Wales Walk

Upon arrival at Manchester’s international airport, join the group transfer to our lodgings in north Wales near the Irish Sea. Gather for a welcome reception and dinner this evening in our elegant country house hotel.

Today we cross the Menai Strait to the Isle of Anglesey where we walk along the coast to the Penmon Priory. Pause for a picnic lunch before continuing to Beaumaris to explore the Menai Strait by sea, ending in Caernarfon.

We drive south through the heart of Snowdonia National Park with its incomparable mountain scenery. This was the home of Llywelyn the Great, the last prince of Wales, and the heartland of medieval Welsh identity. Our walk leads from the vast slate mines of Blaenau Ffestiniog down towards the Irish Sea. After lunch we continue to Portmeirion, a coastal village built a century ago in the Italianate style, where we spend the next two nights.

Walk this morning to Llanystumdwy, the boyhood home of Prime Minister David Lloyd George. After a visit to his birthplace, walk along the coast to the charming seaside resort town of Criccieth on Cardigan Bay. Return to Portmeirion for dinner.

Depart Portmeirion and travel south past the sacred mountain, Cadair Idris, to Dolgellau, once a gold mining center, and on to Tal-y-Llyn Lake. Our walk takes us past Castell y Bere, the impressive ruins of a stone fortress built by Llywelyn the Great in the 13th century. Continue on to Llangammarch Wells, where we spend two nights in a beautiful Victorian country house with lush gardens.

We walk today through sheep-filled valleys and pastures in the high hills, taking in the scenery of ribbon lakes and reservoirs.

Today we travel west to admire the Brecon Beacons mountain range and walk to Carreg Cennen Castle, which is dramatically situated on the western edge of the moors. After lunch, we continue to our boutique hotel located on a cliff overlooking Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

We focus today on St Davids, the home of the patron saint of Wales and one of the most stunning cathedral complexes. We begin with a walk along the lovely Pembrokeshire Coast before embarking on an exploration of the cathedral and, across the brook, the remains of the 14th-century Bishop’s Palace.

Travel east to explore the coastline around Laugharne, which was home and an important inspiration to Dylan Thomas, Wales’ best-known poet. Visit his boathouse overlooking the estuary, then drive to Brecon Beacons National Park. The open hills form a beautiful backdrop for our final country house hotel, situated on the River Wye in Brecon.

Depart our hotel on foot to explore the Wye Valley, making our way to Hay-on-Wye, home to a world-renowned literary festival and more secondhand bookshops than any other place in Britain.

Walk this morning to Tretower Castle, a 15th-century Norman castle and fortified manor house. After enjoying our final picnic lunch, return to our hotel. This evening, say hwyl fawr to fellow travelers at our farewell reception and dinner.

A group transfer is proved to London Heathrow Airport for outbound flights.