Although
Cardiff boasts most
of Wales' national institutions,
including the National Museum, the
appeal of a visit lies outside the
towns, where there is ample evidence
of the war-mongering which shaped
the country's development. Castles
are everywhere, from hard little
stone keeps of the early Welsh
princes and the mighty
Carreg
Cennen to Edward I's doughty
fortresses such as
Beaumaris,
Caernarfon and
Harlech .
Passage graves and stone circles
(such as on
Holy Island )
offer a link to the pre-Roman era
when the priestly order of Druids
ruled over early Celtic peoples, and
great medieval monastic houses, like
ruined
Tintern Abbey , are
easily accessible.
All these attractions are
enhanced by the beauty of the wild
Welsh countryside. The backbone of
the Cambrian Mountains terminates in
the soaring peaks of Snowdonia
National Park and the angular
ridges of the Brecon Beacons
; both are superb walking country,
as is the Pembrokeshire Coast
in the southwest. Much of the rest
of the coast remains unspoilt,
though long sweeps of sand are often
backed by traditional British
seaside resorts, such as Llandudno
in the north or Tenby in the
south.
