All About Wales and the Welsh

After breakfast continue your tour of Cardiff and explore the newly developed area around the old Cardiff Docks, now home to the Welsh Parliament, The Wales Millennium Centre and the Norwegian Church Arts Centre, together known as Cardiff Bay. Continue  your journey into the rapidly redeveloping and historic South Wales coalfields area known as "The Valleys". A highlight will be a visit to the Blaenavon World Heritage Site comprising of ancient Ironworks and a Welsh coal mine and those who wish can journey underground in the company of retired miners.  Overnight stay in Cardiff.

OK, Chester is in England I know but it is a wonderful small city, with a great selection of well priced group friendly hotels. Relax this morning exploring the city's Roman heritage and take a short cruise around the city. In the afternoon a short journey brings us back in to Wales to see the stunning Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.  A navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen in north east Wales. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure is for use by narrowboats and was completed in 1805 having taken ten years to design and build. Visit Llangollen and enjoy a short horse-drawn canal boat journey with just the noise of the lapping waves and steady clip-clopping of hooves. This evening, an opportunity to hear a Male Voice Choir sing, either in a rehearsal, a public or private recital. Overnight stay in Chester.

This morning follow the north Wales Coast and pause to visit the small walled market town of Conwy. The town has the smallest house in Britain (1.8 metres wide) and is dominated by Conwy Castle that was built by Edward I during his conquest of Wales between 1283 and 1287. Continue to the Victorian era seaside resort of Llandudno. The best way to appreciate the town is by travelling by tramway to the summit of the nearby headland known as The Great Orme - the tram cars travel on normal roads before heading up into the countryside.  Free time to explore the historic pier and find out the town's association and links to Alice in Wonderland. Overnight stay in Llandudno.

Today journey for a full day in the Snowdonia National Park. Travel along the Conwy Valley and pause in the village of Trefriw, a former Roman spa village that was popular with the Victorians. Visit the water powered woollen mill, has been producing traditional Welsh bedspreads and tweeds for well over 150 years. Continue to Llanberis to visit the Victorian Era National Slate Museum before embarking on an unforgettable narrow gauge railway journey which, weather permitting, travels to the summit of Mt Snowdon.  Overnight stay in Llandudno.

After breakfast follow the North Wales coast and cross the Menai Straits to the island of Anglesey to visit the infamously named Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. The name means "St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the fierce whirlpool of St Tysilio of the red cave" in Welsh. Many people refer to it though as Llanfair PG for obvious reasons!! A short journey takes us along the coast to visit the stunning Italianate village of Portmeirion, which you will not believe is in Wales, and then to nearby Porthmadog. From here a stunning steam-powered journey on another of Wales's historic narrow-gauge railways through the National Park and join your motor coach at Blaenau Ffestiniog for the scenic journey back to Llandudno. Overnight stay in Llandudno.

From Llandudno to Manchester Airport is a journey of just over 2 hours, or the tour can be extended to Dublin as the dock for the quick sea crossing - only 1 hour from Llandudno.