"Brief visits in Wales" Wales by oneonta_ni

I haven't really spent much time in Wales - at least not nearly as much time as I would like to.

My first visit to the country was in about 1990, when a couple of friends and I were driving from London to Dublin and were trying to get the ferry from Holyhead. Fortunately, we missed the ferry we meant to catch in north Wales so we drove the length of the country to catch the ferry in south Wales. This gave us the opportunity to see the country, if only from the car. It is a really beautiful and quiet place - very green with lots of trees, hills and ancient sites.

My favourite places were Snowdonia and Betws-y-coed. One fond memory I have is seeing a fox for the first time. We were out stretching our legs and I saw the fox run past but not too quickly. It did not seem to be too frightened of humans.

While driving south, we got lost at one point and stopped to ask a workman for directions. He started to give us directions, then told us to follow him. He jumped in his van and took us several miles down the road to get us back on the road we were looking for. We were really grateful that someone would go so far out of their way for us.

The entrance to the Fairy Glen

We made several stops along the way when we were headed to the ferry and one of my favourites was at Betws-y-coed. I found this little village fascinating and beautiful with it's little stone cottages and lovely scenery. Nearby was the Fairy Glen, a beautiful spot for a walk.

The Fairy Glen

Another view of the Fairy Glen.

More recently, I was in Holyhead again but only to drive across Wales and England to the ferry to the continent.

• Pros:Beautiful, compact country.
• Cons:It would be difficult to decide what to see first!
• In a nutshell:Definitely worth a visit for several days!