Chepstow Castle
Tredegar House Gardens
Castell Coch
Merthyr Mawr
Rhossili
Pembroke Castle
St David's Cathedral
Snowdonia National Park
Caernarfon Castle
Conwy Castle
Chester Rows

Day 1

We leave London and head west to Chepstow Castle, one of the most historically significant castles in Wales. Building began in 1067, less than one year after the Norman invasion of Britain.

Caldicot Castle and Gardens, a short drive from Chepstow, provides the next stop on our tour. Founded by the Normans, developed in royal hands as a stronghold in the Middle Ages and restored as a Victorian family home, the castle has a romantic and colourful history.

Tredegar House and Gardens once stood in a sprawling 1,000 acre estate. Learn about some of the more eccentric members of the Morgan family like Catherine who, believing she was a bird, made numerous nests in the house. Overnight in Cardiff

Day 2

Caerphilly Castle, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Britain, begun in 1268 by the Anglo-Norman marcher lord, Gilbert de Clare. Concentrically planned, the rings of stone and water defences are formidable even today. Famous for its 'leaning tower', it also has an impressive great hall.

Of all the Welsh castles it is Castell Coch which embodies the fairytale image of a castle best. Built by one of the richest men in the world, the Marquis of Bute, the interior of the castle reflects pure Victorian fantasy, richly decorated and highly imaginative.

Cardiff Castle is an unusual blend of Roman fort, medieval castle and fanciful Victorian gothic mansion. A visit to Cardiff Castle without viewing the interiors would mean missing out on some of the most remarkable rooms ever created during the Victorian era. Overnight in Cardiff

Day 3

First to St Fagans to visit the Museum of Welsh Life. The Museum shows how the people of Wales lived, worked and spent their leisure time over the last five hundred years. The 100-acre parkland now has over thirty original buildings, moved from various parts of Wales and re-erected to show how the Welsh lived at various times in history.

A short drive along the coastline brings us to Cosmeston Medieval Village. The village is a reconstruction of life in Wales in 1350, a period of high tension between the Welsh and English. We can see the excavated buildings and gardens re-created, costumed villagers working the land and livestock of the Middle Ages roaming the paddocks and fields. We can experience medieval life by taking a tour of the village with a costumed guide.

Fonmon Castle is one of the few medieval castles still being used as a private home and has only changed hands once since being built in the early 13th century.

Further along the spectacular coastline we reach the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. Places of interest include Ogmore-by-Sea a small village perched high on the headland with panoramic views and a ruined castle. We can also walk across ancient stepping stones to the tiny thatched village of Merthyr Mawr and visit the ruins of Candleston Castle. The crossing can be difficult and we will have to check the tide before attempting it.

Aberdulais Falls provides the perfect end to the day. For over 400 years the falls provided the energy to drive the wheels of industry, from the manufacture of copper in 1584 to the later tinplate works. The site today houses a unique hydroelectric scheme which has been developed to harness the waters of the River Dulais. Overnight in Swansea

Day 4

On our way out of the city, we can drive past Swansea Castle, once a significant fortress but now little more than a substantial ruin.

Oystermouth Castle, preferred by the de Baroses over Swansea Castle, provides the first stop of the day. Oystermouth is the Gower Peninsula’s finest castle and commands spectacular views over Swansea Bay. It is intricate and exciting to explore and relatively well preserved.

Oxwich Castle is an impressive, fortified Tudor mansion built on a headland above Oxwich Bay. The building reflects the extravagance of the times with a showy entrance emblazoned with the arms of Sir Rice Mansel.

We follow the rugged coastline of the Gower peninsula to Rhossili. Dylan Thomas portrayed the high, open headland to the west of the village as ‘rubbery, gull-limed grass, the sheep-pilled stones, the pieces of bones and feathers’. This leads to Worm’s Head, two rocky islands joined to the mainland by a narrow causeway accessible only at low tide and to one another by Devil’s Bridge, a narrow neck of rock. On the outer island, which rises abruptly to 200 feet, a booming blow hole throws up water visible from the village nearly two miles away.

Driving along the north side of the peninsula we reach Weobley Castle, a fortified manor house where comfort took priority over defence. The castle overlooks the Llanrhidian Marsh and the Llwchwr Estuary.

Returning to Swansea we take a slight detour to take in Loughor Castle. There is little left of the castle today but is worth taking in on the drive. Overnight in Swansea

Day 5

Our first stop today is the impressive remains of Kidwelly Castle, established as a huge earthwork in the early twelfth century. The stone castle was first raised by the de Chaworths, and was much modified later by the Earls (eventually Dukes) of Lancaster.

Laugharne is a must for any tour of Wales, not just for the castle. This unique town was also the home of the famous Welsh writer Dylan Thomas. The boat house where he wrote some of his most celebrated works (including “Under Milk Wood”) is now a heritage site dedicated to his life and work. The castle, within walking distance of the boat house, also has connections to Thomas. “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog” was written in the gazebo here.

Colby Woodland Garden provides year-round interest. The garden has a fine display of colour in spring, with rhododendrons, magnolias, azaleas and camellias, under-planted with bluebells. Later highlights are the summer hydrangeas and autumn foliage.

Driving through the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park via the picturesque villages of Manorbier and Stackpole, we reach the mighty Pembroke Castle, one of the largest in Wales. Despite its size and appearance it was not a royal castle but the possesion of a private lord - his residence and the administrative centre of his territories. Pembroke Castle occupies a strong position high on a ridge between two tidal inlets. Overnight in St David’s

Day 6

The city of St David’s is dedicated to the patron saint of Wales who, according to legend, was born on this coast around 500 AD. Granted “city” status by the Queen in 1995, St Davids is really a small, attractive village. The spectacular coastline and wonderful views continue northwards to Ceredigion, where we pass the popular beaches at Mwnt and Penbryn.

We spend the rest of the day driving up the west coast and through the Snowdonia National Park visiting some of the following: Cilgerran Castle whose remains, perched overlooking the spectacular Teifi Gorge, have inspired artists through the ages; the ruined castle in the coastal town of Aberystwyth; we can travel deep into the spectacular caverns under the Braichgoch mountain at King Arthur’s Labyrinth or visit Devil’s Bridge near Aberystwyth. Overnight in the area

Day 7

The day begins with a short drive to Harlech Castle, one of the great castles Edward I built to enforce his rule over the Welsh. The vast fortress was completed in just seven years (1283-1290). During the Civil War (1642-48), Harlech was the last Royalist stronghold to be lost, its fall signifying the end of the war.

Caernarfon Castle is possibly the most famous of Wales's castles, its sheer scale and commanding presence easily set it apart from the rest. The castle's majestic persona is no architectural accident: it was designed to echo the walls of Constantinople, the imperial power of Rome and the dream castle, 'the fairest that ever man saw', of Welsh myth and legend. The castle has been the place of Investiture of every Prince of Wales, including Prince Charles, since the 13th century.

Beaumaris Castle on the Island of Anglesey is the great unfinished masterpiece. It was never completed as money and supplies ran out before the fortifications reached their full height. Beaumaris is nonetheless an awesome sight, regarded by many as the finest of all the great Edwardian castles in Wales. This outstanding fortress is a World Heritage site.

Conwy Castle, with its eight towers, is one of the most impressive in Wales. It overlooks the Conwy estuary and one of the finest examples of a medieval walled town in Europe.

We can drive by Flint Castle and Ewloe Castle as we pass along the North Wales coast before crossing back into England and our overnight stay in Chester. Overnight in Chester

Day 8

Settled since Roman times, Chester has the most spectacular city centre in England. The picturesque timber-framed shops, arcades, and houses known as the Chester Rows mostly date from the Middle Ages, although some were reconstructed in the Victorian era. The elaborate Tudor carvings on the front of Bishop Lloyd's House in Watergate Street are worth a look. Chester Cathedral has fine 14th-century misericords in the choir and a chapel with a rich 17th-century stucco ceiling. Parts of the high Roman city wall are still intact: at the south-east corner are the remains of a Roman tower and a huge amphitheatre dating from AD 100.

On the trip back to London we can make a stop at Warwick Castle, one of England's grandest and best preserved. It was built in stages between the 10th and the 18th centuries, with impressive fortifications dating from the 14th century.

Return to London.