Wales: Why Isn’t Everyone Talking About It?

Wales is a place that I just instantly fell in love with. Matt and I kept constantly asking ourselves and each other, ‘Why isn’t everyone talking about Wales?’  We initially went to Wales because of Snowdonia National Park, but what we found was a place we could return to again and again.

We drove to Wales on an overcast afternoon that turned into an insanely rainy evening. Because our destination was Snowdonia National Park we cut straight across the north-central part of the country. The landscape seemed to change drastically just crossing the border from England. It turned from rolling hills of wildflowers to mountainous farm lands with grazing sheep. The towns we passed through were small and quaint. The buildings were stone-covered and when we stopped we were clearly outsiders, but not in a bad way. In the way that everyone in the shops and pubs were locals + regulars who all knew each other’s names. Signs changed from English to Welsh and I just felt blissfully comfortable and foreign all at once. 
Our drive through Wales at first was a smidge treacherous – treacherous may be a strong word, but there was definitely one moment that made my heart race. We crossed a lot of farmland with roads perfectly perched on the edges of mountains. While we were here, there was a serious storm rolling through. Thunder, lightning and rain so heavy we were did a lot of the drive well under 20 mph. Even with all this, we were so in love with Wales already. Then, we arrived at our AirBNB.

Like I said, our main goal for visiting Wales was Snowdonia National Park. So we picked an AirBNB in a teeny little town located within the Snowdonia National Park boundary called Ynys. We picked this place because of the location, the view from the room (you could literally see Mount Snowdon!) and I actually liked the idea of being in a spare room with locals in the house too. Upon arriving, the older couple who hosted us took us on a tour of their house and instantly put the kettle on to have a spot of tea to relax after a long, slightly stressful day of driving.

We were starving and it was getting a bit late, so we asked our host Collin for recommendations on where we could find something to eat. Generously, Collin said that there was only one hike available nearby, and that he’d love to drive us there. Of course, we told him he didn’t have to do that, but he insisted, that way we could “Have a few pints at the pub and not be worried”. He was such a sweet man and took so much pride in being Welsh. He stopped a beautiful cliffside overlook that he said is special to locals. It’s an overlook on the Wales Coast Path and it was a spot that we went to twice because it was just so beautiful! On the way back, he made a pitstop at Harlech Castle so we could see it all lit up at night. How is that for hospitality?

Aside from the amazing people we encountered, there’s something else we need to talk about – the pure, stunning beauty of this country! We came for the nature, and the nature absolutely did not disappoint. We hiked to a mountain lake, hiked to a waterfall and across some other mountain ridges. In addition to that, we chose different routes back to our AirBNB each time, so we could see as many backroads and different landscapes as possible. We were not disappointed.

Wales is absolutely magical. And seriously, why isn’t everyone talking about Wales?! From the beautiful coastal views, to mountaintops + lakes, any nature lover will feel right at home. Castle + history lovers will find plenty to discover and you won’t have any problems making friends with the amazing hosts you find. I can’t wait to share even more about Wales with you guys, coming very soon!

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