Wales

Despite its compact size Wales has an efficient railway infrastructure. Two main railway lines, one in the south and west of Wales and the other covering the north, connect all of the country's main cities whilst a network of branch lines covers the areas in-between, providing links to smaller towns and villages.

In addition to these main railway routes, Wales has several scenic lines including the Heart of Wales Line, Cambrian Line and the Conwy Valley Line.

At Great Rail Journeys we want our customers to enjoy the most pleasurable and memorable rail holiday in Wales. In a country that offers so many wonderful attractions and activities we provide tour itineraries that not only allow you to experience the very best of Wales but which also represent outstanding value for money.

The cost of our rail holidays in Wales includes all travel, quality overnight accommodation and an itinerary of exciting and enjoyable excursions as well as some meals such as breakfast or dinner, where applicable. Tour schedules also include ample free time to allow you to explore Welsh destinations in greater depth at your leisure or simply to unwind for a while.

An aspect of Welsh life that is immediately obvious is that road signs and other signs are invariably displayed in both Welsh and English; the Welsh are rightly proud of their ancient language and it is taught in school, alongside English. Two of the country's significant cultural associations are with the sport of rugby, which elicits fanatical support, and with music and singing; hence Wales nickname 'the land of song'. Any opportunity to hear a Welsh male voice choir singing live should not be missed.

Unlike other European countries, Wales lacks an easily-defined cuisine although there are several specialities which originate in the country. These include laverbread, a gelatinous paste made from boiled and pureed seaweed which is traditionally rolled in oatmeal and fried; bara brith, a fruit loaf or tea cake also known as speckled bread; cawl, a Welsh stew of lamb and leeks and Welsh Cakes, a type of fruit scone cooked on an iron griddle. Despite its name, there is no hard evidence that Welsh Rarebit, a variation of cheese on toast, originated in Wales.

Wales has a temperate, maritime climate and an unfortunate reputation as one of the wettest destinations in Europe. However, bad weather is often localised and the weather throughout Wales is subject to change at a moment's notice - particularly on higher ground. Summers (from May to August) are usually warm and sunny and in winter the temperature rarely dips below zero.

When you see Wales by train you travel through a bilingual country. Welsh (Cymry) is a language in its own right. Two phrases which are universally useful are diolch and os gwelwch yn dda. Diolch, pronounced dee-olch (the 'ch' sound is pronounced like it is in loch), is 'thank you' and os gwelwch yn dda, pronounced oss-gwel-ooch un thar (where the th in thar is a hard sound like in this) is 'please'.