Wilderness Travel 2017 Catalog of Adventures

Adventures in Wales COASTAL HIKES, MEDIEVAL CASTLES, AND MOUNT SNOWDON

HIGHLIGHTS • Discover historic Caernarfon Castle and the ruins of Tintern Abbey • Hike the best trails of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path • Savor the views from the summit of Mt. Snowdon, England’s highest peak • Enjoy wine and cheese tastings and delightful meals with fresh local ingredients, including Gower mussels and Welsh lamb • Meet scholars, weavers, climbers, and historians DETAILS • 9-day trip begins in Cardiff and ends in Manchester • 8 nights hotels • All meals included except 1 dinner

Wales may be small, but it is brimming with coastal hiking paths, glacier-carved mountains, and Celtic heritage. PHOTO: ADAM BURTON

Ancient Celtic traditions, a deep cultural heritage, and a gorgeous landscape happily converge in Wales. We’ve created a fantastic hiking journey into the verdant Wye Valley, along the wild sandstone bluffs of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, and to craggy Mt. Snowdon, the highest peak in the British Isles. As we explore from the castle-topped ridges of the Brecon Beacons to the mountains of Snowdonia, we’ll hear the unique Welsh language, one of Europe’s oldest living tongues, meet local scholars, and enjoy wonderful meals bursting with local flavor and tradition. Overnights are in historic coaching inns and a country house nestled between rugged mountains and the Irish Sea. Days 1-2 Wye Valley / Tintern Abbey / Brecon Beacons National Park A hike across the Anglo-Welsh border brings us to the tranquil Wye Valley, where the River Wye reveals castles around every bend. This beautiful valley has been a source of inspiration to many artists and writers, Wordsworth and Coleridge among them. Our hike ends at the ruins of magnificent 12th century Tintern Abbey, where a historian leads us through the haunting halls. Another hike brings us to the delightful booklover’s mecca of Hay-on-Wye, nestled in the Black Mountains. We’ll be sure

DATES Jun 2-10, 2017 Aug 7-15

TRIP COST $5195 (10-14 members) $5695 (6-9 members) Single supplement: $650

BRENDT UEBEL

to stop in for a local craft beer or afternoon cream tea.

TRIP LEVEL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 5 hiking days on sometimes uneven or muddy terrain with some short steep sections, 2-6 hours a day, van support BACK-TO-BACK SAVINGS Combine any two Europe trips for a $500 per person discount!

Days 3-5 Laugharne / Pembrokeshire Coastal Path At Laugharne, we visit the home of the poet Dylan Thomas with a farmer-turned- scholar as our guide, and from St. David’s at the westernmost tip of Wales, our trails lead along the dramatic Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and across the cliff tops as we keep watch for seals basking on the rocks below. Days 6-9 Snowdonia National Park / Capel Curig / Snowdon / Caernarfon Castle In Snowdonia National Park, we hike from Capel Curig to the lush Conwy Valley, where Sir Edmund Hillary’s team trained for the 1953 Everest Expedition. At mighty Snowdon (3,560'), with its wild cirques and glacier-carved tarns, a classic rail car brings us to the summit, and we enjoy Snowdon’s breathtaking scenery on our hike down. After exploring 13th century Caernarfon Castle, our final hike begins on a beach on the Isle of Anglesey (a honeymoon walking spot for Prince William and Kate) and ends at tiny Llanddwyn Island, home to the ruins of a 13th century church dedicated to the patron saint of Welsh lovers. Depart on Day 9.

BRENDT UEBEL

FOR MORE DETAILS ON OUR EUROPEAN TRIPS, VISIT WWW.WILDERNESSTRAVEL.COM/TRIPS/EUROPE 44