Cardiff Castle, Wales

On the train to the South Wales coast path, a perfect stopping point two hours west of London Paddington station, is Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Cardiff is also home to an ancient castle and regal house built extravagantly with proceeds from the coal and iron ore trade. Originally a Roman fort around 75 AD, the Norman's invaded a thousand years later. Surviving many wars throughout history, the castle was heavily bombarded in WWII and housed long tunnels of shelters under its expansive property. With the Welsh nationalization of coal after WWII, the owners donated the castle and house to the local government. In 1955, Cardiff was named capital of Wales with the distinctive castle at its centre.

Why Wales?

Truly a country for walkers, Wales distinguished itself by being the first country to establish an 870-mile coastal path along its entire coastline. This was not an easy task, asking each property owner for permission and right of way, gates, and trail maintenance amidst the harsh conditions of winter storms approaching from the west. The entire path was officially launched two years ago but many of the trails are linked from ancient footpaths which no doubt traced the original routes of the early hunter-gatherers and became part of Wales' national parks. 

The portion of the Wales Coastal Path we'll follow covers the cliff tops and beaches of the Pembrokeshire National Park through some of the most spectacular scenery in Britain. Each turn in the path reveals something different - a quiet harbor, an attractive village, a Celtic chapel, a Bronze Age fort, a power plant & refinery (in the central section), or a castle built by Norman invaders. And you'll encounter plenty of quaint seaside pubs and inns which allow for light backpacks on this 182-mile section. While there are many options to shorten the way, if one were to hike the entire section, the cumulative uphill totals 30,000 ft, higher than Mt Everest. Of course, there's a lot more oxygen here. We will self-guide but you can hire local services for luggage transfer and accommodation booking.