The Visit Wales Blog

More than two weeks to go until Valentines Day but the Welsh are in the mood for love

Posted on 23/01/12, filed under Wales | Comments Off

This Wednesday, January 25th, is St Dwynwen’s Day, the Welsh alternative to Valentines Day. The day celebrates the Welsh patron saint of lovers; there’s little else we can tell you about the history behind the occasion that we haven’t covered previously on our blogs (see below for links), but there’s plenty going on around the country to get involved with and celebrate your romance with the one you love.

 

Whilst the occasion remains little known outside of Wales, the popularity of the day has been increasing. Last year, a special Dwynwen-o-Gram was arranged in Cardiff with a large cuddly heart spreading love amongst shoppers in the city centre before surprising one lucky office worker who had been nominated by her partner.

 

As the exposure grows, more and more events are happening around the country each year. Here’s some of the best we’ve found:

 

 

• Take A Boat Trip To Llanddwyn Island: The island, just off of the west coast of Anglesey, was home to St Dwynwen during her lifetime – after promising to devote her life to God in return for him granting her three wishes, Dwynwen moved to the island and set up a church and convent. Today the place has become a pilgrimage for young lovers looking to gain insight into their future together from the sacred fish that live in the islands well, believed to be able to predict if couples would be happy together.
• Free Lovespoons: Lovespoons are a Welsh tradition dating back centuries, each spoon is handcarved from wood with different meanings attributed to the style and symbols etched into them. On this years St Dwynwen’s Day, every couple that visits the Aberglasney House and Gardens in the Tywi Valley will receive a special gift – their own hand crafted lovespoon.
• St Dwynwen’s Day Love Ball: In the centre of Cardiff at the 4-star Parc Hotel on Saturday 28 January, the ball gives couples the perfect opportunity for a city break in the nations capital with great access to all the shopping centers and arcades that Cardiff has to offer, topped off with dinner and dancing at the hotel itself.
• St Dwynwen’s Dinner: The Dragon Hotel in Swansea has put together a wonderful Welsh themed menu for the occasion, brimming full with Welsh favourites such as laverbread, Caerphilly Cheese, Bara Brith and plenty of locally sourced produce.

dydd santes dwynwen hapus

Following on from the success of our online greetings card last year, we’ve gone and made another one for you to download, print out and give the object of your affection, featuring our own take on a Welsh lovespoon especially for St Dwynwen’s day.

 

Download our printable PDF St Dwynwen’s Day card

 

 

Read our previous St Dwynwen’s blog posts:

• Can Fish Predict Your Love Life?
• The Welsh Alternative To Valentines Day

Find out more about Romantic Breaks and Romantic Restaurants in Wales.

 

Have you seen our latest TV adverts?

Posted on 20/01/12, filed under Visit Wales, Wales | Comments Off

January is the perfect time to start planning your Summer holiday in Wales. As our latest TV adverts go out across the UK to encourage people to come to Wales on holiday, we thought we would share our Proper Holiday message across our social media channels too.

What is a proper holiday?

For us, a Proper Holiday means a holiday that’s authentic, memorable and different.
A holiday where working on your sense of adventure is more important than working on your tan.
A holiday where you get value for time, as well as value for money.

So we tracked down a family and a couple who had both experienced holiday disappointment and we brought them to Wales.

Our new friends tried new things and explored new places. They dug a bit deeper and got stuck in.
And they found out for themselves what a proper holiday in Wales is all about.

Meet the Darkes Family

The Darkes family from Huddersfield had a bit of bad luck with a packaged holiday. So we treated them a Proper Holiday in Wales. You can see their adventure below:

Meet Piers Bramhall

Piers Bramhall was stuck in a holiday rut. So we turned up on his London doorstep with Joanna Page and we invited him to Wales. With the help of our Facebook fans and our Twitter followers, we gave him a Proper Holiday he’ll never forget.

Find out more about Family Holidays and Romantic Breaks in Wales.

5 holiday ideas to inspire you

Posted on 18/01/12, filed under Holidays and Breaks | Comments Off
Tags: City Breaks, Glamping, Romantic short breaks, UK family holiday, walking holidays

5 top UK breaks to enjoy in Wales

1. Yurt, tipi, log pod? Try a weekend of cool camping in Wales

Swap your traditional tent for one of Wales’ cool camping options. Holiday in a Mongolian inspired yurt in beautiful Snowdonia or relax on a short break in a woodland tipi at the heart of Wales. You can even have a weekend away in a log pod, also known as a timber tent. The log pods are a great budget accommodation option too.

2. Wine & dine you partner on a romantic weekend break

Spend some quality time with your partner on a romantic getaway in Wales. Stay at one of our top romantic hotels and enjoy a meal at one of our awesome eateries. From gastro pubs to Michelin starred dinning you’ll find Wales’ food and hospitality will impress.

3. Take a city break in Cardiff & enjoy some retail therapy

The Capital of Wales, Cardiff offers a superb city break. Stay a city centre hotels and you’ll be a couple of minutes walk from retail heaven. The St David’s Shopping Centre boasts big brand names and the Victorian and Edwardian arcades are full of independent shops and boutiques. After shopping why not take in the culture of Cardiff and visit Cardiff Castle and the National Museum Cardiff.

4. Fun family holidays

Wales is a great option for a UK family holiday. Spend your summer holiday in beautiful Pembrokeshire with it’s Blue Flag beaches, great coastline walks and family friendly attractions. Or go to north Wales with it’s famous Snowdonia mountain range, victorian seasides and abundance of outdoor activities. Read our full guide on family holidays in Wales and discover what’s on offer.

5. Climb the highest mountain in Wales and England – on a walking holiday

If you’re looking for a walking holiday in the UK then Wales is your perfect destination. Experienced walkers can climb the Llanberis Path to Wales and Englans’s highest summit Mount Snowdon, the 9 mile walk will take round 6 hours to complete in total. Snowdonia’s mountain range also provides many other walks and outdoor activities, perfect for an activity break.

Discover more UK holiday ideas and request or download our new Wales on View magazine packed full of inspiration on short breaks and things to do in Wales.