United Kingdom (UK) is a union of four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We have, over time, visited three of them and looking forward to visit Wales also at some point in time.
What is there to say about UK? It was one of the most powerful countries in the world for centuries and is still a nuclear power and a major power. All this power has brought an influx of wealth into the home territories and even with most overseas posessions lost the results of that influx of wealth are visible everywhere and impressive buildings abound in the cities. London is one of the major capitals of the world, worth a visit, and going further north to Scotland you can see impressive castles and surprising wild nature patches. Megaliths are seemingly everywhere and there is no lack of castles throughout the isles.
Map of Travels
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Trips
- Evening in Westminster and downtown
For our last stop of the day and the trip we disembark at Big Ben and walk up to Buckingham Palace to get a feeling of the coronation vibe on the streets - Afternoon in Greenwich
The afternoon of the last day is spent in Greenwich where we also say goodbye to our relatives - Lunch in Southwark, London
We start the day with an early lunch/late breakfast on the Thames River shore in Southwark - Castle Combe, a brush with the Cotswolds
One more stop was requested when we planned the trip, in Cotswolds, and we do it in Castle Combe an enchanting small village on our way - Cardiff, the capital of Wales
Cardiff is the capital of Wales and worth a stop for a few hours if staying in the area - Castell Coch, the whimsiest of them all
The prettiest of the castles in Wales is actually quite a new one built in the 19th century based on the whimsies of the 3rd Marquess of Bute - Caerphilly Castle, the biggest of them all
Caerphilly Castle is the largest castle in Wales and the second largest in UK, a huge imposing building protected by moats, high walls and dragons - Dyffyn Ardudwy Burial Chamber
Last stop of the day is at Dyffyn Ardudwy Burial Chamber a scenic prehistoric pair of tombs - Harlech Castle, last but not least of the Unesco castles
Harlech Castle, sitting impressively on a rocky crag, is the only one from the Edward I castles which was deserted by the sea - Plas Mawr Mansion and the Smallest House
The other major attraction that we can visit using our CADW Pass in Conwy is Plas Mawr the finest surviving Elizabethan town house in Britain - Conwy Castle – the most famous of them all
Probably the most famous of Edward I Welsh castles Conwy Castle is a wonder to behold and well worth a visit - Scenic Bryn Celli Ddu Burial Chamber
With all the medieval castles we also wanted to see something more ancient and Bryn Celli Ddu Burial Chamber was a great and scenic choice - Beaumaris Castle, the water castle
The only unfinished castle of the major ones built by Edward I in Wales Beaumaris Castle is scenically surrounded by an active moat - First of the fabled castles, Caernarfon Castle
One of the famous castles of King Edward Caernarfon Castle is recognized as one of the greatest buildings in Britain and is an Unesco WHS - National Slate Museum, another World Heritage site
The National Slate Museum is a testament to the history of slate mining in Wales and worth visiting if passing by - Crossing through Snowdonia NP and the “Ugly House”
The day starts with a drive through the heart of Snowdonia NP with some breathtaking views and small traditional villages - Trefriw – our base in Northern Wales
Trefriw is our base in Northern Wales to reach all the castles and mines that we intend to visit - Getting scared at Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
One of the Unesco sites in Wales Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is worth a visit if passing nearby - Chester, the gateway to Wales
After almost visiting it a few years ago this time we are able to make time to visit the magical city of Chester - Spending the night at Manchester Airport
Late afternoon we board our plane to Manchester where we are meeting relatives for a trip through Wales - Killing time before the flight to Cyprus
We spend half of the day in London waiting for the plane first in the hotel and then in the lounge which unexpectedly is easy to access - Arriving in London
We start our trip with a long flight to London sleeping at a hotel connected to Heathrow Terminal 5 with a good restaurant - Giant’s Causeway, a magnificent site
The major stop today is at the Giant’s Causeway an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns and a famous natural area in UK - Exploring Ballymoney
We spend the morning exploring Ballymoney the city in Northern Ireland we spent the night in