Cardiff and South Wales

Friday Day 1 – Travelling west, a stop will be made in the historical market town of Chippenham, one of the West Country’s most vibrant towns where Friday is also market day. There will be free time here during which lunch can be purchased before continuing on to the centrally located Holiday Inn in Cardiff where dinner is included.

Saturday Day 2 – Breakfast included. Today begins with an included visit to the Royal Mint, the world's leading export mint making coins and medals for an average of 60 countries annually. However, its first responsibility is to make and distribute UK coins as well as to supply blanks and official medals. Opened by the Queen in 1968 in readiness for the introduction of the decimal coinage, The Royal Mint's HQ in Llantrisant employs more than 900 people. Here they can produce 90 million coins and blanks a week, which equates to almost five billion coins a year. During the guided factory experience you will enter one of the manufacturing areas, discovering how blank pieces of metal are made before being struck to become coins. From a viewing area, you will look into the striking hall where thousands of coins are produced, 24 hours a day. A light lunch is included before departing for this afternoon’s included visit to the Rhondda Heritage Park. Marvel at the historic Chimney Stack, which dominates the skyline, along with the original Pit-head Wheel and Winding Gear. Visit the Fan House and two Engine Houses, both built in the late 1800’s. Included is a Black Gold Experience Underground Guided Tour which takes you through the recently developed Trefor & Bertie Engine Houses and into the original lamp room, where you will collect your miner’s helmet for your journey underground. You can almost hear the banter between the miners at the start and the end of their shifts. The guides are all retired miners - nobody knows the coal industry better than them! Follow in the footsteps of the miners who once worked at the Lewis Merthyr Colliery in the heart of the Rhondda Valley – the ‘Home of Coal.’ Your tour also includes Dram: the Cinematic Experience. Jump on board as you take a virtual ride on the last dram of coal to the surface and watch out for a few surprises. Hotel dinner included.

Sunday Day 3 – Breakfast included. Today is dedicated to Cardiff. Accompanied by a local guide, you will discover the city’s rich culture which has a diverse range of influences from the Romans & Normans, to the industrial revolution and the coal industry. This transformed Cardiff from a small town into a thriving international city with Cardiff Bay now being a thriving waterside development. At Cardiff’s vibrant waterfront and Mermaid Quay, you will be escorted on a guided walk during which you will see the former Norwegian Sailors’ Church, one of the landmark buildings situated in Cardiff Bay. Lunch can be purchased in the Bay area before transferring by boat (25-minute journey) to Cardiff Castle where a 50-minute tour of the Castle Apartments is included. You will see the spectacular Victorian interiors, learn more about the lavish decorations and the visionary people who created them. As well as the large and impressive rooms your guide will also show you more incredible spaces that are not open to the public, including the Winter Smoking Room, Nursery, Lord Bute’s Bedroom and the Roof Garden. Other areas of the Castle you can visit at your own pace. A hotel dinner is included this evening.

Monday Day 4 – Breakfast included. This morning’s included visit is to St Fagans and The Welsh National History Museum, one of Europe's foremost open–air museums and Wales’ most popular heritage attraction. Located in the grounds of the magnificent St Fagans Castle, this late 16th-century manor house was donated to the people of Wales by the Earl of Plymouth. During the last 50 years, over 40 original buildings from different historical periods have been re-erected in the 100-acre parkland. The re-erected buildings include houses, a farm, a school, a chapel and a splendid Workmen's Institute. There are also workshops where craftsmen still demonstrate their traditional skills. Lunch can be purchased before this afternoon’s included visit to Castell Coch, or the ‘Red Castle’, which rises up from the ancient beech woods of Fawr forest like a vision from a fairytale. Yet these great towers with their unmistakable conical roofs only hint at the splendour within. Given free rein by the 3rd Marquess of Bute, architect William Burges didn’t hold back. The highly decorated interiors and rich furnishings of Castell Coch make it a dazzling masterpiece of the High Victorian era. Return to the hotel to freshen up before departing by coach for a finale dinner at Gwindyr, a local vineyard, beginning with a glass of their Welsh vintage sparkling wine. You will be taken on a personally conducted tour of the vineyard with the chance to meet the Llamas, for those interested! It is then time for a tasty and freshly prepared set two course meal using local produce wherever possible. This usually includes Welsh leek and Caerphilly cheese quiche, hot local sausages, rustic breads with a selection of Welsh cheeses and a mixed salad with garden herbs, followed by a delicious dessert. To complement dinner, you will be served two further Glyndwr wines before returning to the hotel.

Tuesday Day 5 – Breakfast included. Checking out of the hotel one final visit is included to the historic Llancaiach Fawr Manor where you will be escorted on a fascinating private 90-minute guided tour. The peaceful and rural setting of this manor house belies the violence of its early years. Built in 1530 for Dafydd ap Richard, it was designed to be easily defended during the turbulent reigns of Tudor kings and queens. By the start of the Stuart dynasty, the Prichards had prospered and the house was extended in 1628 to demonstrate their status. Today, it is a Living History Museum where you will step back in time and visit the restored Manor furnished as it was in 1645, when local allegiances changed from King to Parliament. See and hear how ordinary people lived in extraordinary times and the folklore and superstition which ruled their lives. A light lunch is included here before continuing the journey homeward returning to your original departure point(s) later today.