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May 1, 2009 9:34:00 AM | Travel in Wales

January 17, 2008

BEST WALES ITIENARARY

Wales Discovered - 7 day tour
See the most awesome castles of North and South Wales, including the largest and most spectacular, Caerphilly Castle. Take time to enjoy the inspiring beauty of Snowdonia National Park. See England's famous sights on your return to London.
Day 1. Chepstow - Tintern Abbey - Caerphilly (overnight South Wales)
Day 2. Brecon Beacons - Powis Castle - Mountain tour (overnight Mid Wales - Lake Vyrnwy)
Day 3. Harlech Castle - Portmeirion - Betws Y Coed (overnight North Wales - Lake Vyrnwy)
Day 4. Conwy Castle - Bodnant Gardens (overnight North Wales - Empire)
Day 5. Snowdonia National Park - Beaumaris Castle (overnight North Wales - Empire)
Day 6. Peak District National Park - Chatsworth (overnight Cotswold - Elms)
Day 7. Cotswold Touring - Blenheim Palace - Oxford (return London - Cranley)

Ellen McNulty is President of www.lynotttours.com >

Outher websites: Cruise Tour Planners

Jan 17, 2008 9:26:00 AM | Travel in Wales

October 30, 2007

Dolphin Watchin in Wales

At Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre in New Quay you can see bottlenosed dolphins, harbour porpoises and Atlantic gray seals happily swimming in their natural environment. In fact, you can join the staff aboard the center’s Dolphin Survey Boat on its daily trips to monitor the ocean wildlife. Special underwater microphones let you hear the dolphins chatter.

It is a little known fact that leatherback turtles are found in the waters around Wales and Ireland. Indeed the largest specimen ever recorded washed up in North Wales in 1998 measuring nearly 3 metres (9ft) and weighing 916kg (2016lbs)! Despite this our knowledge of this elusive species remains limited to anecdotal sightings and stranding events along the coast. Although such data are invaluable, we are still left with many unanswered questions such as how leatherbacks can live almost entirely on jellyfish that are composed mainly of water! To address such gaps in our knowledge the Irish Sea Leatherback Project was established in April 2003 as a joint venture between the University of Wales Swansea and the University College Cork. Funded by the European Regional Development Fund’s (ERDF) INTERREG IIIA initiative, key elements of the project include aerial surveys of the Irish Sea, satellite tracking of the leatherback turtles, shoreline jellyfish surveys, schools workshops and public seminars. Through collaboration with existing conservation bodies we hope to tackle the long unanswered question of whether leatherbacks are merely oceanic wanderers that find themselves in our waters or whether they form an important part or out natural heritage.

Ellen McNulty is President at www.lynotttours.com >

Outher websites: Cruise Tour Planners

Oct 30, 2007 6:35:00 AM | Travel in Wales

October 29, 2007

Travel with the Postman in Wales

But if you really want to get off the beaten path, board the Postbus.

At 7:30 a.m., four mornings a week, Richard Howells loads the mail into his bright red, 10-seat Royal Mail Postbus, in the quiet seaside town of Aberystwyth, and sets out into the countryside. He is often joined by visitors from all over the world, who pay about 3 pounds, 50 pence (approx. $7USD) to ride along with him, as he delivers the mail. Along the way, he also picks up local people, who need a lift into town to do their shopping. The locals love to chat with the visitors, who also enjoy listening to them speak Welsh with one another. Everyone has a good time.

"I've lived here all my life," Howells says. "It's quite rural and very scenic. Visitors can see really beautiful places on my routes-lovely valleys." Depending on which of the three local routes he covers, Howells may drop visitors at Devil's Bridge, where they can walk to a waterfall and even have a picnic, before he picks them up in the afternoon.

Others disembark to visit the Rheidol Hydro Electric Power Station, with its complete information center. Sometimes he even waits for passengers to do a little exploring. "I stop for 10 minutes and give them a chance to walk through the old lead mine. They can walk past the derelict houses. It's quite pretty," Howells says. "I'm not a tour guide, but if they ask questions, I try to give them good answers."

There are 15 different Postbus routes in Wales, serving some of the most remote, and loveliest, areas of the country. Postbuses are based in such popular, but somewhat off-the-beaten path towns as Llandrindod Wells, a Victorian Spa town in the east; Welshpool (home to Powis Castle) in mid-Wales; and Aberystwyth on the west coast, overlooking Cardigan Bay. The Welsh routes cover more than 8,000 miles, and carry some 2,000 passengers a year. Two years ago, the Royal Mail launched a new Postbus route, running from the market town of Brecon to Talgarth, in the region of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Many visitors start at the Post Office, early in the morning, but it is also possible to hail a Postbus anywhere along its route. The routes are loops, into the countryside to deliver the mail in the morning and back to town. The driver goes out again in the afternoon to collect the mail, once more returning to the post office. For many local residents, the Postbus is their only way to get to shops, and schools, and to see the doctor. For tourists it is an inexpensive and fun way to explore out-of-the-way places, and make new friends. Just ask Richard Howells. He now has friends all over the world.

Ellen McNulty is President at www.lynotttours.com >

Outher websites: Cruise Tour Planners

Oct 29, 2007 6:53:00 AM | Travel in Wales

October 28, 2007

Top Ten Reasons to Visit Wales

High life: Reach the summit of Snowdon Mountain and you’re standing at the highest point in England and Wales. Located at the heart of Snowdonia, one of our three National Parks, the views on the way up are just as breathtaking whether you hike up or take the Snowdon Mountain Railway.

Golden opportunities: Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire, recently won a beauty contest for Britain’s best beach. But we think it’s a close call: our 750-mile coastline has many runners-up. In fact, with 41 Blue Flag beaches, Wales has more top-rated beaches than anywhere else in Britain.

Rock solid: We have hundreds of castles to explore as well as ancient cathedrals, abbeys and mysterious standing stones. If you have an appetite for history, Wales is a feast.

Go wild: Wildlife thrives in our countryside and around our coastline. Dolphins and seals, butterflies and nocturnal badgers, warblers, kingfishers and the graceful red kite all call Wales home.

Big city: Take a dip in the rapids of Wales’ city living: visit cool Cardiff, friendly Swansea or our gateway city, Newport. Or slow it down in St Davids, the city no bigger than a village.

Story time: Just about every hill, valley and stream in Wales has a legend to go with it. After you’ve heard the stories, it’s fun to search out the settings.

Water world: Take time to go fishing, paddle a canoe or just enjoy cooling your feet in one of our fast-moving, crystal clear rivers. Our very own “Lake District,” the Elan Valley, is a wonderland of moorland, rivers, woodland, bogs and reservoirs.

Eat well: Welsh chefs are now recognized as some of the best in the world. Their “secret weapon” is the incredible range of local ingredients they have to choose from – classic cheeses, ultrafresh seafood and excellent meat.

Land of song: Listening to a Welsh Male Voice choir is a unique and moving experience. Most choirs welcome visitors to rehearsals, which are often as stirring and enjoyable as full-scale concerts - plus, you can see what goes on behind the scenes.

Say hello: We love to chat with new friends so take time to visit the pub, market, tearoom or village shop. Enjoy a warm Welsh welcome: “Croeso!”

Ellen McNulty is President at www.lynotttours.com >

Outher websites: Cruise Tour Planners