Trip Summary
Venture to enchanting Wales for a delightful, seven-night journey that showcases the country’s Celtic heritage and warm hospitality. Enjoy first-class, elegant hotels, and set out each day with your small group to explore. Marvel at the dramatic, medieval glory of Conwy Castle and the formidable, 13th-century Caernarfon Castle. Behold the verdant beauty of Bodnant Garden and stroll the promenade in Victorian seaside Llandudno. Be awed by Snowdonia National Park’s rugged natural splendor as you ride aboard a historic railway to the top of Mount Snowdon and visit a fascinating museum in a former slate quarry. In South Wales, delve into the eclectic literary haven of Hay-on-Wye, packed with unique bookshops. Along the way, immerse yourself in authentic Welsh culture during a lively, interactive music performance, a visit to a family-owned farm shop, and a tour and whisky tasting at the renowned Penderyn Distillery. This engaging program features a professional Travel Director, expert lecturers and guides, and a generous meal plan with wine at dinner.
Event Itinerary
Day 1: Depart gateway city
Depart for Manchester, England.
Day 2: Manchester, England | Llandudno, Wales
- Enjoy a scenic drive into North Wales
- Check in to the St George’s Hotel
- Welcome Reception and Dinner at the hotel
Day 3: Conwy | Bodnant Garden
Enrichment Options:
- Conwy Castle
- Bodnant Welsh Food Centre
- Bodnant Garden
- Evening at leisure
Day 4: Snowdonia National Park | Mount Snowdon
- Snowdonia Mountain Railway
- Guided visit of the National Slate Museum
- Join an informative, interactive and lively session with a Welsh musician who shares songs and stories that reflect the nation’s folk heritage, language and sense of community
- Evening at leisure
Day 5: Isle of Anglesey | Caernarfon
- Anglesey Panoramic Tour & Halen Môn Sea Salt Company
- Caernarfon Castle
Day 6: Snowdonia National Park | Aberystwyth | Llyswen
- Depart by motor coach for Llyswen
- Snowdonia National Park
- Aberystwyth
- Check in to the first-class Llangoed Hall, a historic country house hotel set amid rolling countryside along the River Wye
Day 7: Llyswen
- Free day
Day 8: Hay-on-Wye | Brecon | Penderyn
- Scenic drive through the Brecon Beacons, a landscape of open moorland, gentle peaks and pastoral valleys
- Hay-on-Wye
- Free Time in Brecon
- Penderyn Distillery
- Farewell Reception and Dinner at the hotel
Day 9: Depart for gateway city
Meet Your Faculty Expert
Paul Musselwhite
Paul Musselwhite is Associate Professor of History at Dartmouth College. His research centers on the early British Empire and colonial America, with a particular focus on the development of the plantation as an institution and on the relationship between plantation societies and English and Scottish merchants. At Dartmouth he teaches classes on British colonialism in the Americas, plantations and slavery, and the American Revolution. A native of Wales, Prof. Musselwhite received his B.A. degree from the University of Oxford and his Ph.D. from the College of William and Mary, and before coming to Dartmouth he previously taught at the University of Glasgow.