Steady contact with England has watered down the indigenious Welsh culture. Bricked-up, decaying chapels stand as reminders of the days when Sunday services and chapel choirs were central to community life. Original Welsh music, poetry and dance are shown every summer at the International Music Eisteddfod Festivals in Llangollen. Nevertheless, the Welsh language is undergoing a revival and you will see it on bilingual road signs all over the country - but are most likely to hear it spoken in North and Mid-Wales.

Much of the country, particularly the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains in the south and Snowdonia in the north, is relentlessly mountainous and offers wonderful walking and climbing terrain, as well as special nature reserves like Eyarth Rocks Reserve. Pembrokeshire to the west also boasts a spectacular rugged coastline, dotted with offshore island nature reserves. The biggest towns, including Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth and Colwyn Bay, cling to the coastal lowlands, but even there the mountains are no more than a bus ride away.

For the fans of Dylan Thomas, Laugharne is a must see. It houses the Dylan thomas museum. A visit to Laugharne can be combined with Tenby, a posh beach resort.