Wales tours for seniors.

Odyssey usually travels by coach and occasionally uses local transport, including trains and ferries. Specifics are always outlined in your tour itinerary. Because Wales’ geography is fairly rugged, the transport paths are largely confined to the most populous areas. As with the rest of the UK, its railway network was developed during the nineteenth century, and provides travel between most major centres. The only urban rail exists in the Welsh capital, Cardiff. There is also a bus network that provides transport, mainly around South Wales.

In major cities, Odyssey Wales tour stays in centrally located 3-4 star hotels, with easy access to public transport. In smaller towns or welsh countryside, we usually stay in family-run hotels or guesthouses. On our long stay tours, during which you spend the length of the tour in a single location, we use serviced apartments.

Odyssey always engages local guides with regional knowledge to ensure an authentic experience during which you can learn as much as possible about welsh history and culture of places you visit while enjoying the stunning coastline and the welsh countryside.

On the rugged coastline in western part of Great Britain, Wales covers only 20,000 square kilometres. Like most of the UK, the geography in Wales is variable, with valleys, coastal plains and mountain ranges. In fact, most of Wales is mountainous, reaching its apotheosis in the area known as Snowdownia or Eryri, places providing stunning scenery on group tours wales.

Wales’s climate is above all distinguished by its changeability and variation. Because of its geography, the mountains can shape the weather in swift and unexpected ways. Travelling in Wales, you’ll always need to be prepared for rain and wind, especially in the autumn and the early winter months, and whenever you’re walking hilly areas. In winter, the temperature averages around six degrees Celsius, but can head up to 24 degrees in summer!

The United Kingdom boasts 31 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, many of which are located in Wales. You can view the official list of the sites here. It is well worth visiting every site, if you are able. But here’s a few highlights from the bunch:

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal – Built over 200 years ago, this acqueduct holds 1.5 million litres of water. The structure itself comprises 18 arches, and is the oldest and longest navigable aqueduct in Great Britain.

Caernarfon Castle – This 13th century medieval castle, build by Edward I, is a stunning site and contains some fantastic exhibtions rooms in which you can discover its history.

Blaenavon World Heritage Site – This town was originally built up around an ironnworks, and is now home to the Big Pit: National Coal Museum. It is an extraordinary place to discover in detail how the industrial revolution came about and changed everything.

As with all countries that suffer through harsh winters, summer is the season for festivals in Wales.

The Hay Festival occurs around late May to early June, in Hay on Wye. It is a world renowned literature festival that takes place in the Brecon Beacons National Park, attracting guests and visitors from around the world. Not far from Wye is Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty a perfect place to walk on rolling hills and along the river.

The Gwyl Greynog Festival is a long running classical music festival with a new them each year. And the Wales Airshow is a free annual airshow which features aerobatic displays from vintage and contemporary aircraft.

1. The Owl Service by Alan Garner
2. On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin
3. A History of Wales by John Davies
4. The Matter of Wales by Jan Morris

The Welsh fiercely protect their customs and traditions, and this is reflected in their cuisine, too. For a time, traditional Welsh food was difficult to come by, but an initiative called “Wales, the True Taste” was introduced in the 2000s and led to something of a renaissance in the industry. This particular initiative was scrapped in 2013 as concerns over business growth and development arose. But there remains a proud passion for sharing Wales’s signature dishes, and it is well worth seeking them out on your travels.

Welsh lamb and beef feature prominently in this cuisine, along with local caught seafood including salmon, brown trout and lobster. A very traditional dish is cawl, a soup from a base of bacon, leek and cabbage that varies according to region and season.

Look out for laverbread: it is made from edible seaweed, sprinkled with oatmeal and served warmed with bacon for breakfast or supper.

There is an abundance of soft cheeses made with goats’ and sheep’s milk from local farms.

If you have a sweet tooth, you will be pleased to learn that the Welsh observe “teatime”, and serve various cakes flavoured with honey, cinnamon, caraway seed or fruit.

Traditional spiced Welsh cakes are similar to scones, but cooked on griddle plates (bakestones) and served with just a dusting of sugar, hot or cold.

While much of Wales is usually safe to travel around, it’s important to stay alert to anything unusual. Also, you will often see signs warning of pickpockets in areas popular with tourists, so it’s important to keep a close eye on your belongings at all times.

Whenever you travel overseas, it’s always wise to take an appropriate travel adaptor. The electricity supply runs at 230V, 50Hz. British plugs have three flat, rectangular pins which form a triangle. These are shared by Ireland, Malta and some former British colonies, but Australia is not one of them.