Auf dieser herrlichen 4-taegigen Tour zeigen wir Ihnen die schoensten Seiten des walisischen Sűdens, während sie gleichzeitig einen Blick auf das “West Country”, den Sűdwesten Englands, erhaschen. Dies ist genau die richtige Tour fűr all diejenigen, die wirklich entlang der “Back Roads” auf Entdeckerpfaden wandeln wollen. Die Grösse unserer Reisegruppen ist beschänkt auf maximal 11 Personen. Sie reisen in einem bequemen Minibus und űbernachten in traditionell walisischen “Farmhouses”, Weingűtern oder altehrwűrdigen Herrenhäusern. Entdecken sie die märchenhafte Geschichte von Sűd Wales, genießen sie die traumhafte Landschaft und lernen Sie die einheimische Bevölkerung ein wenig kennen.

• Click here to work out prices in other currencies http://www.xe.com/ucc/
• For what is included/excluded in your tour price, see Tour Inclusion
• This tour combines well with our In Search of King Arthur tour (Dorset, Devon & Cornwall)
• We can also operate the tour for private groups departing on any day of the week throughout the year. Please, contact us for details info@backroadstouring.co.uk

• Clients should wait by the concierge desk.
• We can collect you from your individual hotel if you are not at one above but this attracts a supplementary cost of £25 (per party) for a central London hotel. Please, ask for prices for collection from non centrally located hotels. info@backroadstouring.co.uk
• Return drop-off are to any central London hotel.

TENTATIVE ITINERARY

NIGHTSTOP

Day One - Wednesday

Leaving London early, we shake off the city dust using the M40 freeway to speed our journey to wonderful Wales. Our route will give us a glimpse of the the beautiful English Cotswolds as we head for the Royal Forest of Dean, bordering Wales, and the stunning Wye Valley, with a lunch stop beside the river Wye. What better introduction to Wales, "Land of Song", than the imposing 12th century Norman castle of Chepstow Chepstow Castle. and the romantic Tintern Abbey (inspiration for one of William Wordsworth's loveliest poems). If there's time we'll also 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.

Our accommodation is at a 17th century working Welsh Farmhouse, imposing country manor or vineyard depending on the time of year.

Day Two - 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.

South Wales

Day Three - 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.

South Wales

Day Four - 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.

London – not included in tour

© As we publish full tour descriptions, you may find others offering our unique itineraries.  But, just as you find when others sing the songs of Paul McCartney, they're often not quite as good as when sung by the original composer!