Wales

[slim jenkins]

Any other fans out there?

Yes, I know, the subject of many a joke amongst certain kinds of snobs but every time we've been I've thought it the most amazing country - the estuaries West of Snowdonia, the park itself, of course, and Tenby, one of the greatest resorts in the UK (photographer Martin Parr justifiably citing it as his favourite).

We're going again in a couple of weeks to just outside New Quay, Cardigan bay.

The grim houses are fascinating (they only do grey, aside from colourful Tenby) - oh how we Londoners can't help but laugh and recoil in horror, but it's part of the appeal).

It's hugely unpopular from my poll of associates, but that's also part of the appeal, the feeling that you're going where no-one else wants to - the downside being that the bonus of middle-class (or just fashionable) tourism which brings loads of great cafes and eating places is largely absent (from our experience). Mind you, great food on a UK seaside break seems rare full stop. A fact made glaringly obvious when you go to France or Italy.

 

[john eden]

I spend quite a lot of time around Snowdonia cos I have family there. I like it because it's so different from London and it is beautiful and bleak in equal measures. I'm not a big fan of the rain tho.

 

[mms]

its lovely. my grandad grew up there, he was a miner from his early teens, in some small mining town, we went back to the house where he grew up, a small house on a nondescript hill in a fairly desolate town surrounded by slag heaps and the guy who lived there was the same guy who moved in after they had moved out, before the second world war.

 

[matt b]

Spent last week in Pembrokeshire, near Newport/Dinas Head. A bit early for the birds (see other thread). Had many holidays there as a kid and little has changed. Coastal walk rules, although enthusiasm had faded somewhat after walking 90 miles the previous week.

Beautiful, tiny beaches/coves to enjoy. Excellent skimming.

Also recommended for weekends/ camping: Shell Island, although its not what it was (chunter) as it was featured on a TV programme and is a lot more popular/controlled than when we we started going 10 years ago.

Quite exotic hearing Welsh spoken as a first language (and inter changeably with English)

 

[zhao]

they sing amazing songs and did you know the closest genetic relative is the hippopotamus!

 

[Mr. Tea]

Me 'as 'eard it is a crap country, close to Britain.

 

[baboon2004]

Ha! Was talking about the glory days of Ali G last night. ThaThe one in Wales was excellent ("Why did they only employ brothers in the mines" etc).

Love Wales - have to, as all my family is from there.

I love the houses, actually! Very similar to ones in Devon when I've visited there recently - in fact, Devon and south Wales are super-similar in many ways.

The Gower is one of the most beautiful places in the entire world. And Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is one of the most beauitful pieces of music - when 80,000 people are sionging it, reduces grown men to tears.

 

[Jonesy]

I loves it, I do.

Holidayed in Pembrokeshire since I was 7. No package holidays for me and didn't miss a thing. A trip further south to St.Davids and Solva are worth it.

Can I also recommend the novels of Niall Griffiths. He paints the landscape beautifully and has a real knack for putting colloquail Welsh-English on the page.

 

[slim jenkins]

We've got St David's lined up. Not been to the Gower yet, so that's also in our sight.
Fully expect a week of rain...so we're mentally prepared.

Went to Portmeirion a few years back and it fully lived up to expectations...and yes, I did run along the beach whilst imagining that big white blob bouncing after me.

 

[Jonesy]

We've got St David's lined up. Not been to the Gower yet, so that's also in our sight.
Fully expect a week of rain...so we're mentally prepared.

Went to Portmeirion a few years back and it fully lived up to expectations...and yes, I did run along the beach whilst imagining that big white blob bouncing after me.

What's Wales without the rain?!

Don't leave out the all important Dylan Thomas pilramage to Laugharne.

I went to Portmeirion as a kid but had no knowledge of The Prisoner back then. This was on a holiday to Butlins where I had the pleasure of enjoying Brian Connelly pre-fame and Roger De Courcey.

 

[Slothrop]

Port Merion is super cool.

And Snowdonia is great, obviously.

 

[IdleRich]

My mum's mum and all her side of the family are from Anglesey so we used to go there several times a year and that's meant that I've always loved Anglesey and Snowdonia - although I've never been right to the top of Snowdon. Haven't been for years though now 'cause my nain (gran) moved in with my parents about ten years ago. Welsh is her first language and, at the age of ninety-five, she can still switch seamlessly between Welsh and English when she's on the phone to her sister or whoever. This reminds me, I've got to go back to Anglesey soonest. My favourite beach was always Cemlyn (not sure about the spelling) a suitably bleak and rocky one where we used to spend ages building targets and throwing stones at them.
The Menai Bridge is great although the new one has made it redundant. Unfortunately nowadays your first experience of Anglesey is concrete and motorways, I understand it all looked a hell of a lot better when my mum used to go as a little girl.

 

[crackerjack]

My dad was a war-time evacuee, swapped Toxteth, Liverpool for a small Methodist slate-mining village just outside Bangor (which he definitely regards as a win - he's done his best to avoid anything bigger than small towns ever since). Trips up there were an annual event throughout my childhood (including at least two to the top of Snowdon (what kept you, Rich?)).

Main memories now are of how small the older generation are (it was good to feel like Gulliver at a mere 5'9"), how the rain is more persistent even than MCR's and how amazingly beautiful it is when the damn stuff stops.

 

[craner]

I'm not a Wales fan, but I love the Gower and the Brecon Beacons. North Wales is bandit country and the language is a disgrace. The Pembrokshire coastline is beautiful but the people of that county are as miserable as Corsicans. The country is culturally moribund. It's self-pitying and self-aggrandising, like other predominantly Celtic regions. Swansea girls of Italian extraction are the most exquisite creatures on earth. Barry is a lot nicer - tropical, even - that it's made to look on Gavin & Stacey. Hay-on-Wye is great, but full of witches. The Bear Inn in Crickhowell is one of the best pubs in the country, or was 15 years ago, anyway. The Brecon Jazz festival used to be a wonderful, anarchic weekend of mass bonhomie that engulfed the entire town (this was back in the days of free parties and New Age travellers) but stopped being so when police started to carry CS gas. Welsh butter is the tastiest butter around. I could go on.

 

[craner]

My roots are in Skewen, like Bonnie Tyler. Who's heard of Skewen? My life seems to have been slightly entangled with Bonnie Tyler. Bonnie symbolises the Swansea boom time of 1986. Or was it 1988? She is the marina and Harpers and Bentley's and West Cross and the Langland Golf Club all rolled into one husky, buxom package. You used to see her speeding through Mumbles in her open top Porsche. She's got more class and talent than that hoofer, Zeta Jones.

 

[crackerjack]

North Wales is bandit country

Good God, man, you're easily scared. Where my dad grew up, inching someone's parking place was considered a crime wave. Even the slate on the church roof was safe.

She's got more class and talent than that hoofer, Zeta Jones.

Worse hair and not as fit, though.

 

[Jonesy]

Barry is a lot nicer - tropical, even - that it's made to look on Gavin & Stacey. .

I've only seen a few G & S but that doesn't ring true for me. I went to school there and hated the place. It's full of too many arseholes with something to prove. It's the only place I've encountered "what you lookin' at?" aggressive idiocy. One Begbie-type once informed me his name was Gary "timebomb" Harris "coz you never know when I'm gonna go off". Quite.

And people from there have this idea that they are part of something special.

 

[baboon2004]

It's self-pitying and self-aggrandising, like other predominantly Celtic regions. Swansea girls of Italian extraction are the most exquisite creatures on earth.

Oh yes. On both counts.

 

[baboon2004]

My roots are in Skewen, like Bonnie Tyler. Who's heard of Skewen? My life seems to have been slightly entangled with Bonnie Tyler. Bonnie symbolises the Swansea boom time of 1986. Or was it 1988? She is the marina and Harpers and Bentley's and West Cross and the Langland Golf Club all rolled into one husky, buxom package. You used to see her speeding through Mumbles in her open top Porsche. She's got more class and talent than that hoofer, Zeta Jones.

Yep, heard of Skewen.

Did you know (thanks Wikipedia)?:
C Z-J's father's cousin is married to Bonnie Tyler.

I'm rather partial to Charlotte Church, despite (because of?)her ropey taste in men.

 

[craner]

No, I didn't, though I was aware that Bonnie and her husband always entertain the Douglases (sic) whenever they're in town. That's Swansea royalty. Forget Dylan Thomas and Vernon Watkins.