Along the Cambrian Way

Cardiff to the South Wales Valleys. Visit The Black Gold Experience at A Welsh Coal Mining Experience, Rhondda Heritage Park recalls the days when the ‘home of coal’ fuelled the Industrial Revolution. Guided underground tours and interactive displays at the former Lewis Merthyr Colliery re-create the harsh, heroic world of the Welsh miner.

Iron, not coal, was the industry of choice at Merthyr Tydfil. Cyfarthfa Castle, a 19th century mansion built by an all-powerful ironmaster, is now a museum and art gallery with diverse collections that include a replica of the world’s first steam locomotive and the work of two Merthyr-born fashion icons, Laura Ashley and Julien McDonald.

Tonight stay in Merthyr Tydfil, one of the most historically fascinating and beautiful regions of Wales

Overnight: Merthyr Tydfil

Explore the Brecon Beacons National Park

Explore the Beacons the easy way on the narrow-gauge Brecon Mountain Railway. Restored steam locomotives run from Merthyr’s northern outskirts to the foothills of South Wales’ highest summits, a return journey of 9 miles/14km.

Heading northward to the Brecon Beacons National Park an area of panoramic views, exhilarating walks, local information and a tasty tea room.

The Beacons’ wide, open spaces are made for horse riding and pony trekking. Cantref Adventure Farm near Brecon offers a variety of treks, including a half-day Brecon Beacons Explorer.

Overnight: Llandrindod Wells

Welsh Royal Crystal at Rhayader is Wales’ only hand-crafted crystal glass maker. See master craftspeople demonstrating their centuries-old skills on a workshop tour before visiting the shop, stocked with crystal pieces all individually mouth-blown and hand-cut.

Rhayader is on the doorstep of the Elan Valley lakes, a string of reservoirs created over 100 years ago. Follow the scenic mountain road that threads through these lovely lakelands..

The narrow, snaking Cwmystwyth mountain road takes you to Devil’s Bridge. The legendary medieval ‘Bridge of the Evil Man’ is hidden away in a deep, wooded gorge, accessible by a steep footpath.

Overnight: Machynlleth

Visit the Corris Craft Centre north of Machynlleth. The nine craft studios specialise in everything from jewellery to pottery, handmade chocolates to exceptional artisan gin from the Dyfi Distillery (three medals won at the 2020 World Gin Awards, including Best Welsh Dry Gin

Stop at Cross Foxes (its welcoming bar and grill is a modern take on the traditional coaching inn). Beyond Dolgellau, the forest gives way to open, rugged moorland and mountain. At Trawsfynydd there’s a poignant memorial to Wales’ World War One poet, Hedd Wynn, who was killed in the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.

Visit Plas Brondanw Gardens near the village of Garreg. Along with Italianate Portmeirion the gardens were the creation of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. His talent for working with landscape reached a high point here, ‘drawing its beauties into the heart of the garden’.

Overnight: Betws-y-Coed

Llanrwst, the historic ‘capital’ of the Conwy Valley, was once the domain of the influential Wynn family. Their ancestral home, Gwydir Castle, is a grand Tudor courtyard mansion with a palpable period atmosphere – and, apparently, quite a few ghosts.

Stop off at Trefriw Woollen Mills, a long-established working mill that manufactures Welsh tapestries and tweeds. Visit the mill museum before browsing the well-stocked shop.

The tour ends in Llandudno, the largest resort area on the North Coast. Take Great Orme Tramway as it climbs 1500m up the Great Orme. You can change trams at the Halfway Station to continue your journey to the summit of the mountain. The views from the top are breath-taking. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Isle of Man, Blackpool and the Lake District! The Victorian tram cars have been lovingly restored over the years. So when you travel on the Great Orme Tramway, you can experience travel as it was 100 years ago

End of Tour