Look out for the Roman's at National Roman Legion Museum
Located all across Wales, the seven National Museums of Wales provide a fun and educational day out. Children can find out how the Romans lived, see huge skeletons of dinosaurs and discover Europe’s largest open air museum.
Walking the coastal path near Ceibwr, Pembrokeshire
The Wales Coast Path officially opens this weekend so take advantage of your extra day off and walk a section of the path. You’ll have glorious views of the Welsh coastline and green fields surrounding it, you’ll also discover hidden coves and beautiful beaches.
Visit the pretty seaside town of Tenby in Pembrokeshire
The harbour and seaside town of Tenby provides a wonderful day out on the Welsh coast. Spend the day on the beach, get some fish and chips for lunch and sit in the harbour and watch the world go by, perfect day out on a bank holiday weekend.
The oldest arts venue in Wales - Oriel Plas Glyn y Weddw at Llanbedrog Llyn Peninsula
The gothic style mansion built in 1857, is one of Wales’ most picturesque art venues and stages a changing exhibition by premier artists from Wales and beyond. It’s free to enter, runs a programme of workshops and is family friendly. After you’ve viewed the gallery visit the tea room and craft shop.
Spot seals whilst kayaking in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire
If you’re looking for something to do in the fresh air on bank holiday Monday, take the kids wildlife spotting. Across Wales there are many outdoor attractions where you can walk and see wildlife in its natural habitat. Discover the best wildlife to see in spring and summer.
David is walking around the soon to be officially opened Wales Coast Path and writing exclusive blogs for us on the way.
Wales Coast Path – Part 5
The Wales Coast Path opens on Saturday.
The 870-mile path outlines Wales from the border outside Chester to Chepstow.
For the last of my day walks I’ve come to the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, a 14-mile section from Porthcawl to Aberthaw with special conservation status.
I start walking near Ogmore village, a short inland stretch by the ruins of Ogmore Castle. Just beyond the salt marsh of the Ogmore estuary lies the Bristol Channel.
This is coastal nature at its most visceral. The sand dunes of Merthyr Mawr are home to over 300 flower species, including rare, lichen-like Petalwort. A song thrush greets our arrival, repeating twice its signature refrain.
“I love the contrasts of this walk. You look across to North Devon, not a blank horizon of sea,” says Principal Ranger Paul Dunn.
“On a clear day,” he smiles, “You can almost reach out and touch it.”
We stop to survey the sweep of South Wales, the steelworks at Port Talbot to one side, Barry Docks to the other. But, despite the industrial envelope, the Heritage Coast is forged solely by the last ice age some 12,000 years ago.
Three alluvial fans, built on a base layer of carboniferous limestone, form a matrix of rocky outcrops, unique in their non conformity.
An exposed section, the northerly wind flattening the sea below us, then leads us towards Southerndown Beach, better known to fans of David Tennant-era Doctor Who as Bad Wolf Bay.
After a look around the visitor centre, the path climbs through the erstwhile deer park of the Dunraven Estate towards Traeth Mawr. This section includes a new public footpath unveiled in April, opening up a previously little explored section of the Glamorgan coast.
The final leg ushers me through maritime-ash woodland, awash with sea-salted bluebells, before bridging a gurgling brook. It feels like an enchanted forest, a magical kingdom through the looking glass.
We finish at Nash Point, twin lighthouses, now converted for self-catering accommodation, guardians of the sunset.
Paul has spent 34 years walking this coast. From tomorrow, new generations can discover his passion for a lesser-walked section of coastal Wales. As I have done today.
“I love the fact you hit the coast and now just turn left or right,” he says. “It’s a dream come true.”
The opening of the Wales Coast Path is capturing imaginations across the UK and beyond. Lots of the attention has been, of course, focused on what can be seen along the way.
But the magic moments we experience as we walk the coast are made as much in sound as in sight. And so in the run-up to the opening of the coastal path (and our record-setting ‘bird race’ along the entire route) we’ve selected five of the most evocative bird sounds that you might hear on your journey.
[Welsh: Gylfinir] One of the most distinctive of wading birds, the Curlew prefers to breed on higher ground but can be seen and heard along the coast for much of the year. In spring, watch out for the similar Whimbrel, which stops off on its way North and gives a plainer, whinnying call as it flies.
[Welsh: Bran Goesgoch] An undisputed favourite of many cliff-top walkers, the Chough is a crow with a difference or two – namely its curved red beak and legs. The West Wales coastline remains a stronghold for this scarce bird. Only around 500 pairs nest in the whole of the UK. And its characterful yelps are usually delivered as it tumbles along the cliff edge, appearing out of nowhere and disappearing just as quickly.
[Welsh: Gwylan Goesddu] Named after its call, which is usually heard in chorus at a cliff-face colony numbering hundreds or thousands, the Kittiwake is truly a ‘sea gull’. Unlike many of its cousins, it hardly ever strays inland, and spends the winter far out to sea. It returns to its precarious nesting places in the spring, particularly the cliffs around Anglesey and Pembrokeshire.
[Welsh: Cigfran] It’s the sound of a Raven that often gives it away, as it sails high above your head. No other crow croaks as deeply, and when you clap eyes on it you can see why – it’s the size of a Buzzard!
[Welsh: Pioden y Mor] A familiar sound along rocky coastlines, where Oystercatchers like to hang out. They often call, in their rather panicky way, as they fly parallel with the shore – a stop-motion picture in black-and-white, with a long red beak.
And if you’re out and about along the Wales Coast Path on 5 May, help us set a new record by telling us what birds you’ve seen. It’s as easy as posting to our Facebook profile or tweeting your records on Twitter with the hashtag #WCPbirds.
