What I love most about your videos and your family is that you make the effort to KNOW about the places you’re visiting. As an English person I have really appreciated you getting to know England and the UK and the customs and the foods and the best places to visit before making a video about it. It’s clear that you don’t just visit countries to be a tourist, you go to be immersed in their culture and it’s fantastic and makes your videos all the more informative! Happy travels Mark & family x
Trashman Take a boat trip somewhere; wherever you are in the UK you can find a boat to travel down rivers, canals etc. Cornwall is absolutely beautiful and hiring a motor boat on the Helford passage in the south/south east of Cornwall is a must. Also the river tours in Canterbury are fab and boat hire in Stratford-upon-Avon. Visiting any National Trust property or Woodland Trust site is essential (they have websites you can visit to find one near to you), having a meal in a proper pub, walking and climbing at Dovedale in Derbyshire, check on Facebook for events near to where you’re staying. There will always be something going on! Street food festivals and markets, music events etc. Seeing a show somewhere would also be a must! Even if it’s just a small local theatre company, it will be a great night.
There’s literally so much to see! Stay near to a big city so you can visit all the attractions, but take a bus or a car to near by towns and villages because you will find something beautiful. I’m from Derbyshire which is in the Midlands so I would always recommend here as a place to stay, but the beaches in Cornwall, Wales or east coast are my favourite.
Ikr in year 2 that was hard, I come second but I won a little ball with the Welsh flag on it so that was alright because I would just throw it at people as hard as i could
jvoji He's definitely not alone - England's just a way to get to Wales!! I Am thinking of trying the Irish route to Wales though as i hear it's less expensive!
My ancestors were Welsh. It’s so beautiful 😍. I’ve had dreams all my life of this place. Finally looked up Wales landscapes and was caught off guard. I have to go there and visit! 35 yr old American from Kentucky. 😀
@Chris Wings It I have ancestors from Kentucky also, I’ll have to put the stone in my list. I think there was a show on it several years ago, I’ll have to look for it though clearly as our ancestors were as smart, and perhaps more creative problem-solvers, it doesn’t seem implausible at all. And phooey on the Welsh and Irish bashers, maybe it’s secret envy?
'dont mention the rain' - yes mention the rain, its the one conversation starter everyone on this god forsaken rock has, we love bitching about the rain.
Rather than say 'don't bother learning Welsh', I would encourage those who visit to learn a few words....this is always appreciated. Welsh actually has more vowels than English - as well as a e i o u we have y and w...knowing that makes pronunciation one hell of a lot easier! The good news is that you are well informed and sympathetic to Wales, and thanks for your video! Diolch yn fawr!
I’m learning Welsh and finding it not nearly as hard as I was led to believe. It’s got a bunch of French-adjacent words, and if you learn how all the letters are pronounced, everything is pretty much spelled and pronounced the same way. Hoping to stargaze in Eryri for my next big milestone birthday!
In my village we tend to use sheep as messenger pigeons and attach notes into their wool and let the dogs hurd them to the next house till it gets to the destination. I personally enjoy lobbing a welly and a note in a general direction to a field and hoping for someone to pick it up and put it on a fence so the note will be seen.
I love nature. I love rain. I love Castels. And I adore Dragons. Wales seems like the Home I've never had. And always dreamed of. What a beautiful place 💚
Well researched? What about the weather and shops opening and closing times.his comment of picked on by England by big brother. .proud welsh man you say??so you agree about that comment ?he has nailed it?proud welsh man? Uneducated welsh man. .
The Welsh are ‘lush’ They are very friendly, welcoming and hospitable. Wales is a beautiful country and affordable, cheaper than most parts of the UK and certainly London.
I am English but have never had a problem with the people, just don't go with in with an attitude problem and all will be fine. Beautiful country, and the castles are awesome to walk around. I think it is nice that it is more laid back there which is why we visit. And when the sun shines (it does, lol), it looks amazing.
Hey. As a Welsh guy who has traveled the world a LOT. I think your video is really good for non-Welsh travelers. Very positive! The Welsh people are amazing!
I'm Welsh, born and bred and I can honestly say you NAILED it. I've seen a couple of videos where people are talking about places to visit and when they get to Wales I get the impression they couldn't point it out on a map let alone ever been here. Fantastic video! Another don't I would add is, Don't leave Wales without having had a sandwich made with Braces bread. You haven't had a sandwich until you've had one of those!
I personally think the british take great britain for granted, we go abroad spend two weeks by a pool or beach then a bar when we got some of the best places on earth to visit on our door step we have mountains, lakes, gorges, national parks and castles, coast lines, scenic railways, beautiful buildings, quant villages, coastal walks, pub lunches, Britain has it all 👍
@@waverunner3911 You also seem to not be interested in what beautiful countryside other than the overcrowded tourist beaches places like Spain and Italy have to offer.
I’m an Englishman, I’ve spent most of my childhood holidaying in north wales, wales is a truly great place, so many adventures to be had, castles, mountains, gorgeous seaside towns and so much culture to soak up. And the welsh are lovely people!
I'm from Barnsley in England and i absolutely love Wales and the Welsh same with the Scottish and Irish our differences are what gives us our character! Love the lot o ya!
@animal loyalty what war was that??Wales was made up of many tribes(the British!) Who fought mostly each other!the clever Norman(French/Norse) kings,after defeating the saxons(english)in one day!cleverly got the tribes to fight each other!as they did with Scotland&Ireland!(a common Norman strategy!)it took them over forty years!and they never conquered the North!
I live in North Wales born and bred, and I'm so glad that an American KNOWS about Wales :) You should come now, we're not used to this heatwave lol you have gained a new sub :)
I knew some supposedly educated Americans who didn't believe me when I said that there is the Welsh language. They contradicted me and said it is a dialect. They had the shock of their lives when they went to Wales and saw the road signs!
Forgot to mention it's now free to enter Wales, good video though, very well informed and shows how lovely we can be in Wales, all your don'ts are of things you can't miss, as opposed to, don't wear this or don't go here. You forget that most of Wales you can walk around at night with no worries at all
I'd recommend learning a few Welsh phrases. I find that when I'm working my Summer job, and a tourist attempts a few Welsh words, it makes me feel very happy because they've made an effort. Not expecting fluency, but a "Bore Da" and "Diolch yn fawr" goes a long way.
Loved Wales! Frankly Americans are not educated about this wonderful part of UK. It is very hospitable, clean and a people who are proud of their country and language. I liked listening to the "strange" language! Great hiking ...great for kids/family....I will return!!
As a proud Welsh man, I have to say this was a fantastic video, it's amazing when tourists jump in and explore Welsh culture, helps put us on the world stage. Diolch
I live in Mid-Wales and I just loved your video. From some of the other comments from your Welsh viewers, you can see we accept rain as a small price to pay for a beautiful landscape. Glad you all enjoyed your stay in the Brecons.
Can't wait to visit and see Wales! There's some weird connection and feeling drawing me towards that country. In my previous life I feel like I must had been a Welsh archer back in the medieval times or something haha :D Whenever my football team is out of the competition, Welsh is the second one I root for! Cheers from Croatia!
Love all this. I'm a descendent of Welsh ancestors. The scenic, rule environment appeals to me. I used to raise Hampshire sheep like the ones shown in this video. Thank you!
My favourite part when tourists start coming to Wales is hearing people trying to say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrdrobwyllanteseilio gogogoch. Always makes my day!😂
You'll be fine with speaking English but, like every country, we really appreciate people trying. Please, thank you and excuse me are really not hard to pronounce. Welsh is a beautiful sounding language :)
As a Welshman I absolutely loved this video. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this, I hope you felt welcome and had a wonderful time. We’ll keep a welcome in the hillside for you.
Hi, I m an Indian planning to travel. To wales for four days in feb. Can u please tell me which is the best place to stay, so that I can see around maximum things in wales. Please help.
I took a day trip to Wales years ago when I was visiting England and fell in love with Cardiff! Now the super busy city vacations don't feel as enticing as a secluded cabin in the country with access to a little village and some beautiful sights. Thanks for selling me on this, Mark, now to go convince my partner that Wales should get priority over Norway in our international travel plans!
Hello from Caerphilly! It was so refreshing hearing someone emphasise how we are a totally different country than England! I’ve had to circle on a map where Wales is before and confirm Wales in fact ISNT in England lol
I’m from Wales and I have to say, you nailed this. Every point is legit and you have been completely respectful. Wales is a beautiful country and deserves more tourism. It’s less about notable places here and more about nature. About learning to speak Welsh, even I don’t even know it and i grew up in Wales. Totally agree about never calling us English. We really don’t want like it and find it disrespectful but we do understand if it was done innocently.
Hi, I m. An Indian coming to wales for four days, can u please tell me which is the best place to stay so that I can see maximum places in wales, please guide
Alice Ribeiro, I was so tickled to learn why "sometimes Y and W" is part of learning American vowels!! Understanding that made sounding out Welsh words so much easier and made me appreciate our own English more!
A great video, nicely done. Thanks for broadcasting Wales. I like your anecdotes, they are spot on, especially 'don't complain about the rain'!. A couple of notes though. After the Norman invasion, mercenaries were hired from across Europe and based along the Welsh border. They were to engage in a program of ethnic cleansing, clearing the hills, which lasted for hundreds of years. This is why there are so many castles. This is the history of England vs Wales. Ours is the oldest culture in the UK. When the Romans invaded, it was the (Welsh) Celts who gave the name 'Prydain' which gave the name 'Britain'. Even 'London' comes from a Welsh name! The English descended from the German, Scandinavian and French invaders 500 years later, and it's been rough on Celts ever since. I think you're right, if you do come here, try to get as far away from Cities as you can. There are stories everywhere. Every field has a name, every name has a story. Every story has a pint of beer waiting to accompany it. And do have a go at learning some words, it'll be an eye opener. Diolch, a hwyl fawr.
I'm Welsh and clicked on this expecting it to be bad, I'm from SW Wales so been to/driven through the beacons so many times - was about 40 mins from where I grew up. Wolter you have been 100% correct and I respect you for it. The reason for the rain is the UK gets moist warm air from the US via the gulf stream and when it hit's the UK it drops it as rain on the west coast. Ireland will get it worse as it's west of the UK.
“There’s not a sheet of rain waiting for you at the border” as someone who lives in Shrewsbury, I can confirm that is in fact situated at least 9 miles away from The border
Wales is an amazing place with many friendly and helpful people and so many wonderful sights to see both historical and natural, you will be amazed at what variety there is packed into such a relatively small country. If you ever get the chance to visit, please do not let it pass you by!
... Unless of course you are English. If you are, you will be made to feel most unwelcome, subjected to derision and extreme racism. Depending on where you go you are likely to experience extreme hostility in the form of violence!. So, if you are English, and if you absolutely must go there?..... Be aware , and take care!.
As a fellow Welsh man, I have to say thank you so much for sharing such accurate and wonderfully described knowledge on our little country! You absolutely nailed it! Diolch!
I am Welsh, and living in Wales. Love your video, you are spot on with our language.. even I struggle with it ! But to be fair we have fought very hard to keep our language alive and in use, I just wish the Celtic languages were easier to learn 😁
As a Welsh person I can guarantee that if you call us English, complain about rain or insult our languageyou will get an earful! We are not english, the rain gives us all our beautiful greenery and our language is amazing!
Another important don't is also, don't speed on the animal commons, stick to the speed limit otherwise you will collide with a sheep. Also, don't forget about horseriding, there are some great facilities in the countryside. Have fun in Wales!
As a Welshman this is generally good advice. It doesn't rain that much! but we do complain about when it does and it's ok to complain about it. Driving on the single track roads, the 'lanes', generally just stop when someone comes towards you, the local will reverse and get out of the way, but they might give you a funny look if there is a passing place right behind you and they would have to reverse all the way up a hill, wave to say thanks, it's appreciated. What's wrong with Cymraeg [Welsh]? Sure you don't have to use it, but if you have some spare time to learn a few words like 'Diolch' [Thanks] it is appreciated. Enjoy your visit if you come to Wales and the dont's one and two are really important. Wales and England are separate countries, please remember that and remember not to wake the dragons!
A very accurate video. Wales IS a beautiful place and the people are nice as well. Seriously worth a visit and don't worry about the rain - it's why Wales is so green. The West coast is gorgeous and as well the places he mentioned, oh, do give St Davids a visit if you can. It's the UK's smallest city (pop 1400) and has a stunning ancient cathedral. Enjoy.
Thank you for this video. I'm Welsh and proud of it. You are spot-on with what you say. Thank you for reminding me about the amazing place I live - it's easy to take it for granted when it's all around you.
I'm from south Wales, so glad you enjoyed your time in our country! Talking about the weather, one of our jokes goes along the lines of "I love summer in Wales, last year it was on a Tuesday!"
Hi, I m. An Indian coming to wales for four days, can u please tell me which is the best place to stay so that I can see maximum places in wales, please guide
Spent some time at Aberystwyth while our son and daughter-in-law were at the university, beautiful country and fun place to visit. we want to go back someday.
Love your videos! I'm English and live close to The North Wales border. We holiday and visit often as we have family there and I'm hiking it's 900 mile coast path at the moment, which is stunning!! You're certainly right about the Welsh language, it's so difficult, I'm trying hard to learn it at the moment. You give some very good advice to tourists and I love how you view things. Thanks for posting.
You’re videos are always fantastic, I always enjoy them! I will add that England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are four distinct countries, we have similarities that connect us together under the banner of the United Kingdom, but there are also vast differences between us as well.
Visited Wales for the first time last month, it was Wonderful, so beautiful, can't wait to return and explore even more Edit: we had no rain, almost a full week of great weather
Hi, I m. An Indian coming to wales for four days, can u please tell me which is the best place to stay so that I can see maximum places in wales, please guide
As a Welshman, living in Wales. The Welsh Vs English thing is VERY real. Though there are areas where it is more of an issue. In the mid part of Wales and the far west of Wales, yes. They are bastions of Welsh pride and dare I say it, nationalism. The part of Wales I live in, North Wales, on the coast in Llandudno. It's not really an issue and someone visiting making this error is more likely to be ignored or politely corrected. It was not so many years ago that Welsh nationalists and terrorists were planting bombs and firebombing second homes that belonged to English people in Wales. In the 1980s and 1990s it was very real. Shops do close fairly early, even as early as 5pm and be aware that many independent shops have a half day during the week. Sundays also tend to have restricted opening hours. So it is not unusual for shops to open later and close at 4pm on a Sunday. Also bare in mind that out of tourist season, like it is now in January. Shops tend to be closed more and have limited opening hours or not even be open at all. This is especially true of tourist towns like the one I live in. Where a lot of businesses are only viable in the tourist season. Wales is a very different place off season. It's more quiet, more polite, more friendly. The weather is quite different. I much prefer it off season. You get to spend time around the locals rather than mostly other tourists. You will get a more friendly and less annoyed response from locals that tend to get a bit tired of all the grockles getting in the way. Public transport is also fairly poor outside of the major towns or cities and even then it can be spotty, especially on Sunday. Once you venture into the 'sticks' you can pretty much forget about public transport. Be prepared for a bit of ticket price shock as well. They are quite expensive. As to the Welsh language, learning a few phrases like please and thanks/thank you goes a long way. Again, where I live, using Welsh will just get you puzzled glances. Very few use it.
@@WanderlustAweSyndrome Wales is the country, the Welsh are the people that live there so you either want to see a game between Wales and England or the English and the Welsh.
I live in wales and we call the english seison i live in the countryside and i love it and i live in Pembrokeshire the best place in the world. In my school(Eglwyswrw)we had 82-88 days of rain.
I'm seriously impressed by this summary. Absolutely spot on. I understand that visitors might feel a little awkward but the Welsh are the warmest people on earth. Talk to them as you say.
Another one on Power that's been mentioned on other videos and is probably obvious to most but can be easily forgotten - don't forget when you're buying adaptors for UK and Irish plugs that the voltage is different here to a lot of countries - we work on ~230V (though there is tolerance for between 220-240V to comply with Western Europe). Most smartphone, tablet, laptop, console and camera chargers should be fine as they can work across a range, but if you're bringing tech from somewhere like the US or Canada and in doubt it's worth investing in a small transformer to save you from frying your electronics!
You should visit. We had some people from Canada turn up at my house once. They said they had discovered that an ancestor of theirs was a baker at our house (it used to be a bakery for a large estate). I couldn't say no, could I? They'd come about 4 thousand miles to visit my house! They had a look around and seemed happy. I'm not sure that would happen in England! Welsh people tend to be more open to strangers and friendly to those they don't know than English people in my experience (though I am biased).
Extra tips! 1) Don't always trust your satnav on the backroads. 2) In the smaller villages in the middle of nowhere, shops may only open half day, with most other shops closing around 4pm-5pm. 3) Table numbers in pubs - tends to be for chain pubs, rather than small independent ones. 4) Trains - Check before you travel on a Sunday. Services are often cancelled for engineering works, with very slow replacement bus services instead.
The Welsh language is lovely when you hear it spoken. The word "Cwtch" (pronounced Coo tch) is the best Welsh word. It's a cuddle or hug like you get from a parent or Grandparent. The fuzziest of warmest hugs. On a different note, have a look at the You Tube channel Kinging It. 2 Welsh kids doing the travel vlog thing but a tad different from yourself. They did a few videos around Wales too.
Sian Dyas - what’s that supposed to mean? I live in North Wales, have done for 33 years and I’m welsh, I speak welsh as do most people who live here?! You ever been to NORTH Wales?
@charlie cheeseface truth! Westminster does not respect democracy. It totally disregarded the will of Scotland and northern Ireland and did it's usual, narcissistic self importance.
@@foobarmaximus3506 we really dont like people like that and to be honest no one in Wales really cares or talks about our history with England cause we may take the mick out of them but we dont care about the past
@@Jake-pm3pz i live in west Wales for 20 odd years and i have never heard anyone talk or complain about our past with england and why should i the only people who have ever complained are the sad egdy teenagers on youtube
@@mythicvalkire1478 lol what part of west wales do you live in? Everywhere in the west apart from southern pembroke is welsh nationalists and plaid cyrmu strongholds who definetly do care about our past with england
Thank you brother, we love visitors like you that take notice and respect our culture, visitors like you are always welcome and will be made at home in Wales.
Hi, I m. An Indian coming to wales for four days, can u please tell me which is the best place to stay so that I can see maximum places in wales, please guide
Pro tip: When trying to pronounce Welsh words, say them as if all the letters are "lower case" i.e. A is never "Ay", it is "ah", B is never "Bee", it is "buh", etc Also, the ^ symbol is best interpreted as "make the vowel longer" Tan is tan, but if there is a ^ above the a, it is taan; Mon is mon, but Môn is "morn"(not Moon ;p) Putting these tips together (especially if you visit Angelsey) ... Ynys Môn is "un-iss morn", and not (as I have often heard) "Eunice Mon" or "Why-niss mon"
as welsh person all I ask for travellers is to respect the culture, be kind to us and we’ll gladly be kind back. most of us don’t mind helping people around, showing directions or discussing our culture. honestly I’m just glad people are interested. and don’t worry about pronouncing the names of places, most of us don’t know how to pronounce them either.
Great mountain walks , fabulous beaches , wild countryside and a warm and friendly people . Go to the Welsh valleys to savour the community spirit the poverty and yes oodles of rain . Our towns and cities each have their own character from super modern to blasts from the past . We are rich in mountains and castles and ancient myths , there are coastal and farming communities , bustling hubs and places where you can be far from humanity . It’s a wonder really how much could be crammed into such a small space !
I was in Canada with work and I went to get sushi in the mall. I’m Welsh (albeit no Welsh accent) and the waitress says “oh, that’s an interesting accent. Are you from England?” I said no, I’m from Wales. She said “same thing really isn’t it.” I said, I love your American accent. She said “It’s a Canadian accent. I’m Canadian.” I said; Same thing really, isn’t it?
just wanted to say a thank you for pointing out the difference between Wales and England. As a Welsh person myself there's not much else more frustrating than being called English by people who don't do some background recerch
@@Pocockablethere isn't that much difference. You don't have even have a separate legal system, it's the law of England and Wales 😊 Even the Scottish have their own jurisdiction 😊
As a proud Welshman I have loved watching this video. You are truly positive about many things that other country folk miss and lots of Welsh people take for granted! Love your videos. Keep it up! Iechyd da!
