Llancaiach Fawr Manor near Caerphilly is a great day out.

It’s an old manor house built in 1530 and today visitors can step back in time to 1645 and the time of the Civil War.

The house is decorated in the style of the era and visitors get the chance to meet the mansion’s servants who will tell you of what life was like at that time. Servants you might come across include the maids, the cooks and the groom. And if you’re lucky you might even get the chance to meet Colonel Pritchard, the master of the house himself.

The house is also reported to be the most haunted in Wales. Many sightings and strange goings on have been reported in almost every room of the house. Ghosts are believed to include a former housekeeper named Mattie, a young boy and even the spirit of the Colnel Pritchard himself.

Take a look for yourself on the Ghost Cam, if you dare.

Llancaiach Fawr Manor

Despite being a relatively small village, there’s plenty of interesting places to visit.  

At the entrance to Merthyr Mawr village is the ‘Dipping Bridge’.  Built in the 15th century, the holes in the sides allowed farmers to push their sheep into the River Ogmore for a seasonal dip! At the side of the bridge once stood an inn, once popular with travellers on a pilgrimage to the city of St David’s in Pembrokehsire.  It was reputed that the landlord would rob and murder his visitors and bury their bodies in his cellar.  When the pub was eventually demolished at the beginning of the 20^th century hundreds of skeletons were found in the basement. 

Just down the lane from the Dipping Bridge lie the remains of Candleston Castle, once a 15th century fortified mansion house, it is now an ivy covered ruin that was the centre point of ancient village of Treganlaw.

Just beyond the castle is one of the biggest sand dune systems in Europe.  It one stretched for miles, right around Swansea Bay and some of the dunes are as big as small mountains.  The dunes are an important wildlife habitat and site of scientific interest, which shelters a rich variety of plants. Parts of the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ were filmed here.

Finally, cross the ‘Swing Bridge’ and over the stepping stones to explore Ogmore Castle, probably the most picturesque castle in Wales before sitting down for some well earned refreshments in the tea rooms or one of the country pubs nearby.

Walking is one of the most popular activities in Wales. When you see the scenery it’s not really surprising.

There are hundreds of walks all over the country – in our towns and cities, through the countryside and along the coast. Some are flat, some a little steeper. All the routes offer their own challenges but if you’re looking for something really testing then the biggest of the lot is the Offa’s Dyke Path.

Offa’s Dyke itself is the historic border between Wales and England which was built around 757AD and today the path follows this route all the way from Chepstow in the south, right the way up through the country to Prestatyn on the North Wales coast. A total of 177 miles.

The path goes through some of the most stunning scenery in Wales – wild moorland, majestic valleys, and mysterious woodland. It also goes through the Wye Valley, officially and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Sites to look out for on the route include the market town of Chepstow with its 11th century castle standing guard over the Wales/England border, the beautiful village of Tintern and its imposing Abbey, the 3 castles of Grosmont, Skenfirth and White Castle and the 12th century Llanthony Priory, sitting in a secluded valley in the Black Mountains.

If you’re up for the challenge then it’s definitely worth the effort.

www.visitwyevalley.com

www.offasdyke.demon.co.uk

One way of entertaining the kids during the summer holidays is to take them along to Techniquest in Cardiff Bay. They’ll love it (my son certainly did).

Techniquest is hands on science centre. It houses 160 science, maths and engineering exhibitions and experiments. And the best thing about it is that because your child is having so much fun they don’t realise they’re also learning at the same time. Live demonstrations and a planetarium all add to the fun.

Visit www.techniquest.org for more details about their opening hours and admission prices.

Penderyn Distillery

Originally uploaded by Visit Southern Wales

Did you know Wales produces its own whisky? It might not be as well known as its Scottish or Irish counterparts but that will surely change soon.

Penderyn Whisky (which takes its name from the village in the Brecon Beacons National Park where the distillery is based) started production in 2000 and the first bottle was released on St David’s Day in 2004. It was the first whisky to be (legally!) produced in Wales since the 19th century. The distillery is situated on a natural spring and it uses this water, to produce the whisky.

The visitor centre opened in 2008 and gives visitors a tour explaining how the distilling process works. Even better, at the end of the tour you get the chance to sample the whisky (or vodka, gin or cream liquor that they also produce).

And if you’re really into your whisky, why not try the Penderyn Distillery Master Class tour. This includes a detailed tour of the distillery, an in-depth look at how the whisky is made and also an expert tasting session.

For more details take a look at their website – www.welsh-whisky.co.uk

Iechyd da!

Help us write this blog with tales from your trip. Where did you go? What did you do and what did you see?  What was the favourite part of your holiday?

Just reply to this post or send us an e-mail to tourism@southernwales.com with details of your holiday and we’ll publish the best ones on the Wondeful Wales blog.

Don’t forget to include some pictures you took yourself if you and everyone in it are happy for it to be published.

A fantastic summer festival period has seen some great entertainment including JLS, Feeder and Athlete all descend on the area as well as our home grown talent The Blackout.

This weekend is the turn of the unique Rock n Raft event at the Cardiff International White Water Rafting Centre (7th August) followed by a Right Royal Picnic at Cardiff Castle (8th August)

As the events roll around thick and fast be sure to put the Cardiff Harbour Festival in you diary taking place from August 28th – 30th. This event was fantastic last year providing great entertainment for all the family.

What’s your favourite summer event?

Broad Street, Blaenavon

Originally uploaded by Visit Southern Wales

At first it might not be obvious what links the town of Blaenavon with India’s Taj Mahal, Australia’s Barrier Reef or the Great Wall of China. In fact all these places (plus another 886 around the world) are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The status of World Heritage Site is given to an area or monument which is considered to have had a significant historical impact on the world. Blaenavon was awarded its World Heritage status in 2000 in recognition for the role it played at the forefront of the industrial revolution.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth century the town became one of the biggest and most important coal, iron and steel producers in the world. Find out more about the past at the town’s World Heritage Centre, Big Pit National Coal Museum or the Blaenavon Ironworks museum.

Today the area is thriving and is popular with tourists eager to find out more about its past. The town’s high street is also popular, lined as it is with many independent retailers selling local crafts and produce.

Try some of the fantastic Blaenavon cheese, which comes in a range of weird and wonderful flavours – Cider and Onion Marmalade, Mustard Leek and Ale or for a bit of bite try Anadl y Ddraig (Dragon’s Breath), a hot chilli cheddar.

We’ve had the kids Eisteddfod, the International Eisteddfod and the Animal Eisteddfod, so finally it’s time for the big one – the National Eisteddfod.

This year, the nomadic festival makes Ebbw Vale its home. This Saturday sees the first of 8 days of musical, poetic and dancing competitions as well as spectacular concerts and ancient ceremonies full of history and pageantry.

And when you’re done with all that, you can take a wander around the Eisteddfod’s huge site. Here you’ll find all sorts of stalls and stands selling all sorts of Welsh produce and crafts.

And then that’s it, the end of the Eisteddfod season. No more Eisteddfods (until we do it all again next year).

The festivals and events are coming thick and fast this time of year. And this weekend it’s time for the town of Caerphilly to celebrate.

Now, if there’s two things that Caerphilly is famous for, it’s cheese and the castle. It fitting then that their Big Cheese Festival takes place in the fields surrounding the giant fort.

Starting on Friday night with the Great Cheese Race, the festival runs over the whole weekend and features, amongst other things street entertainers, living history re-enactments, music, dance and traditional funfair.

And don’t forget the best bit – it’s free

www.caerphilly.gov.uk/bigcheese/