Wales is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. Although Wales shares a close political and social history with the rest of Great Britain the country has taken a distinctive cultural distinctiveness.
The Welsh are proudly defensive of their capital, which has proudly transformed from a rustic backwater town into a flourishing university city with an increasingly active arts scene. Cardiff Castle is worth seeing for its outrageous interior. Revamped by the Victorians it’s more Hollywood than medieval. Nearby, the National Museum of Wales packs in everything Welsh but also includes one of the finest collections of Impressionist art in Britain. The Wels Folk Museum at St. Fagan’s is a popular open air attraction with reconstructed buildings and craft demonstrations.
The valleys of Usk and Wye in South Wales are beautiful but can be packed with day tourists. The south coast from Newport to Swansea is heavily industrialized and the valleys running north into the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons National Forest are still struggling to come to grips with the loss of the coal-mining industry. Even so, the tiny villages that form a continuous chain along the valleys have their own stark beauty and the people are very friendly. The traditional market town of Abergavenny gives you a chance to experience life underground and offers guided tours by former miners.
Brecon is an attractive, historic market town, with a cathedral dating back to the 13th century. The market is held on Tuesday and Friday. There’s a highly acclaimed jazz festival held annually in August. Hay-on-Wye is located at the north-eastern tip of the Black Mountains. The Black Mountains are a group of hills that are the easternmost of the four ranges of hills that contain the Brecon Beacons National Park. Hay-on-Wye is an eccentric market village that is now known as the world center for second hand books. There are over 26 shops and two million books. This town sells everything from first editions to books by the yard.
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