Wales

Wales has myriad towns and villages with seemingly unpronounceable names, its own language, an ancient form of Celtic, and its own prince, Charles. Narrow-gauge steam railways puff contentedly through glorious scenery, and there are more castles per square mile than anywhere else in Europe. The Welsh have always been fiercely independent. Consequently, they built fortifications to defend themselves while Edward I commissioned a series of daunting fortresses from which the English could sally forth to subdue the fiery Welsh. Today these mighty fortresses are some of Wales’s greatest treasures. Smaller but beloved treasures are the “Great Little Trains,” narrow-gauge steam railway lines with hard-working “toy” trains that once hauled slate and still steam through gorgeous countryside. And at journey’s end there is bound to be a steaming cuppa to be enjoyed with bara brith, a scrumptious currant bread. As the signs say, Croeso i Cymru - Welcome to Wales.