Wales: The place to be this summer

Jun 8, 2012 | No Responses

With Cardiff acting as one of the host cities for the London 2012 Olympics, Wales has even more to offer visitors this summer. The Olympic football competition will kick off at the Millennium Stadium on 25 July – two days before the opening ceremony  - and eleven games will take place there over eight days.

A host of cultural attractions and events are planned to mark the occasion as part of what is known as the Cultural Olympiad. These include a touring, mobile art space called Adain Avion, which was created from the fuselage of a DC-9 airplane by Spanish sculptor and designer Eduardo Cajal. Welsh artist Marc Rees will celebrate its twentieth anniversary by bringing Avion to Wales in the summer of 2012. It can be seen in Swansea from 24 to 30 June; Ebbw Vale from 1 to 7 July; Llandudno from 8 to 14 July; and Llandow from 4 to 11 August. Visitors can also enjoy a series of arts and cultural performances at popular tourist attractions across Wales as part of Power of the Flame project. From exhibitions and workshops to storytelling and multi-media performances, some of Wales’ historic castles will provide a stunning backdrop for the events, along with galleries and museums.

Other major events planned for the summer of 2012 include:

• Llangollen International Eisteddfod, a six-day cultural festival that has been taking place in the pretty little Welsh town every year since 1947. Each year, more than 4,000 performers from across the globe head there to take part in a unique event combining competition, performance, and international peace and friendship. Around 25 different competitions celebrate song, music and dance. The 66th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will take place from Tuesday 3 to Sunday 8 July.
• Glanusk International Horse Trials takes place from 5 to 8 July and attracts top riders like William Fox Pitt and Zara Phillips. Set on the private estate of the Legge-Bourke family, the horse trials are a great day out, with show jumping, cross-country, dressage, mounted games, displays and activities taking place.
• Wakestock is an annual music festival taking place from 6 to 8 July. It’s split over three sites on the stunning Llyn Peninsula in North West Wales. The main festival site is at Pen y Berth, which is located between Abersoch and Pwllheli, and overlooks Cardigan Bay and the mountains of Snowdonia. The line-up for 2012 includes Brit Award winner Ed Sheeran, Wakestock favourite Calvin Harris and Dizzee Rascal.
• From 30 August to 2 September, Cardiff is the venue for the UK round of the Extreme Sailing Series. The  Extreme 40s fleet will race in the heart of Cardiff Bay and the race village will be based in the inner harbour, enabling spectators to watch the racing unfold.

To find out more about these and other events taking place in Wales this summer, as well as the wide variety of tourist attractions worth visiting throughout the year, take a look at the Visit Wales website.

If you’re heading to Wales this summer, we have a fabulous selection of places for you to stay, including:

Anglesey – The Outbuildings, a cosy, country restaurant with rooms serving delicious, home-cooked, locally-sourced food.

 

 

 

 

Ceredigion - Penbontbren at Glynarthen, a converted farm boasting luxurious, self-contained B&B suites.

 

 

 

 

 

Carmarthenshire – The super stylish Glangwili Mansion on the edge of the Brechfa Forest or the funky, modern, family friendly Fronlas in the market town of  Llandeilo.

 

 

 

Denbighshire – Pentre Mawr Country House is a grand country house near Denbigh with a swimming pool, suites with hot tubs, and superior rooms with four poster beds and roll top baths.

 

 

 

 

Conwy - Coed Mawr Hall, an elegant country mansion near Rowen.

 

 

 

 

 

Gwynedd – The cosy, country-style guest house Dolffanog Fach (Welsh Retreat) or the contemporary-style, family/dog-friendly  Ffynnon, both in Snowdonia, or the grand country guest house Plas Dinas, near Caernarfon.

 

 

 

 

Monmouthshire – The cosy, rustic and family friendly Clearvewe, which sits on the top of a hill overlooking the Vale of Usk.

 

 

 

Powys - Ty Croeso, a cosy, country-style, child friendly B&B close to the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Enjoy your Welsh break this summer!