South Wales Travel Video Guide

South Wales Travel Itinerary

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The most heavily populated, and by far the most anglicized, part of Wales is the south . This is a region of distinct character, whether in the resurgent seaport cities of Cardiff and Swansea, the mining-scarred Valleys or the beauty of the Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire coasts. Unlike the rest of Wales, transport connections are fast and frequent, making this region by far the easiest Welsh stop for those on a limited itinerary.

Monmouthshire, the easternmost county in Wales, abuts the English border and contains the full span of south Welsh life, from the bucolic charms of the River Wye and Tintern Abbey , to Newport , Wales's third largest conurbation, near the remains of an extensive Roman settlement at Caerleon . West and north are the world-famous Valleys . Although all but one of the coal mines have closed, the area is still one of tight-knit towns, with a rich working-class heritage that displays itself in some excellent museums and colliery tours, such as Big Pit at Blaenafon and the Rhondda Heritage Park in Trehafod. The valleys course down to the great ports of the coast, which once shipped Wales's products all over the world. The greatest of them all was Cardiff , now Wales's upbeat capital and an essential stop. Further west is Wales's second city, Swansea - rougher, tougher and less anglicized than the capital. It sits on an impressive arc of coast that shelves round to the delightful Gower Peninsula , one of the country's favourite playgrounds that juts out into the sea like a mini-Wales of grand beaches, rocky headlands, bracken heaths and ruined castles.

Too many people rush from here straight to the coastal national park of Pembrokeshire, missing out Carmarthenshire . Of all the routes that spoke out of the county town of Carmarthen , the most glorious is the winding road to Llandeilo along the Tywi Valley , past ruined hilltop forts and two of the country's finest gardens. Immediately west sits Wales's most impressively sited castle at Carreg Cennen , high up on the dizzy rock plug of the Black Mountain.

The wide sands fringing Carmarthen Bay stretch towards

the popular seaside resort of Tenby , a major stop on the 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path . The rutted coastline of St Bride's Bay is the most glorious part of the coastal walk, which leads north to brush past the impeccable mini-city of St David's , whose exquisite cathedral shelters in its own protective hollow. Nearby are plenty of opportunities for spectacular coast and hill walks, dinghy crossings to local islands and numerous other outdoor activities.

Your Tips For South Wales

• North Wales Travel Videos
  Wales Travel Itinerary
  With the advent of the A55 dual carriageway across the width of North Wales , the region has become considerably more accessible in recent times. - Wales
  

• Mid-Wales Travel Videos
  Wales Travel Itinerary
  Mid-Wales is a huge, beautiful region, crisscrossed by breathtaking mountain passes, dotted with characterful little towns and never far from water - whether sparkling rivers, great lakes or the sea of the Cambrian coast. - Wales
  

• South Wales Travel Videos
  Wales Travel Itinerary
  The most heavily populated, and by far the most anglicized, part of Wales is the south . - Wales