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Cardiff |
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Breacon Beacons National Park |
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Tintern Abbey (near Chepstow) – Tintern Abbey
brings to mind all those gushy words like sublime. And it is. Tintern Abbey,
a Cistercian Abbey founded in 1131, grew up, bustled, fell into decline,
and in the late 18th century, it was picked up by the Romantic painters
and poets. JMW Turner's watercolor of the abbey shows the ruin overgrown
with ivy, light streaming in from the windows and roof. Today when you visit
Tintern Abbey, the ivy is gone, but the ruins positively glow in the late
afternoon sunlight. There's more than just the church to explore, kids can
also see the ruins of the kitchen, refectory, infirmary, dormitory and chapter
house. |
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Chepstow Castle (Chepstow) – Chepstow Castle is neither Welsh
nor English, but Norman (quasi French). Construction on this castle began
only a year after 1066 and is wonderfully situated above the cliffs on
the River Wye. The castle has a marvelous Great Hall, where you can just
conjure up all those sumptuous feasts. |
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Caerphilly Castle (Caerphilly) – Caerphilly might
mean cheese, but this is a castle on a large scale, 30 acres, and military
architecture meant to impress. Roman soldiers were the first to spot this
advantageous location, then the Normans, and in the 13th century an Anglo-Norman
baron really beefed up the castle to keep out those rebellious Welsh. And
it was a mighty fortress, with outer and inner moats, making the usual siege
techniques impossible. Don't miss the model of the castle. |
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Roman Legionary Museum (Caerleon) – The Romans
made it all the way out to the tip of North Wales, and here in Caerleon,
their fortress guarded the region for 200 years. Learn about the life of
a legionary solider, dress up in a replica suit of Roman armor, run around
the amphitheater where gladiators fought to the death. According to legend,
in later times the mound over the amphitheater was believed to be Arthur's
Knights of the Round Table. |
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Rhondda Heritage Park (near Pontypridd) – Rhondda
was once one of the big coal mines, where the search for "Black Gold" was
big business. Go for a tour underground to find out about the life of a
coal miner, check out the mining museum and multimedia exhibition, and children's
play area. |
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The Vale of Neath and the Arfan Valley near Port Talbot has a several places to stretch your legs and enjoy
the lovely woodland scenery. If you're looking for a picnic spot, Gnoll
County Park (Neath) has lakes, waterfalls, children's play area and
nature trails. Afan Argoed Countryside Park has miles and miles of
trails and forest walks, with bikes to rent or pony trekking too. Margam Country Park, close to Port Talbot, has Fairytale Land,
children's play area, a maze, Thomas the Tank engine train ride, boating
and 850 acres of parklands. |
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 Neath
Canal – Take a canal boat ride, through the locks, to the Upper
Neath Valley to Aberpergwm, or from the center of Neath, just take a stroll
along the Neath Canal towpath to Aberdulais. |
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Aberdulais
Falls – A National Trust Site, this is the place to see a really
big water wheel (the largest in Great Britain), still generating electricity.
The waterfall is also spectacular, and from the Turbine House, you can see
the special fish pass (how would you like to jump through a waterwheel). |
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Big Pit (Blaenafon) – For a hundred years the
Big Pit in Blaenafon was a major center of coal mining, steel and iron production.
Put on a hard hat with miner's lamp to ride down the shaft in the pit cage
to walk through the underground tunnels of this coal mine. Your tour guide
will be a miner or engineer (5 years and older to take the tour.) |
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Raglan Castle (Raglan, near Monmouth) – This castle
is a Tudor newcomer (15th century) and is in great shape. If you like the
classic, fairy tale castle with moat and turreted towers, this is it. In
its heyday, it was a social center, filled with the fashionable nabobs dining
for hours in the huge banqueting room. |
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Before
you check out the glorious ruins of Tintern Abbey, find out what
it was like to live in a monastery in the Middle Ages – getting
up at 2am for prayers, eating in silence, illuminating manuscripts
(monks) or embroidering vestments (nuns), building the abbey church.
Wonderful historical illustrations. Good for older kids. (Chapter
book, illustrations)
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Castle (Eyewitness Books)
Christopher Gravett, Geoff Dann
Essential
guide to castles – history, defenses and weapons, castle as
a prison, great hall, chapel, kitchen (including photos of feast
dishes), with info about Caerphilly Castle. Detailed photographs,
medieval artifacts and models of castles. (Picture book)
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Take
a trip back in time to 1240, similar in time to Chepstow Castle,
where you can see castle building, daily life inside the keep, feasts
and holidays, shopping in town, meet fictional lords and ladies,
knights and serfs. Fun cartoon-style graphics. (Picture book)
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(More children's
books on other Wales pages) |
