9 ways to unwind on a scenic trip to Wales
Take a relaxing trip to the charming country - a wonderful destination for art and history lovers, sociable foodies and those looking to unwind
With its breathtaking scenery, rich history, fine food, indulgent spas and so much more, Wales is a fantastic place for a short break from the hustle and bustle of the big smoke.
Better still, 2019 is the Year of Discovery in Wales – 12 months when the focus will be on encountering elements of this familiar friend with which you may not already be acquainted. Here are nine great ways to unwind in style…
Spend a weekend in the capital
Cardiff is a superb base for a Welsh mini-break. Start by travelling in time behind the walls of its history-steeped castle, pictured above, part of which dates back to the 11th century. You can enjoy an hour or three of high culture at the National Museum Cardiff, where the walls are festooned with works by the likes of Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh, as well as by Welsh landscape painters Richard Wilson and Thomas Jones. And there is plenty of opportunity for retail therapy in the modern mall that is the St David’s shopping centre, or amid the boutiques of the Royal, Morgan and Wyndham Arcades.
Eat good food, wherever you are
Wales serves a feast at every turn. If fine dining is your thing, you can sample Michelin-starred delights at RJS in Penarth (Cardiff Bay), where chef James Sommerin, above, holds court, and at Tyddyn Llan, at Llandrillo in Denbighshire. Here, husband-and-wife team Bryan and Susan Webb craft a menu that changes with the seasons. Equally, you can eat well and informally at many a food festival. Cowbridge Food & Drink Festival will salute local produce – vegan fare included – in the Vale of Glamorgan in late spring (26-27 May).
Be the star of the spa
If relaxation is high on your agenda, a Welsh spa break is for you – and there are relaxing retreats across the country. You might pick Bodysgallen Hall, below, a revered hideaway set in 200 acres of private parkland two miles outside Llandudno – from which the views of Snowdonia are almost as calming as the treatments available indoors. Or you can go for Tre-Ysgawen Hall, which plays a similar card at the heart of Anglesey, ensuring that sea breezes and fresh air are also part of the de-stressing equation. Find further options at visitwales.com/holiday-accommodation.
Bed down for the night in a castle
You can do more than wander through the grounds of Wales’s historic properties – in some cases, you can stay there. Ruthin Castle Hotel & Spa (ruthincastle.co.uk) is a special case in point. One of the landmarks of the pretty Denbighshire town of Ruthin, it traces its tale to 1277, and although the original structure was partially dismantled after the English Civil War, a new building emerged in the 19th century. It now operates as a fabulous accommodation option, where you can slumber in a four-poster, sit down to a medieval banquet, and soothe away your cares at the attached spa, where lots of gentle treatments are on offer.
Watch the feathers flutter
Anglesey can also be a haven for weekenders who are never happier than when they have a pair of binoculars pressed to their eyes. The adjacent South Stack island is a great nesting site for razorbills and guillemots. But equally, you can appreciate the flutter of wings in Denbighshire, where black grouse peck and strut on the moorland around Llandegla – and in Pembrokeshire, on the island of Skomer, where Atlantic puffins breed in number. Pembrokeshire Falconry also admires creatures of the skies, allowing visitors to hold out their arms to remarkable birds of prey.
Fall in love with a timeless island
Anglesey is, on its own, a fabulous setting for a short break. The biggest Welsh island is a brilliant backdrop for romance. You may feel that you have fallen into a fairytale if you book a room at Château Rhianfa. All towers and turrets, this fantasy of a structure was built in 1849 and gazes across the Menai Strait. Within, 30 stylish rooms are made for those lazy weekend escapes and lie ins – although, if you have the energy, Anglesey is also home to some of the most dramatic stretches of the Wales Coast Path.
Earn a seal of approval
Pembrokeshire’s affinity with flying life-forms continues on Ramsey Island, the outcrop just off St David’s Head where birds – choughs, ravens, buzzards and gulls among them – swoop and soar. As a result, the island is owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. However, visitors also flock to Ramsey Island’s colony of grey seals – it’s the most important such site in Wales, with 400 pups born each autumn. Visit ramseyisland.co.uk to book tours which watch all these species at a careful distance.
Be a culture vulture
Powys is home to one of the UK’s best-loved cultural extravaganzas. The Hay Festival of Literature and Arts (hayfestival.com) takes over the town of Hay-on-Wye every year in early summer – and has done so since 1988. Initially, its focus was on books and authors, but it has expanded over time to cover music and film as well. Its 2019 incarnation (23 May to 2 June) will see readings from diaries written by figures as diverse as Samuel Pepys and Anne Frank, while also featuring appearances from popular celebrities such as comedian Jimmy Carr and journalist Stacey Dooley, the most recent Strictly Come Dancing winner.
Get around with your hound
Wales is an inviting environment for those who exist on four legs as well as two – and if you fancy a getaway with your dog, there are lots of locations where you can play together. Visit Wales has a list of places that are great for pooches (see visitwales.com/holidays-breaks/dog-friendly-holidays), such as golden Porthor Beach on the Llŷn Peninsula, where man’s best friend is free to roam (between October and March) and Rhossili Bay on the Gower Peninsula, where dogs are welcome year-round. For somewhere to stay, dogs and their owners can check in at the Kings Head Inn, Llangennith.
For further inspiration, see visitwales.com
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