VALLEYS HERITAGE TOUR

Day tour departs from Cardiff every MONDAY & FRIDAY all-year-round.

Additional tour date: Saturday August 2 2008

Special Offer! Buy 3 Adult places @ £45 each and get 1 Adult place FREE.  Price includes transport, driver, guide and entry fees. 

Phone +44 (0) 1633 869700 or email jan@wherewhenwales.com

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: Big Pit, Brecon Beacon National Park, Caerphilly Castle & Castell Coch

Travelling northward to Tongwynlais for a guided tour at  Castell Coch, a mix of medieval and late 19th century design.  The castle’s conical towers and turrets, present a vision more in keeping with the Bavarian countryside than a Welsh hillside. Recreated by the Victorian architect William Burgess for one of the world’s richest men, John Crichton-Stuart the 3rd Marquis of Bute.

Next stop guided tour at Caerphilly Castle, 13th century Norman fortress, colossal in size and strength, coupled with the scale of its two vast lakes, combine to make this the largest castle in Wales and the second largest fortress in Europe.  The castles position may not meet every expectation for a classic defensive location, it sits amid a bowl of rolling hills, its walls and towers partly camouflaged due to their construction chiefly in the local Pennant sandstone.  Virtually all of the major building at the castle was completed by 1271, largely in response to a major political and miltary threat posed to south-east Wales by Prince Llywelyn of Gwynedd.

Further northward our journey takes us to Blaenavon, a town which played a vital part in the Industrial Revolution that transformed the landscape, culture and society of Wales.  Situated at the head of the Afon Valley on the slopes of the Coity and Blorenge mountains is Big Pit (Pwll Mawr) the National Mining Museum of Wales, a real colliery where for over 200 years was once the workplace for hundreds of men, women and children.  Discover what life was like on an underground guided tour led by real miners, or if you prefer to stay on the surface, there are a number of informative and interesting exhibition areas available. 

Off the beaten track and onto the back roads where you can discover the Brecon Beacons National Park.  The Brecon Beacons which gives the area their name, make up the main central range of the Brecon Beacons National Park, an area which covers 520-square miles. This is one of the most scenic and beautiful rural areas in Britain, rolling green hills, meadows and rivers contrasting with rocky and limestone terrain and steep escarpments. We travel along the mountain road which offer breathtaking views of Cantref Reservoir, and close views of one of the Neolithic standing stones dating back from 5000BC.  The stone could mark a burial chamber of an important chieftain or simply be an early direction marker. Throughout the journey the landscape changes with every twist and turn as we make our way to Libanus Mountain Centre to admire views of southern Britain's highest peak, Pen-y-Fan and the Brecon Beacons. Photo & refreshment stop.

From Adult £45, Concession £40 (under 16, 60+, & Student I.D. card req'd).      Group bookings contact the office to discuss further.  Price inclusive of transport, driver, fully escorted English speaking guide, all admission charges and UK taxes, exclusive of lunch. 

Pickup & Return Point: National Museum & Art Gallery of Wales, Cardiff. 

Start time 0930hr/Return 1800hr (approx)