Transportation/Travel in Wales

[El Rhino]

Thank you everybody so far, this is some good info to know.

Originally Posted by Morwyn_7

Where do you plan visiting in South Wales?

Cardiff, Swansea, St. David's and the Pembrokeshire Coast Park. I'm hoping to be able to swing a Cardiff City match if I can get there in time.

[Morwyn_7]

Originally Posted by El Rhino

Thank you everybody so far, this is some good info to know.




Cardiff, Swansea, St. David's and the Pembrokeshire Coast Park. I'm hoping to be able to swing a Cardiff City match if I can get there in time.

My home country. Born in Cardiff and know the Pembrokeshire coast well ... it is beautiful there.

Hope you get to see a match while in Cardiff. If not there will be plenty of other stuff to enjoy.

I think half the fun of such trips is in planning where to go ....

[gingerbookgoddess]

In south wales the public transportation options might be just fine, depending on your destinations, but you will really want a vehicle for North Wales. When I lived in Swansea, I was fine without a car, but then when the husband and I vacationed in Wales last year, we took a train to North Wales and rented a car there (automatic, smallest class) and then drove to our destinations there and South Wales. Writing out your directions before hand might be helpful (like turn left onto this, turn right onto this after about 5 miles, etc.) Look up planned routes and try to choose ones that aren't too narrow esp. at first. Learn and read about driving there before hand and what the different road classes mean and so forth. And remember, on the roundabouts, yield to the right. Where I live now, in the midwest USA, people can't seem to figure out how simple a roundabout is-- I see them with four way stop signs and it makes me shake my head at them.

[BereniceUK]

Originally Posted by Tartanlad

For anyone planning to drive in the UK, I'd also invest in a road atlas to use in addition to your sat nav. You can get a good atlas fairly cheaply from most larger garages, or newsagents. Sat nav is all well and good, but has been known to give dodgy decisions especially if it is the only navigation you have to follow. At least a road atlas you can have a look before you set off and get an idea of the class of roads you might encounter before sat nav thrusts you on them unexpectedly! Single track roads are always fun, and sods law you will meet something coming the other way at the furthest point from any passing place!

While walking to work last week in North Staffordshire a couple who had driven up from Dunstable, Bedfordshire, stopped to ask me for directions to Cheshire. Their sat-nav had put them miles out. If they'd had a road atlas in reserve they wouldn't have got so completely lost.

[dobbo996]

I live in Penarth, just to the west of Cardiff. My job takes me to all parts of Wales. You can use the train to travel between the major towns - Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. There is also a service to north Wales, but I would recommend hiring a car. The roads are good, though probably narrower that you are used to. When driving in mid Wales using a sat nav be wary - the short cut from east to west is over the Cambrian Mountains. The scenary is lovely but the road is single track and for experienced drivers only, so always check your road map before you set out and stick to the A roads. Watch out for speed cameras, particularly the mobile 'safety camera vans'. The speed limit on most A roads is 60mph, dropping to 30mph through towns and villages. Don't worry about not being able to speak Welsh as everyone speaks English and will be happy to talk to you. You will see some lovely countryside and pretty towns. BTW, Cardiff City has just moved into its new 27,000 seater stadium. Cardiff itself has seem many changes over the last 20 years.

Get in touch if you need further help.

[El Rhino]

Thank you to everyone who posted in this thread. My trip is booked for the end of October and I did reserve a car (even an automatic transmission one). Hopefully I'll have some good pics for the UK pictures thread.

[Jezer]

I assume you seen this El Rhino-

Cardiff City | Match | Fixtures & Results | 2009

[El Rhino]

Originally Posted by Jezer

I assume you seen this El Rhino-

Cardiff City | Match | Fixtures & Results | 2009

Yes, it's looking like I'll be at the match on the 20th.

[El Rhino]

Again, thanks for everyone's input. I figured I'd check back in...

So I did rent a car. I requested an automatic and fortunately the car I reserved (Vauxhall) hadn't been returned in time so they upgraded me to a Mercedes. I definitely took out the insurance on that.

Driving on the other side of the road wasn't really that bad. I curb checked it a few times and had some difficulty parking. Driving through those narrow curvy mountain roads was a little dicey, I don't think there's 100 meters of straight road anywhere in Wales. I noticed as I left the airport with the rental car that there was a car shortly out of the exit that looked like he veered into the curb and took his tire off... Must've been another North American driver.

I had a great time in Wales and managed to get a lot of sightseeing in. I'll probably post some pics in the UK pics thread.