A Holiday in Wales - advise please!

[wils]

I know it's not quite Disney World (mores the pity) but we have decided to take the in-laws up on the offer to use their house whilst they are in sunny Oz next month.

There are based in Rogerstone near Newport but I am afraid we don't know anything about what there is to do in the area as they haven't lived there that long.

Any suggestions on places to visit would be very much appreciated.

We are 'me', DH & DD aged 2. We will have a car and DH doesn't mind doing some miles (and neither does DD as long as we can listen to her Disney Princess CD (groan!))

Thank you

Jo

 

[Goofyish]

Don't know the are that well, but one piece of useful advise I have is - take an umbrella

I believe the area to the west around Tenby and the St Davids is very nice. You also have the Brecon Beacons to the north.
It's also only a short drive around to Western-Super-Mare and Bristol

 

[florida sun]

Jo

I live in Cardiff about 8 Miles away and I have a friend who lives in Rogerstone, so I have listed a few things below. If you want to give me a PM, I will give you my number and if you get stuck on looking for something while you are there, you can always give me a ring.

In Rogerstone:There are some lovley walks to do around the river that runs through Rogerstone, your nearest supermarket is in Rogerstone and is Morrisons.
A lovley restaraunt you may want to try is about 10 minutes away on A467 called "junction 28." It is not cheap, but very good. If you go for the earlybird seating before 7pm they do a special 3 course for about £12.00. Fabulous Food.
Tredeger House and gardens is also about a 10 minuete drive away.

In Cardiff: About 8 miles.
Well there is so much to do here, I wont be able to list it all, but these would be some of the highlights:
Cardiff Castle
Millennium Stadium
Best Shopping centre for miles
Cardiff Bay - Tecniquest which is a science centre for kids with interactive things to do. Great day out.
Also in Cardiff Bay you can take a water taxi around the bay.
There are loads of great places to eat and drink at the bay.

In Caerphilly:About 10 Miles.
The Beautiful Castle Coch on the way to Caerphilly is just about the prettiest castle you will ever see, it is known around here as The Fairy Castle.
Caerphilly Castle(As you can tell, we love our castles in Wales)

Brecon Beacons:About 30 miles
The beautiful Brecon beacons are a great sight, at the moment they are covered in snow, but in the spring they are the most beautiful green scenery.

Penarth: About 9 Miles
If you fancy seeing a bit of the seaside while you are here, talk a trip down to Penarth Front, there is a lovley pebble beach and great pier.

Bridgend:About 16 Miles
You can find the shopping haven that is Macarther Glen a shopping outlet.

Gower: About 40 Miles

One of the best beaches in Wales.

You of course, can go much further afield, down to West Wales, to visit Carmarthan, Tenby, Saunderdfoot, which would take you about hour and a half to get there. There are plenty of things to do down there as well, but that would be a whole new page lol.

Hope this will give you a good idea of what is around. If you need to know anything else, just let me know. Dont forget you can also call me when you are here, if you get stuck.

Sue

 

[Hilary]

I'm not familiar enough with the Newport area to be able to add anything much that sue hasn't already mentioned.

I'd agree a visit to Cardiff is pretty much a must-do - it's a great city

There's the National Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagan's which is very child-friendly and has reconstructions of whole streets as well as individual buildings. Your DD may be a little too young for this though.

You can't beat the Gower beaches (I live about 1/2 mile from one of the most photographed in the area at Three Cliffs ) although you might find them a bit chillier than Florida! If you're into surfing you should head for Langland, Caswell or Rhosili beaches. The first two are fairly 'cosmopolitan' with ice cream stalls, etc., but Rhosili is just 3 miles of sand

I also agree that Castell Coch is magical for little ones - just like a fairy castle

 

[wils]

Thanks for all the ideas - we are really looking forward to the break now.

We have been to the in-laws this weekend and they have been collecting leaflets for us too. I also know how the oven and washing machine work!

DD keeps requesting ice cream in Wales - so I am grateful for your info Hilary (actually I think she associates the 2 as her grandparents often take her to McDonalds for an ice cream when we visit them)

Sue - thanks so much for all the suggestions - we could go for a month. Some of the places sounded familiar as I think the in-laws are enjoying exploring the area themselves.

Goofyish- Good point re ! We may well go shopping in Bristol or Cribs Causeway? so I'm sure DH would love to thank you for that suggestion

Cheers

Jo

 

[Camac]

Hi Jo,

Another vote for a visit to Swansea. Hilary is right, we do have wonderful beaches and if it's ice-cream you are looking for then you must make a visit to Joe's for some of the best ice cream you will ever taste!

A lot of the Swansea shops now sell Joe's but try to visit Joe's ice cream parlours - one in St. Helen's Road and one in The Mumbles for the full experience.

Camac

 

[Hilary]

you must make a visit to Joe's for some of the best ice cream you will ever taste!

Ooh yes! Joe's secret recipe from his own two ice cream parlours is much nicer than the frozen and packaged Joe's in other shops. A very close contender is Frank's ice cream

 

[paulh]

visit the in laws while there away must rember that
Paulh

 

[debchard]

Sorry this is a bit late but I've just sene it.

Another place worth a visit if you're interested in history is Caerleon - a Roman town with ruins and a museum etc. (sometimes have special things on at the museum for kids).

Castell Coch, Caerphilly Castle and Raglan Castle are nice - take a picnic.

Agree that Junction 28 is a good place for food and the Gower is definitely a must - lovely area. Personally, I prefer Cardiff shopping to Cribbs Causeway (though it's expensive to park).