Cardiff-Swansea -Pembrokeshire – Borth – All in a day’s drive

In the morning we wrapped all our excitement and started a new leg of our road trip. As a country Wales can come across to be a peculiar destination for it doesn’t have the glory or the touristic attraction of England’s Stonehenge or Scotland’s lochness monster among the famous few. Nonetheless if you are a lover of nature and beauty, it should be on your bucket list. I think Wales takes on a back burner on touristic destinations because it doesn’t have per se any prominent or world famous attractions. I think the best decision we made was to drive through all the countries. This way we had the flexibility to stop wherever and whenever we wanted, and I am glad that we didn’t go through any travel agent or tours.

So enroute we stopped at Castle Quarters but for a very short while and then started our drive alongside the Wales coast line. It was amazing to see a relaxed way of life as compared to the hustle and bustle in cities. A bright sunny day where people were riding their bikes, relaxing in the garden with their families, children running around and playing with no care in the world, the ships parked at the docks, the whole scenery was beautiful.

Our next stop was Oystermouth Castle which sits magnificently on the hills in Mumbles with the spectacular backdrop of Swansea Bay. We didn’t realize that the castle is closed on weekends but that didn’t stop us from clicking a million pictures. Swansea is the second largest city in Wales and from there we headed to the Mumbles Pier which has a beautiful view point of Mumbles and Swansea bay making it a place to explore and photograph.

Later we drove to Three Cliffs Bay which as the name suggests has 3 limestone cliffs that are jetting out into the bay. It was so gorgeous with an enormous shoreline of sand dunes made by the large streams that flows in the middle of the bay. From the hillock we had a paranomic view of the bay and we saw that the low tides had given a man an opportunity to play fetch with his dog. All this had really tempted us to hike down to the bay but due to time constraint we had to make do with clicking pictures from the cliff and kids had a frolicking time rolling around on the grass.

We were on the road again driving through the narrow lanes crossing small towns, breathing the fresh air and seeing the lush greenery everywhere. We stopped at Rhossili bay which has been awarded as one of the top 10 beaches of the world. It was perfect weather to be out on the hillock with greenery all around; surrounded by sheep grazing the grass, the sea birds visiting from time to time with the beautiful view of the entire bay. No one could have asked for more. Wales actually can also be called land of sheep, you will find them everywhere as well as in food menu  and in different preparations.

Today was a day for just seeing divine coastlines and Prembrokshire Coast was perfect for this. A lot of people do days of camping and walking tours also because I think it is the only uninterrupted walkway of 180 miles in Wales. After all the sightseeing we drove through the meadows and over the mountains down the hillocks through narrow roads to Borth which is the only UNESCO Biosphere reserve in Wales. After driving through the rolling hills and crossing castles we finally reached our guest house. 

The view was gorgeous with colorful row houses which makes the street very unique and beautiful, making the location even more intriguing. The setting sun at the coastline which was visible right down the street made the whole atmosphere very magical. The guest house we were staying in was one of the best, it was painted yellow and we had a huge vibrant room to ourselves with bunk beds for the kids. It looked like it had been a kid’s room before the owners turned it into bed and breakfast accommodation. There was a pirate chest filled with toys and the kids excitement could not be contained. It was indeed a very adorable room. We left our luggage and went out to eat. I think we ended up having Nepalese food which was delicious. We had covered a lot in a day and were ready to retire, trying to soak in all the events and beauty that we were wrapped in. I think the highlight of Wales is simply exploring the countryside, driving through the small country roads, admiring the scenery, moving through without any agenda, driving by the small towns along the way, stopping where you like and living life like there is no tomorrow.