Hotels and Bed and Breakfasts in Wales
Wales is an essential country in the Western part of Great Britain. It is mountainous, and rich in natural resources, which makes it a common holiday favorite for many travelers all over the world.
There was once a riddle possibly written by an English traveler to Wales, which mentions seven of the most popular tourist spots in this abundant country. It became one of the most precise guides as to how to visit Wales by its top spots:
Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham steeple,
Snowdon's mountain without its people,
Overton yew trees, St Winefride wells,
Llangollen bridge and Gresford bells.
Pistyll Rhaeadr is translated as the spring of the waterfalI and it is an impressive natural water form in the Tanat Valley, which is 240 ft (74 metres) and is the highest in all of Wales. It is also said that it is the most difficult to reach among the seven wonders, because one has to travel far to see its astonishing beauty. The best time to visit this place is spring, when the melting snow coming from Moel Sych and other nearby rivers flow to this graceful waterfall. At the base of it, there is a little tea shop catering to the visitors of this secluded spot and yet, no other commercial shops are nearby, which allows a traveller to enjoy it naturally.
The Wrexham Steeple is a richly-decorated tower in the midst on an industrial country, 135 ft high, featuring four striking hexagonal turrets. This church is an exact replication of a church in the grounds of Yale University in the United States, where Elihu Yale, one of its formidable founding members, was a part of a prominent Welsh family.
In Northwest Wales is the magnificent Snowdon’s Mountain of the Snowdonia National Park. Approximately half a million people climb this wondrous mountain every year, and it is said that this park and the mountain is never without people visiting or enjoying it. The name Snowdon came from the Saxon Snow Dun which means snow hill or fortress. This place is great for cycling, climbing, picnics and family activities.
The Overton Yew Trees is located in the Denbigh county in Wales. Edward the 1st ordered in his time, that yew trees should be planted in all possible churchyards to keep a steady supply of material for longbows. It has no particular connection to the Welsh history, except perhaps, to honor the Welsh mercenary soldiers of old times.
St. Winifred’s Well is reachable by a short journey from Chester to Holywell in Flintshire. A legend of St. Winifred is largely associated with the building of this shrine, for which the site was originally chosen by St. Beuno. Many people, rich, famous and common have come to this sacred chapel to pray for their own intentions. This site is the only shrine in Britain that has an unbroken tradition of pilgrimage since the early Medieval period.
The Llangollen Bridge was built in 1347 by John Trevor, who later became Bishop of St. Asaph. Near this bridge, is a row of huge houses which host the famous annual International Musical Eisteddfod, which holds competitions for musicians, soloists, dancers and choirs.
The Gresford Bells in Gresford is the 7th wonder, characterized by a church remarkable for its size, and the bells, noteworthy for its purity of tone. The bells consist of eight bells to be chimed by one person, whereas an apparatus was installed in the belfry to make this possible. It is rung regularly for church activities and every November 5th annually.
All of these seven wonders are found within and around Chester and may be visited within a day or two. And since these famous sights from the riddle are nearby to each other, there are a lot of other treasures that await a traveler visiting Wales, outside of Chester. The 8th, 9th and 10th and perhaps, more ones, include rolling moorlands, glaciated mountain areas, majestic castles, mining towns and quaint little villages.
Counties and Districts in Wales
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