'LITTLE SWITZERLAND'

Afan Argoed Country Park in the Afan Valley, where the green slopes of the second largest forest south of the Scottish border rise steeply for more than a thousand feet  is known locally as "Little Switzerland" .  Among the trees are marked footpaths, nature trails and some of Britain's best mountain biking.
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"Nearly every hill, field and river in the Valleys has a story or legend attached to it"


WALES'S FINEST RHODODENDRONS
Clyne Gardens in Swansea, 19th century landscaped gardens, laid out by the Vivian family, contain one of the UK's finest collections of rhododendron and internationally recognised collections of Enkianthus, Pieris, together with an extremely varied bog garden, home to giant elephant rhubarb and American skunk cabbage!
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It is no coincidence that this area has produced poets like W.H. Davies who celebrated the countryside with words like, "A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare"


Europe's Largest
Sand Dunes
The sand dune system at Merthyr Mawr on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast is the largest in Europe.  The sand dunes rise to over 200 feet (61metre).


The National Trust was born in Wales.  In 1895 it was given its first piece of land, the 4.5 acre (1.8ha) Dinas Loeu headland ('The Fortress of Light') overlooking Barmouth on Cardigan Bay.


DAN YR OGOF CAVES,
UPPER SWANSEA VALLEY
Our holiday cottages are a ten minute drive from the largest collection of subterranean caverns in western europe - Dan Yr Ogof Showcaves in the upper Swansea Valley . Ogof Ffynnon Ddu is Britian's deepest cave which decends 1,010 feet (308 m). It goes on for 26 miles, making it the second longest in Britain. 
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"Visit Wales.....two hours and a million miles away"

The 2.5 million population of Wales accounts for 5% of the UK population.  Sheep outnumber people by four to one in Wales.

The Leek and The Daffodil
 The leek and the daffodil are national symbols of Wales and are both worn on St David's day.  It is said that the leek was first worn by the Welsh as a badge in battle to show friend from foe.  It is still a surviving tradition that soldiers in the Welsh regiments eat a raw leek on St David's Day.   Wales has another national emblem - the daffodil.  This may be because the Welsh word for leek - cenhinen - is almost the sam as daffodil (cenhinen pedr).  This confusion means that both have been adopted as national emblems.

WELSH HOLIDAY COTTAGES
Luxury Self Catering Accommodation

BWTHYN Y SAER (THE CARPENTERS COTTAGE)
HAFOD Y WENNOL (THE SWALLOW'S SUMMER DWELLING)


Countryside and Parks

Wales's three National Parks and five 'Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty' cover 23% of the country.  There are over 500 lakes, 732 miles of coastline and 15,000 miles (24,140 km) of rivers to explore.

Our holiday cottages in the Swansea Valley of South Wales are in an ideal location for touring the Welsh countryside. In addition to the attractions featured on this page, visitors are free to roam 120 acres of beautiful countryside that surround our cottages.

Wales Tourist Board
Accredited Accommodation

The Gower Peninsula
(25 mins south of cottages)

The Gower Peninsula was the first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK, with stunning scenery and unspoilt Blue Flag beaches.  Enjoy dramatic cliff scenery as well as the beautiful countryside inland -wooded glens with brooks and streams, woods and copses of oak, sycamore and ash, whose ground offers a display of wild summer flowers.1956
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Brecon Beacons National Park
(15 mins north of cottages)

Visitors to our holiday cottages will delight in having the Brecon Beacons on their doorstep - 520 square miles of stunning national park - remotes mountains, rolling moorlands, hidden waterfalls, cosy hamlets and sheltered valleys served by a handful of market towns where you will find some delightful country pubs.
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The Vale of Neath
'Waterfall Country'
(15 mins east of cottages)
The Vale of Neath is well known for its range of fabulous waterfalls, nine in total, set in a stunning vista of mountains and vales. 'Waterfall Country', as this area is known, has long been an inspiration to many artists including Turner, who traveled her to paint, Aberdulais Falls, a site now in the ownership of the National Trust.
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Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (45 mins west of cottages)
Britain's only coastal national park boasts some of the finest coastline scenery in Europe.  Much of this can be enjoyed by walking along Wales's longest footpath - the 186 mile (299 km) Pembrokeshire Coast Path.  The islands off the coast are teeming with bird life.  Grassholm Island has 30,000 pairs of gannets - the fourth largest population in the world.
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Victoria Gardens, Neath
Definitely the most genteel spot in town, the Victoria Gardens were laid out in 1898 to commemorate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee.  Wel-manicured ornamental trees and colourful flower beds radiate from a central bandstand.  The gardens also contain the Gorsedd Circle of standing stones used in the proclamation ceremonies of 1918, 1934 and 1994 when the National Eisteddfod was held in Neath.

Holiday in Wales at www.walescottages.com