Wales is in the spotlight this week in Canada as Wrexham FC arrives to play the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday (July 27). The team, co-owned by Vancouver-born actor Ryan Reynolds, and featured in the documentary series ‘Welcome to Wrexham,’ has become a global phenomenon as the team channels its Hollywood ownership with success on the field, rising from non-league football/soccer to Britain’s League One in just a couple of years.
Visit Britain notes that Welcome to Wrexham is not Wales’ first cinematic star turn, with other TV and film settings and backdrops ranging from Harry Potter and Dr Who, to Sex Education and House of the Dragons.
Located to the west of England, tiny Wales packs in a lot. With 12 great little steam trains, four UNESCO World Heritage Sites, award winning sandy beaches along with lots of colourful market towns, and Cardiff, the vibrant capital city.
Here are 10 terrific ways to visit Wales:
- Visit one of over 600 castles, four have UNESCO World Heritage Status and the tower at Caerphilly out leans the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
- Put on your walking boots to discover 32,998 km of walking paths including three National Trails and the Wales Coast Path.
- The National Museum Cardiff houses the best collection of impressionist paintings outside Paris – and it’s free to visit too! There are six other National Museums of Wales as well as over 90 accredited museums and galleries around Wales to explore.
- Visit Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. It’s a compact city and easy to get around with plenty to see and do including Cardiff Castle, National Museum Cardiff, the Principality Stadium (the home of Welsh rugby) and the waterside developments in Cardiff Bay.
- Take a journey along The Wales Way, our family of three touring routes, each one unique and passing through spectacular scenery.
- Three national parks celebrate three different landscapes. The rocky mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia) that contrast with the greener mountains and waterfalls of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) as well as the rugged Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Wales also has five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
- Where better to try coasteering than the country it was created in. Get in a wet suit, clamber over and up onto the rocks of the shoreline, only to jump off them into the sea. Professionally supervised that is.
- Meet food and drink producers. Learn to cook and taste a Welsh cake or enjoy Welsh national dishes including Welsh rarebit, salt marsh lamb or Welsh black beef dishes. Taste award-winning whiskies, gins, wine, beers and chocolate.
- Enjoy experiences that are beyond ordinary. Take a dip in the wild seaweed baths at Halen Mons in Anglesey, relax by the coast at one of Wales incredible beach saunas or get some rest at Deep Sleep, the deepest underground accommodation in the world, situated 420 metres deep. More on unique experiences.
- Wales is one of the top destinations in the world for stargazing. It has three protected International Dark Sky Places including the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Eryri National Park and Elan Valley Estate, and Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island) was the first site in Europe to be awarded International Dark Sky Sanctuary certification. Discover the best stargazing experiences Wales has to offer.
For more information, the travel trade is invited to visit https://traveltrade.visitwales.com/.