Quick links to page sections:

Vale of Glamorgan • includes Penarth, Cowbridge and Llantwit Major

Caerphilly • includes Caerphilly Castle

Rhondda Cynon Taff • includes Pontypridd and the Rhondda Valley

Merthyr Tydfil • includes links to the Brecon Beacons

Bridgend • includes Porthcawl

Newport • includes Caerleon and The Celtic Manor Resort


Vale of Glamorgan

Vale of Glamorgan County Council website
Civic Offices, Holton Road, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. CF63 4RU • Tel (01446) 700111
Situated to the south-west of Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan is a combination of small ancient market towns, open countryside and beaches. The major towns are Penarth with its victorian pier, Barry with its 'Holiday Island', historic Cowbridge and Llantwit Major. Website is rather temperamental!!

Tourist Information Centres website
Penarth Pier, The Esplanade, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan. CF64 3AU • Tel (029) 2070 8849
The Promenade, The Triangle, Barry Island, Vale of Glamorgan. CF62 5TQ • Tel (01446) 747171
The friendly and welcoming staff offer independent advice with the planning of travel itinaries and the booking of accommodation. The centre is full of information on places to visit in the region.

Llantwit Major Beach good beach guide
The beach is at the end of a valley, and has rock strata with pebbles and sand. It is backed by cliffs.


Caerphilly

Caerphilly County Borough Council website
Nelson Road, Tredomen, Hengoed, Ystrad Mynach. CF82 7WF • Tel (01443) 815588
In the heart of South Wales, just a few miles from Cardiff in the south and the Brecon Beacons in the north, a warm Welsh welcome awaits visitors to Caerphilly county borough. Spanning thousands of years, the history of Caerphilly county borough can be seen from every corner of the region. You will probably have heard of Caerphilly Castle, one of the great Medieval Castles of Western Europe and Caerphilly's famous Cheese but there are many other attractions for you to visit. So if you are staying for an hour, a day, a week or more there are places for you to see and activities for you do.

Caerphilly Tourist Information Centre website
Twyn Square, Caerphilly. CF83 1JL • Tel (029) 2088 0011
The friendly and welcoming staff at Caerphilly Visitor Centre are on hand to ensure that you get the very most from your visit to the area. They offer independent advice with the planning of travel itinaries and the booking of accommodation. The centre is full of information on places to visit in the region and also houses an impressive gift shop showcasing locally made quality crafts.

Caerphilly Castle website
Caerphilly. CF83 1JD • Tel (029) 2088 3143
One of the largest medieval fortresses in Britain, begun in 1268 by the Anglo-Norman marcher lord, Gilbert de Clare. Concentrically planned, the rings of stone and water defences are formidable even today. Famous for its 'leaning tower'. Impressive great hall, now used for various functions.


Rhondda Cynon Taff

Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council website
The Pavilions, Cambrian Park, Clydach Vale, Tonypandy. CF40 2XX • Tel (01443) 424124
Following the River Taff from Cardiff brings you into the new county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff. From the old market town of Pontypridd to the old coal mines of the Rhonnda, the area mixes past industrial greatness with breathtaking scenery.

Pontypridd Tourist Information Centre website
Bridge Street, Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff. CF37 4PE • Tel (01443) 490748
The friendly and welcoming staff offer independent advice with the planning of travel itinaries and the booking of accommodation. The centre is full of information on places to visit in the region.

Rhondda Heritage Park website
Lewis Merthyr Colliery, Trehafod, Rhondda Cynon Taff. CF37 7NP • Tel (01443) 682036
Rhondda Heritage Park shows how coal mining was an integral part of Welsh heritage and culture. It does this in a way which is informative, educational and above all fun. A great day out for all the family.

Fforest Uchaf Pit Pony Sanctuary website
Maendy Road, Penycoedcae, Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff. CF37 1PS • Tel (01443) 480327
The farm is a working small holding and home to the Fforest Uchaf Horse and Pony Rehabilitation Centre, a registered charity in Wales, providing tender loving care for horses and ponies in need. The Centre has ponies of all shapes and sizes; many came from a background of misery and mistreatment. However, the life on the high pastures soon has their physical condition improved.

Heritage Park Hotel 3* Hotel • website • (Copies of Key to the City™ available here)
Coedcae Road, Trehafod, Rhondda Cynon Taff. CF37 2NP • Tel (01443) 687057
Set in the famous and beautiful Rhondda Valley, adjacent to the Heritage Park Centre & Museum, the hotel is an ideal base from which to explore South Wales. The Brecon Beacons National Park, and Cardiff, are only twenty minutes by car.


Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council website
Civic Centre, Castle Street, Merthyr Tydfil. CF47 8AN • Tel (01685) 725000
The beautiful and dramatic countryside around Merthyr Tydfil is the perfect setting for a wide range of activities and attractions. Days out for all the family can be spent in the local forests and hills at sites such as the Taff Fechan Nature Reserve, Gethin Woodland Park, Garwnant Forest or at one of the many attractions including: Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery; Joseph Parry's cottage; Brecon Mountain Railway or the International Indoor Climbing Centre at Taff Bargoed.

Merthyr Tydfil Information Centre website
14a Glebeland Street, Merthyr Tydfil. CF47 8AU • Tel (01685) 379884
The friendly and welcoming staff offer independent advice with the planning of travel itinaries and the booking of accommodation. The centre is full of information on places to visit in the region.

Cyfarthfa Castle, Museum and Art Gallery website
Merthyr Tydfil • Tel (01685) 723112
The 'Ironmaster' William Crawshay commissioned Cyfarthfa Castle in 1824. This grand castellated mansion overlooked his immensely successful ironworks and has been called, "the most impressive monument of the Industrial Iron Age in South Wales". At the Castle you can admire the extensive fine and decorative art collections, stroll through the atmospheric social and industrial history galleries, which chart the rise of this once great ironmaking town and learn about Richard Trevithick's Penydarren Locomotive of 1804, the first locomotive to pull a load along rails. Enjoy the elegant surroundings of this interesting museum and once family home, set in beautiful parkland, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Brecon Beacons National Park website • attractions • accommodation
The Brecon Beacons National Park contains some of the most spectacular and distinctive upland formations in southern Britain. Situated amongst hills and mountains, the Park covers an area of 1347 sq km (520 sq miles). Stretching from Hay on Wye in the east to Llandeilo in the west, it incorporates the Black Mountains, the Central Beacons and Fforest Fawr as well as moorland, forests, valleys, waterfalls, lakes, caves and gorges. The National Park Authority looks after the Park, helps the public to enjoy and understand it, and works with local communities towards a sustainable future.


Bridgend

Bridgend County Borough Council website
Science Park, Innovation Centre, Bridgend. CF31 3NA • Tel (01656) 672928
This beautiful area of the South Wales coast is packed with attractions providing all the right ingredients for a great holiday. It is perfect for families, with miles of golden, sandy beaches for the kids to enjoy. Outdoor enthusiasts will find miles of magnificent coastline, breathtaking mountain scenery and idyllic country parks just waiting to be explored. Add to this ancient castles, picture-postcard villages and fascinating heritage attractions and you have the ideal holiday with something new and exciting to do every day you are here.

Tourist Information Centres website
McArthur Glen Designer Outlet Village, The Derwen, Bridgend. CF32 9SU • Tel (01656) 654906
Old Police Station, John Street, Porthcawl, Bridgend. CF36 3DT • Tel (01656) 786639
The friendly and welcoming staff offer independent advice with the planning of travel itinaries and the booking of accommodation. The centre is full of information on places to visit in the region.

Rest Bay - Porthcawl good beach guide
A firm, golden, sandy beach backed by low cliffs and The Royal Porthcawl Golf Course. It faces south west and receives the full force of the Atlantic swells, which produces excellent surf.


Newport

Newport City Council website
Civic Centre, Newport. NP20 4UR • Tel (01633) 656656
Newport is Wales' newest city, given this status during the Queen's Golden Jubilee Year of 2002. As well as the city, worth a mention is one of Britain’s most fascinating Roman site, Caerleon, and one of the area's most important historical houses, Tredegar House. Newport is also home to one of the largest complexes of championship golf courses in Europe, the Celtic Manor Resort, which will host the Ryder Cup in 2010.

Tourist Information Centres website
Museum & Art Gallery, John Frost Square, Newport. NP20 1PA • Tel (01633) 842962
5 High Street, Caerleon, Newport. NP18 1AE • Tel (01633) 422656
The friendly and welcoming staff offer independent advice with the planning of travel itinaries and the booking of accommodation. The centre is full of information on places to visit in the region.

Caerleon Amphitheatre, Barracks & Baths website
High Street, Caerleon, Newport. NP18 1AE • Tel (01633) 422518
The site of the 50-acre Roman legionary fortress of Isca, the permanent base of the Second Augustan Legion in Britain from about A.D. 75. Impressive remains of the fortress baths, amphitheatre, barracks and fortress wall.

Roman Legionary Museum website
High Street, Caerleon, Newport. NP18 1AE • Tel (01633) 423134
Almost 2000 years ago, the Roman Empire dominated the civilised world. Britain was its furthest outpost and, in AD 75, a fortress was founded at Caerleon which would guard the region for over 200 years. Today, at the Roman Legionary Museum Caerleon, you will learn what made the Romans a formidable force.

Tredegar House website
Newport. NP10 8YW • Tel (01633) 815880
Set in a beautiful 90 acre park, Tredegar House is one of the best examples of a 17th century Charles II mansion in Britain. The earliest surviving part of the building dates back to the early 1500’s. Visitors can discover what life was like for those who lived above and below stairs by touring the impressive state rooms and the intriguing servants’ quarters.

Monmouthshire Canal and Fourteen Locks Visitor Centre website • canal trust
High Cross, Newport. NP10 9GN • Tel (01633) 894802
Located just outside Newport, on the road to Risca alongside the Monmouthshire Canal is the Fourteen Locks Canal Visitor Centre. Visitors can trace the growth and decline of the Canal and its role in transporting commodities such as coal, iron, limestone and bricks from the South Wales valleys to the ports of Newport and Cardiff.

The Celtic Manor Hotel & Resort • website
Coldra Woods, Newport. NP18 1HQ • Tel (01633) 413000
Set in 1400 acres of parkland in the beautiful Usk Valley, the Celtic Manor Hotel has four hundred luxury guest rooms and 32 magnificent suites. It also has three championship golf courses, is home to the Wales Open and is the venue of the 2010 Ryder Cup.