Wales - Castles, Coast & Steam Trains with Ayshea & Jamie

Wales - Castles, Coast & Steam Trains 

Our holiday started at Raglan Castle the grandest castle built by Welshmen.

We discovered the large kitchen and banqueting hall where we all agreed they would have had some epic banquets. As we wandered around the fortress and climbed to the top of the tower we took in the spectacular views. 

Cyfarthfa Castle and Museum is the biggest castle we had visited situated in 65 hectares overlooking the town of Merthyr Tydfil. Commissioned and built in 1824-25 for the ‘Ironmaster’ William Crawshay ll, who was one of the most influential men in Wales at the time. There was so much history and we loved exploring the museum which houses many artifacts from Egyptian mummy heads to art collections. The old-fashioned clothing worn by the ladies and gentlemen impressed us greatly. We visited the kitchen quarters and the washrooms. Some even went into the cells where they were held before they were sentenced to be hung. 

Next stop on our trip was Blaenavon World Heritage Site, which translated to Big Pit. This is Wales’s richest mining heritage site. Our first experience was to go on The Underground Tour where we met our lovely guide, Emma. Once we were kitted up with headgear and lights, we were lowered to 300 feet underground to where hundreds of men, women and children once worked to extract the precious mineral that stoked furnaces and lit the household fires of the world. The rest of the group had lots more to see above ground including the canary birds which were extremely important to the miners as they would alert them to unseen dangers. The best experience yet was going to King Coal: the mining experience. This showed us films, machinery and stories on how the miners worked at the site. A real must see!

When we weren't visiting castles we got up close with nature at the Magic Life Butterfly House. We walked through the enclosure and were amazed to see so many species of butterflies of all shapes, colours and sizes flying around us. We could dip our fingers into the sugar water and to our delight attracted the butterflies and they sat on our hand and even our heads! It was a lovely experience.

A day out on the Brecon Mountain Railway had been booked and we were all really looking forward to it. We were fortunate enough to be able to watch some engineers restoring a locomotive before having just enough time to have a look around the gift shop before boarding our train. As we stood on the platform, we eagerly awaited the arrival of our locomotive Santa Teresa no.1 and we were thrilled as we heard her chugging into the station and blow her whistle. We found out from talking to the guard that she was built in Philadelphia in 1897 and spent most of her working life up until 1976 in Brazil being used at a sugar mill and coffee plantation and was only brought to the UK in 1990. As we took an exhilarating ride through the Brecon National Park we were treated to some spectacular views of the valleys and mountains and as we passed the huge Taf Fechan reservoir. We enjoyed every minute of our ride back and particularly loved the sounds and smells of the train as she powered her way back down the track.

With our picnic packed up we made our way down to the water where our canal boat was waiting, and our skipper welcomed us aboard. Two hours of calm and peaceful sailing ensued where we spotted wildlife on the riverbank, listened to birdsong and ate our onboard picnic. We had to stop twice at locks, and it was fascinating to see the water level change so that we could continue on our way. 

Our next trip was to Aberystwyth Cliff Railway and Constitution Hill. The railway opened in 1896 operating originally on the water balance system, the 778 feet undulating track and tiled carriages are unique. Once on board the motor started, and we were taken up the cliff at a steady pace. After a 5-minute journey we had reached the summit, and the panoramic views were spectacular.

Our next trip to Aberystwyth Cliff Railway and Constitution Hill. The railway opened in 1896 operating originally on the water balance system, the 778 feet undulating track and tiled carriages are unique. Once on board the motor started, and we were taken up the cliff at a steady pace. After a 5-minute journey we had reached the summit, and the panoramic views were spectacular.

It was game on as we practised our potting skills on the pool table. 

How lucky were we having our very own hot tubs in our lodges! The perfect way to unwind after our busy days out.