Wales - Galles

Wales
Location
Coat of arms and flag
State	UK
Capital	Cardiff
Surface	20,779 km²
Inhabitants	3.004.600 (2008)
Tourism site

Wales (in Welsh Cymru; in EnglishWales) is one of the four nations that make up the UK.

To know

The name of Wales in English - "Wales" - comes from the word Germanic Walha, which meant foreigner or non-Germanic.

Geographical notes

Located on a peninsula that juts out into the Irish Sea, in the southwest of the Great Britain, borders the counties British of the Cheshire, of the Shropshire, ofHerefordshire he was born in Gloucestershire to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, the St George's Canal to the southwest and the Irish Sea to the west and north.

When to go

Wales is located in a temperate area even if the climate is strongly influenced by the presence of the sea that surrounds the whole peninsula. The weather in Wales is often cloudy, windy and rainy, with hot summers and mild winters. The days that have different characteristics that change and repeat themselves within a few hours. Spring is the least rainy season, although in the spring months of March and April there is always to expect a possible resurgence of winter style. The maximum temperatures are around 20 ° C along the coasts, a few degrees further from the sea where the fresh ocean breeze does not act. Autumn and winter are instead gloomy seasons, with abundant rain but average temperatures that remain around 5-6 ° C above zero on the coast, while it can be much colder in inland and mountainous areas.

Background

Caernarfon Castle, built by Edward I ofEngland after the English conquest of Wales in 1282

The first historical findings of populations residing in Wales are around 29,000 years ago, i.e. at the time of the glaciation, probably of an immigrant people from the present Denmark to which Wales was united.

The Romans reached Wales in 48 BC. and it took about 30 years to colonize it.

Wales was the last island remnant of ancient Britain to be swept by the Anglo-Saxon invasions. This caused a sharp linguistic break (Wales remained Gaelic, England became Germanic), but helped to reduce other cultural differences.

Wales lost its independence in 1282, when King Edward I of England defeated the Welsh ruler Llywelyn II, the last of the Welsh kings to retain his independence, at the Battle of Cilmeri.

Cardiff it has become its capital since 1955.

Spoken languages

Wales has its own language "Cymraeg", the cymric or Welsh (in English the language is called welsh, which however means "foreigner" in the Germanic languages), which derives (like the cornico of the Cornwall and the Breton of the Brittany) from the ancient Britico.

Culture and traditions

The patron saint of Wales is St David "Dewi Sant," celebrated on 1 March.

Wales' motto is "Cymru am byth"(" Wales forever ").

The daffodil and leek are the national symbols of Wales.

Suggested readings

Davies, John (1994). A History of Wales. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-014581-8.

Territories and tourist destinations

Wales divided geographically and culturally into three regions:

      North Wales - Several tourist villages located along the coast, but mainly a rural area with the highest mountains in the UK south of the Scotland.

      Mid Wales - A sparsely populated region, made up of mountains, moors, woods, wide river valleys and a coast overlooking the Irish Sea.

      South Wales - The south is by far the most urbanized area. Two thirds of the population can be found here, mostly in the eastern part. The western half, often referred to as West Wales, is rural and includes some stunning coastal scenery.

Urban centers

Other destinations

How to get

No special visas are required for citizens Italians as the country is part of the UK.

By plane

The main airport is the Cardiff International Airport, 15km south of the city. It is served by several airlines but byItaly the only direct flight departs from Milan.

An alternative is to fly from Italy to Bristol, in England.

By car

South Wales is well connected to the rest of the UK.

• The M4 connects London with Bristol, and across the Severn Bridge (for a fee), Newport, Cardiff, Swansea, is Carmarthen
• The M50 connects the Midlands with the South Wales.

North Wales has no motorway connections. However, there are still good connections with the rest of the UK.

• The A5, followed by the M54 later Shrewsbury, for London and the Midlands passes through the spectacular Snowdonia National Park
• The island of Anglesey it is on the A55 along the north coast. If you are coming from the south try the A5 which takes you through the mountains of the North Wales.

On boat

• Regular ferry service between Holyhead is Dublin, provided by two operators: Stenaline is Irish Ferries several ferries per day both passengers and vehicles, booking from their website.
• Swansea-Cork Ferries, @[email protected]. Six crossings per week in between Swansea is Cork in Ireland, reduced number in autumn and winter. 

On the train

South Wales

The main routes connect the south (in particular Newport, Cardiff is Swansea) with the whole of the UK on Virgin Trains (for Birmingham and the north east including the Scotland), Central Trains (for the Midlands), Trains Wales arrives is First Great Western (to London Paddington).

North Wales

• There North Wales Coast Line colleague Manchester, Crewe is London with the coastal resorts of Rhyl is Prestatyn, the city of Bangor, the island of Anglesey and the port of Holyhead. There are tickets to reach Dublin (Ireland) which include the ferry from Holyhead to Dún Laoghaire. Services operated by Arriva (from Manchester) and Virgin Trains (from London and Crewe)
• There Conwy Valley Line goes from Llandudno Junction along the River Conwy, and connects to the North Wales Coast line and Ffestiniog Railway trains.
• There Cambrian Coast Line goes from Shrewsbury (in England), through the Mid Wales passing through Machynlleth, and for the coastal centers of Fairbourne is Barmouth, up to the southern part of Snowdonia, Harlech is Porthmadog, and along the south coast of the Lleyn Peninsula until Pwllheli.
• There Borderlands Line goes to Shrewsbury, Wrexham is Bidston, connecting various centers of the Flintshire how Wirral, Shrewsbury and Wrexham. A new line should connect Wrexham, Oswestry and Shrewsbury in London
• Trains Wales arrives.

Central Wales

• Arriva Trains also has the famous Heart of Wales Line from Swansea in Shrewsbury
• There Cambrian Line has the same path as the Cambrian Coast Line until Machynlleth, then go south along the coast to Borth up to the university city of Aberystwyth.

Train timetables

Check out the National Rail or The TrainLine.

By bus

National Express offers bus services in the UK and many parts of Wales.

How to get around

By car

From north to south, by car, it takes about 4 hours and you pass through spectacular areas such as Snowdonia and others where the view is truly beautiful.

What see

What to do

Cultural events

• Brecon Jazz Festival (Brecon). 
• Cardiff Singer of the World Competition (Cardiff). 
• Hay Festival (Hay-on-Wye). Literary Festival. 
• Dylan Thomas Festival (Swansea). Annual event held between October 27 and November 9 (dates of birth and death of the poet) to remember and celebrate the works of Thomas. It also hosts the award ceremony of the Dylan Thomas Prize; a biennial competition that rewards the greatest literary talent in English under 30. 
• Dylan Thomas Fringe (Swansea). Complementary to the Dylan Thomas Festival, it is held in various locations around the city. 
• International Eisteddfod (Llangollen). Traditional dance and music festival. 
• National Eisteddfod (Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru). First week of August. A week-long event in Welsh, with simultaneous translations, held each year in a different city. 
• Sesiwn Fawr. World Music Festival every July or Dolgellau. Six stages. 
• ^{[link not working]}Swansea Bay Film Festival (Swansea). The UK's premier independent film festival 
• Swansea Festival of Music and the Arts (Swansea). It is held in October and lasts for 3 weeks. 
• Wakestock. Music festival and wakeboarding contest is held at Abersoch every July. 

Golf

Wales has a long golfing tradition and has had many great players. The golf courses here tend to be quieter and cheaper than in other parts of the country.EuropeThere are many golf courses of all levels, more or less recent.

There are many in the Vale of Glamorgan area between Cardiff and Bridgend, have proliferated over the past 15 years to serve the Cardiff Commuter Belt. Many others around the areas of Conwy is Llandudno.

Among the most beautiful routes in Wales are:

• The Celtic Manor Resort. In Newport, Monmouthshire, it hosted the Ryder Cup in 2010. 
• Conwy (Caernarvonshire). 
• Machynys Golf and Country Club (Llanelli, Carmarthenshire). Designed by Jack Nicklaus. 
• The Vale Resort. To Hensol. 

Heritage Railways

Train on the Talyllyn Railway at a level crossing near Brynglas

These are considered more attractions than ways to get around, although the Ffestiniog Railway from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog it can be used to get to places on major rail routes and the Welsh Highland Railway forms a good link between Caernarfon, Beddgelert is Porthmadog. They are historic sections, preserved or refurbished and in which steam trains are one of the features.

• Bala Lake Railway. 
• Brecon Mountain Railway. 
• Ffestiniog Railway. In the beginning it was based on gravity and horses. 
• Gwili Railway. Normal gauge, the others are narrow gauge. 
• Llanberis Lake Railway. 
• Snowdon Mountain Railway. Perhaps the best known. 
• Talyllyn Railway. 
• Vale of Rheidol Railway. From Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge. 
• Welsh Highland Railway. 
• Welshpool and Llanfair Railway. 

Outdoors

Beware of the Brecon Beacons!

The coastal and mountainous areas of Wales offer opportunities for lots of activities.

• Snowdon it is the highest mountain in the country, ideal for hiking.
• Cadair Idris, near the coast of Mid Wales overlooks Dolgellau to the north and Bro Dysynni to the southwest and is another famous mountain. It is easily reached by train from both north and south on the Cambrian Coast Line, but this is almost at sea level. The mountain is 893 m high. It can be climbed in a whole day.
• Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in South Wales, is found in the Brecon Beacons. It is 886 meters high.

Six Nations Tournament

Cardiff's Millennium Stadium hosts Wales' home matches in the Six Nations rugby tournament.

At the table

Safety

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Wales
• Commons contains images or other files on Wales
• Wikiquote contains quotes from or about Wales
• Wikinews contains current news on Wales

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