small village of Caerleon was named after the camp of the Roman Legions - perhaps up to 6000 Roman legionaries were based here almost 2000 years ago. The imposing remains of that camp remain and can be visited and include the barracks, the only complete amphitheatre in Britain, the Roman baths, and the remains of a Roman port. We'll take our leave of the land of the Red Dragon, crossing the river Severn in a most unusual fashion before heading east and experiencing a spectacular exit from Wales. Our drive back to London sees us passing through some of England's timeless West country scenery and we'll arrive back into London in the late afternoon. ACCOMMODATION: London (not included but available for a supplemental fee.)
This tour is operated by Back-Roads Touring Co Ltd |
