Celtic Wales: Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire

In the hotel dining room for those arriving by lunchtime. A light lunch with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Orientation, 5:00 p.m.: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This program is staffed with both a Group Leader, who will accompany us throughout the program and deal primarily with logistics, and a Study Leader who will lecture, conduct field trips unless otherwise noted, and serve as an information resource on program-related topics. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

At the hotel, we’ll have a 3-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

At leisure to relax and prepare for the program ahead.

At the hotel, the breakfast buffet includes a wide range of hot and cold choices, as well as coffee, tea, water, and fruit juices.

After checking out of the hotel, we’ll board a motorcoach to begin our transfer to Betws-y-Coed. We’ll stop with our Study Leader for a field trip to Bodnant Garden, situated above the River Conwy and considered one of the finest gardens in the world. The garden at Bodnant was established in 1874 after the estate was purchased by scientist and industrialist Henry Pochin, and soon became filled with rare flora collected from around the world by Victorian plant-hunters — including the first magnolias in Britain.

At Bodnant Gardens, we’ll have a light lunch with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

We’ll continue by motorcoach alongside the River Conwy, to travel back to medieval times with a field trip to the imposing Conwy Castle. We’ll gain some historical background from an informative talk by our Study Leader about the wars of Edward I, before exploring the castle. Conwy Castle was constructed by Edward between 1283 and 1289 to act as a key fortress in containing the rebellious Welsh. The views from the battlements are breathtaking, looking out across mountains and sea and down to the roofless shell of the Great Hall. We’ll then return to the hotel.

Hotel plated meal.

At the hotel, we’ll gather for a lecture by our Study Leader introducing what we will discover over the next eight days.

At the hotel, the breakfast buffet includes a wide range of hot and cold choices, as well as coffee, tea, water and fruit juices.

We’ll board the motorcoach for a field trip to Great Orme, Llandudno’s mountain, where we’ll take a beautiful vehicular tram ride. The Great Orme Tramway has been operating since 1902 and was considered an engineering marvel of its age — it is still the only cable-hauled tramway operating on British public roads. We’ll follow this experience with a visit to Great Orme Copper Mines, a Neolithic mine originally abandoned circa 600 BCE.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

We’ll return by motorcoach to the hotel, where we’ll attend two lectures by our Study Leader: the first on the historical landscape during the Celtic period, and the second on the Roman invasion.

Hotel plated meal.

At leisure. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions should you wish to further explore the local area.

Hotel buffet.

Free time. This block of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At the hotel, we’ll have a 2-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

We’ll board the motorcoach for a field trip to the ancient island of Anglesey. Here we’ll explore Penmon, where we’ll see the Romanesque architecture of the island’s medieval monastery, before continuing onwards to Beaumaris to explore the town and its castle. We’ll be sure to keep our eyes out for the tongue-twisting town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, the second longest place name in the world! We'll then return to the hotel by motorcoach.

Hotel plated meal.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

At the hotel, we’ll investigate the cultural heritage and environment of Wales during a lecture by our Study Leader. We’ll then board the motorcoach for a field trip to Snowdonia National Park, where we’ll take a ride on the historic narrow-gauge Ffestiniog railway, originally built to transport slate from mines to the coast.

We’ll have packed lunches including sandwiches, fruit, and a drink.

We’ll enjoy a lecture in the field on the Welsh slate industry at Llanberis Slate Museum and quarry, followed by a field trip to the Royal Town of Caernarfon. Caernarfon’s royal connections extend from ancient Celtic chieftains to the present day, as evidenced by the 1969 investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales at the castle. We’ll examine the role of King Edward I’s impressive medieval fortress, Caernarfon Castle, a seat of power and a symbol of English dominance over the subdued Welsh, which we will view from the exterior. We’ll return to the hotel by motorcoach.

Hotel plated meal.

At leisure.

Hotel buffet.

We’ll check out of the hotel and board the motorcoach to begin our transfer to Lamphey. Our first stop along the way will be the village of Beddgelert, a place steeped in folklore at the confluence of two rivers. We’ll hear the tale of the legendary dog for which Beddgelert is named as we walk through the village with our Study Leader. From there, we’ll proceed to Machynlleth, where our Study Leader will explain this small market town’s history of rebellion. It was here that in 1404, Owain Glyndwr held his parliament after being crowned Prince of Wales during the Welsh Revolt. We’ll continue to the National Library of Wales, in Aberystwyth for lunch, followed by an expert-led exploration.

At the National Library of Wales, we’ll have a buffet lunch with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

We’ll take an expert-led look at the National Library of Wales, the largest library in the country, to learn more about its mission to foster research into Welsh literature, culture, and language through its significant collections. We’ll continue our transfer via Aberaeron, with its Georgian houses and harbor, where we’ll learn about the importance of fishing and trade to the local community during a field-based lecture. When we arrive at the hotel, we’ll check in and have some free time to relax and unpack before dinner.

At the hotel, we’ll have a 3-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

At leisure.

At the hotel, the breakfast buffet includes a wide range of hot and cold choices, as well as coffee, tea, water, and fruit juices.

Today, we’ll explore the archaeology of the region with a field trip by motorcoach to Castell Henllys via the mysterious Preseli Mountains, where we’ll learn about the early history of the area during a lecture in the field by our Study Leader. Arriving at Castell Henllys, we’ll find an ancient and important Iron Age hill fort currently under excavation by archaeologists and home to some accurate reconstructions of Iron Age dwellings. At Castell Henllys, we’ll hear a lecture on Celtic history by our Study Leader, and explore the fort with an archaeologist.

We’ll have a 2-course plated pub lunch in the Pembrokeshire town of Newport, with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

We’ll explore the themes of ancient Wales and early Christianity in greater depth as we continue by motorcoach to Britain’s smallest city, St. David’s. Situated on the far west coast of Wales and dominated by its 12th-century cathedral, it was granted city status due to the cathedral but is, in reality, a small and attractive village. We’ll return to the hotel by motorcoach.

Hotel plated meal.

At the hotel, we’ll enjoy a performance by a local harpist.

Hotel buffet.

We’ll board the motorcoach and travel to Cardigan, a coastal town that grew around a Norman castle in the 12th century and was an important port in the 18th and 19th centuries. We’ll have some time for independent exploration in Cardigan, and continue by motorcoach to Carmarthen, which, until the industrial revolution, was the largest borough in Wales. Here we’ll learn about the importance of the Welsh wool industry in an expert-led exploration of the Dre-fach Felindre Woollen Mill.

On your own to enjoy what you like in Carmarthen.

We’ll have some free time for independent exploration in Carmarthen, then board the motorcoach and ride to Laugharne — a town perhaps best known for its associations with Dylan Thomas.

At a local eatery in Laugharne we’ll have a three-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

In Laugharne, we’ll meet and converse with locals, and have the opportunity of experiencing one of the true joys of Welsh culture — a mixed voice choir — during an evening of farewells to this beautiful country. We will then return to the hotel.

Hotel buffet.

We’ll check out of the hotel and board a motorcoach to begin our transfer to London Heathrow. We’ll stop en route at the St Fagans National Museum of History, also known as the Museum of Welsh Life, where we’ll have some time for independent exploration after an introduction by our Study Leader. This open-air museum brings together more than 30 historic buildings from across Wales, reconstructed on a 100-acre site near Cardiff after being considered at risk of demolition or decay in their original locations. These include a 13th-century church, terraced houses from a mining community, farmhouses, rural cottages and craft workshops, and a Cardiff pub recreated as it would have been seen in 1915. There are also experimental reconstructions of prehistoric roundhouses, and an indoor museum.

We will enjoy a packed lunch of sandwiches, fruit, and a drink during our transfer.

We’ll continue our transfer to London Heathrow. Upon arrival at the hotel, we’ll check in and have some free time to relax before dinner.

At the hotel, we’ll have a 3-course plated and served farewell meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

In the hotel depending on departure times. This concludes our program.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!