Day 1: After our door to door taxi service we join our luxury tour coach and head to South Wales, arriving at The Best Western Aberavon Beach Hotel in time for dinner.
Day 2: This morning we travel across Swansea Bay to the city of Swansea. Swansea is a vibrant centre for art and The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is widely recognised as the city’s premier venue for art exhibitions. Founded in 1911 by the original bequest of Richard Glynn Vivian (1835-1910), the gallery belongs to the City and County of Swansea. It houses a distinctive collection formed over the last century, which continues to grow with new work from today's artists, supported by gifts, donations and the annual Wakelin Award. For those who like to sample the local delicacies, make sure you visit the original market which was established in 1897, under the largest structure of glass and wrought iron in the UK. Devastated by World War II, along with much of Swansea City Centre, Swansea Indoor Market was rebuilt and remains the largest of its kind in Wales with over 100 stalls. Here you can sample many of the delicacies of the area, including cockles and laverbread, and the famous Welsh cakes.
Later we head for the marina where we visit the National Waterfront Museum. A striking architectural landmark in its own right, the National Waterfront Museum celebrates the industrial and maritime history of Wales dating back to the 1800s. This is a highly interactive guide through an age when Wales supplied the world with coal and steel, and countless inventions, like Richard Trevithick’s groundbreaking steam locomotive.
This afternoon we travel to the picturesque Gower Peninsula, Britain’s first designated ‘Area of Outstanding Beauty’. Where we will make a stop in the Victorian seaside resort of Mumbles. We enjoy some free time here before going on a picturesque drive through the park to view the nature reserve of Worm’s Head and Rhossili Bay, where the 250ft cliff drops steeply to the beach below.
Day 3: This morning we travel to Carmarthen, Wales’s oldest city. Carmarthen, pronounced Caerfyrddin in Welsh, is the county town of Carmarthenshire, located besides the River Tywi. It has been an important administrative centre since ancient Rome, while also being an important strategic location which has been attacked and conquered over the centuries. Visit Carmarthen Castle with its long and bloody history, walk one of the many town trails which showcase Carmarthen’s rich history or shop to your heart’s content in one of many new and refurbished shopping centres. (attractions in Carmarthen subject to individual choice and payment). We have some free time to sightsee here and grab lunch before our afternoon excursion to the international award winning National Botanic Garden of Wales.
This remarkable attraction is so much more than a garden. With many specially-themed areas, cascades and waterfalls, wonderful plant collections, sculpture, science, wildlife, history, heritage, the British Bird of Prey Centre, shopping and eating, there’s a world of wonders waiting to be discovered.
The Garden's centrepiece is the Great Glasshouse designed by Norman Foster and Partners. Inside the amazing tilted glass dome, is a Mediterranean landscape dominated by a six-metre deep ravine. Rock terraces and sheer faces are cut by streams and waterfalls. A lake provides a humid habitat at the foot of the chasm. Visitors are able to experience the aftermath of an Australian bush fire, pause in a Spanish olive grove or wander through collections of fuchsias from Chile.
Day 4: Our day takes us north-east to the small village of Pant where we board the Brecon Mountain Railway, one of the Great Little Trains of Wales. The journey takes you into the Brecon Beacons National Park, through Pontsticill and along the full length of the Taf Fechan Reservior before climbing to Torpantau high in the Brecon Beacons and the summit of the original line which closed in 1964.
Following our train journey, we enjoy lunch in Brecon before making the journey to Penderyn Distillery. The Distillery produces award-winning single malt whiskies and spirits in the foothills on the magnificent Brecon Beacons. One of the few remaining independent distilleries, Penderyn takes its name from the old Welsh village in which it is located. You will enjoy a distillery tour, and get to explore the distilling process first hand. On arrival you will be greeted by your tour guide and taken through to the exhibition area where you can browse at your leisure and learn for yourself the history of whisky making in Wales as well as more general Welsh history. Your guide will then take you out into the distillery itself, where you will see the mill, the mash tun, the washbacks and, finally, the stills themselves. Your guide will explain how Welsh whisky is produced, and you’ll see Penderyn’s two Faraday stills – designed by Dr. David Faraday, a descendant of famous physicist Sir Michael Faraday plus the new pot stills. Moving on to the barrel display area your guide will describe the various stages of the maturation process.
You will also learn about our other products – Merlyn Cream Liqueur, Brecon Five Vodka, Brecon Gin and Siddiqui Rums. Your tour will end in our tasting bar where you will be able to taste some Penderyn Whisky.
Day 5: Sadly this morning we depart our hotel and make our way back to Norfolk. After making suitable stops along the way, we re-join our door to door taxi service who will return you home.
Holiday Information:4 Nights Dinner, Bed & Breakfast
Price: £582pp
Single Supplement: £nil (Limited Availability)
Additional Singles Beyond Allocation From: £80 (Will be allocated a twin or double room for sole occupancy, depending on availability)
Insurance: TBC (Insurance not currently available)
Tour Reference: AWE4743
Deposit Required: £50pp
Balance Due: 8 weeks prior to departure