Wales
With a fascinating history, compelling culture and beautiful scenery ranging from the jagged mountains of Snowdonia and the rolling hills of the Welsh Borders to the rugged coastline of Pembrokeshire, Wales offers some of the best walking in Britain. Our walking holidays in Wales includes the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, Glyndŵr's Way, Wye Valley Walk, Isle of Anglesey Coast Path, Dee Way,Three Castles Walk, Usk Valley Walk and Offa's Dyke Path, a superb coast to coast walk through the border country of England and Wales.
Here are our favourite walking holidays in Wales:
Offa’s Dyke Path - South to North / North to South
During the 8th century, King Offa of Mercia ordered a great dyke to be built, stretching from sea to sea, to mark the western boundary of his kingdom with Wales. In places it is still visible as a bank up to 25 feet high with a deep ditch alongside. Beginning at Chepstow on the Severn Estuary, Offa's Dyke Path follows the course of this ancient earthwork to Prestatyn on the coast of North Wales.
Pembrokeshire Coast Path - North to South / South to North
This magnificent trail between the villages of St Dogmael's in the north and Amroth in the south follows the coastline of the Pembrokeshire National Park through some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in Britain. For much of the time the path keeps to the clifftops, providing superb views of the cliffs, beaches and offshore stacks and islands with their abundant birdlife.
Ever since the 18th century, when it was 'discovered' by artists, writers and poets like Turner, Coleridge and Wordsworth, the Wye has been described as the most beautiful river in Wales. This delightful trail follows the Wye from its source on the slopes of Plynlimon in mid-Wales to Chepstow, where the waters of the river empty into the Severn Estuary.
In the early 15th Century, Owain Glyndŵr led an audacious, but ultimately ill-fated rebellion against English rule. This superb walk through some of the finest scenery in Wales visits many of the sites connected with his campaign for an independent Welsh nation.
The Usk Valley Walk follows the River Usk upstream from Caerleon, just north of Newport, to Brecon. Never straying very far from the river, this easy walk follows field, woodland and riverside paths, forest tracks and the towpath of the Monmouth and Brecon Canal through an unspoilt landscape of rolling hills, patchwork fields and woodland.
Ceredigion Coast Path - South to North / North to South
The Ceredigion Coast Path stretches from Cardigan to Ynys-las along a coastline famous for its wild beauty. Highlights of the trail include the amazing views of the Pembrokeshire coast, Cardigan Bay and the mountains of Snowdonia; the seabirds, butterflies and wildflowers; the pretty settlements of Llangrannog, Aberaeron and Aber-arth; and the fantastically contorted strata of the cliff faces.
For four centuries following the conquest of 1066, the Normans sought to subdue the rebellious Welsh, building castles as they pushed further west into Wales. The Three Castles Walk is a short circular trail through a lovely patchwork of low hills and hidden valleys, linking the ‘Trilateral' of Skenfrith, Grosmont and White Castles.
Anglesey (Ynys Môn) lies off the coast of North Wales, separated from the mainland by the treacherous waters of the Menai Strait. The Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path encircles this enchanting island, taking in sweeping sandy beaches, expansive dunes, tidal estuaries, rocky headlands and towering sea cliffs.
The River Dee or Afon Dyfrdwy is one of the most beautiful rivers in Wales. The Dee Way traces the river upstream from Flint Castle on the shores of the Dee Estuary to the bustling little town of Bala on the edge of Llyn Tegid. Along the way it takes in many sites of historic interest including Flint Castle; Chester Castle, Cathedral and Roman remains and the Shropshire Union Canal.
