Regional TouRing | Wales and BoRdeRs
Wildlife and wanderlust
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Britain’s greatest literary festival, an italianate village and wildlife watching in the Atlantic – Wales and england’s border counties are world encompassing. Contributors: Pat Edgar, Duncan Foulkes, Jane Harris, Caroline Mills and Claire Owen 52
Discover Touring
n a modern age where faster travel has the potential to break down regional characteristics and local diversity, the country of Wales and the English border counties of Herefordshire and Shropshire have managed to embrace the pace of change and yet still hold on to their individuality, perhaps more than any other region of the UK. That’s possibly because Shropshire and Herefordshire have, thankfully you could say, been bypassed by tourism on a grand scale, leaving a rural idyll almost from another era. The two counties offer quiet, open roads – perfect for being able to explore at a leisurely pace – vast open spaces, which include some of the most spectacular (and possibly unexpected) scenery that England can offer, and you’re likely to have that scenery to yourself. Still predominantly agricultural, small market towns with farmers’ markets and farm shops selling locally produced food are plentiful.
Wales, while sporting two spectacular coastal cities in Cardiff and Swansea, can also boast having three national parks – Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and the Pembrokeshire Coast – and Britain’s smallest city, St David’s, with a population of less than 2,000.
Family Days Out:
Hay Festival, Powys The border town of Hay-on-Wye has established itself as Britain’s ‘town of books’ so it is the ideal setting for a literary festival that now has an international reputation. Hay Festival (www.hayfestival.com) attracts leading writers and poets as well as plenty of celebrities. During the festival, this year taking place from May 23rd to June 2nd, around 100,000 visitors will enjoy literature in all its forms and lots of music too. It’s a great opportunity to indulge your tastes, including reading, debate, comedy, literature, food and music.