South Wales (UK)

This is the country’s most populated area, with the most diverse countryside. There’s the coastline: the gorgeous Gower Peninsula has fantastic family beaches on its south-east shores, plus breathtaking beaches further west where adventure sports take precedence over sandcastles – and all glorious for walking. The Vale of Glamorgan’s coastline is also packed with stunning beaches, dominated by distinctly layered cliffs. These are beaches for water sports fans, walkers and nature lovers as well as traditional holidaymakers. Ogmore-by-Sea is probably the prettiest along this section, although some might vote for Dunraven Bay a few miles east.
Between Ogmore-by-Sea and Porthcawl there is also the spectacularly sandy Merthyr Mawr beach, backed by huge dunes.
Then there are the cities of Cardiff (see separate section) and Swansea, dominating south Wales and providing first-class culture and heritage attractions. Swansea is increasingly becoming a tourist destination in its own right, thanks to the Maritime Quarter and its new National Waterfront Museum, the Dylan Thomas Centre and annual festival, along with the sheer beauty of Swansea Bay. But the industrial heritage of The Valleys is also carving out its own niche. As South Wales comes to terms with the loss of all but a fraction of its coal, iron and steel industries, it is being reborn. Although some parts remain grim and oppressive, defunct coal mines and iron works, still central to the local community spirit, have been turned into attractions where youngsters can get grubby, explore old tunnels, and gaze in awe from under the lights on their helmets. Meanwhile, the mountain railways and the canals that took coal and other goods down to the ports are now places of fun and adventure. So the next time you’re planning a mad dash to the West, turn off the M4 for a while and sample some extraordinary natural and man-made attractions that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.

Brecon Beacons National Park

Brecon Beacons is the only UK National Park to include an area of such geological importance that it has been granted UNESCO Global Geopark status.

Fforest Fawr (Welsh for Great Forest) is the range of mountains between the central Beacons and the Black Mountain to the west. The Fforest Fawr Geopark is home to stunning natural attractions such as the National Showcaves Centre for Wales, Craig-y-nos Country Park nearby, spectacular waterfalls and brooding reservoirs, as well as the highest mountain in southern Britain – Pen y Fan – and the wilderness area of the Black Mountain.

However, the national park itself extends further to the west, taking in the mountain cliff-top castle of Carreg Cennon, near the market town of Llandeilo, and going as far east as the Black Mountains between Abergavenny and Hay-on-Wye, and as far south as Pontypool, and the outskirts of Merthry Tydfil. There might not be beaches here but we found that our children were entranced by their surroundings – which are totally different from anywhere else – and by the fact that almost anywhere you stop or visit is a place where they can explore, climb or kick a ball.