What You See in the Welsh Capital Cardiff and On The Trains Through Wales

Problem
Even if you are not planning to visit Cardiff on a train trip through Wales, you will probably pass through Cardiff and one or two other interesting places and spot old and new buildings. What will you see? If you come home with a picture taken through the car or train window, what have you seen?

Answers
Firstly by car you will probably take the M4 over the spectacular bridge. (You need some cash for the toll, but you only pay one way. Going into Wales is free. You'll need some cash for the toll coming out. Or is it the other way round? I can never remember. I have to look it up.) Just across the bridge is Newport. (Divert right to Caerleon to see the Roman museum.) Then the capital and largest city of Cardiff. Cardiff.

These are my photos from a train trip right the way across Wales, from Paddington in London to Fishguard and Goodwick on the West coast of Wales. I passed through the largest city in Wales which is also the Welsh capital, Cardiff, which I had visited every year for a decade, sometimes by car, and walked around the city and had afternoon trips.

Let's start with a list of the places to visit in Cardiff which I saw on previous trips. Yes, it is worthwhile taking an afternoon or day trip to Cardiff.

Newport
Clock in the city Centre.

Cardiff
Cardiff Castle, a grand castle which dominates the city. Black and imposing.
Castle Coch (red castle). Exotic colourful decorations. A short side trip.
Cardiff Museum. City centre and free.

Swansea
Home of Dylan Thomas. See outside of his birthplace; then his cottage museum on the seafront.

Fishguard lower town, water, boats, plaque.

Herring sculpture.

Cannon.

Old terraced cottages painted in pastel colours, flowers bedecking lamp posts and the herring sculpture.

Fishguard
Pretty lower bay.

Go uphill to Fishguard hotel and read about how Liz Taylor and Richard Burton filmed here. The bay was the setting for films about Moby Dick and Dylan Thomas.

Swansea is on the shortlist to be the Uk's city of culture, not yet, (Hull's is this year's) not even next year but in the year 2012, in five year's time.

Websites
In the past Wales has been the setting for films (movies) of Dr Who, The Prisoner, Snow White and many more, as shown on the official website.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-40611161 (About the city of Culture shortlist.)
www.visitwales.com official website

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.