Wales

I love Llandudno ...we stayed in a small hill village (well, a small row of cottages really !) where there was a lovely old Church ....all the hymn books were in Welsh ! and down in the village (can't spell it but it is phoenetically Maccchyntlyh (!) sorry all you Welsh speakers ! ..everyone in the newsagents stopped speaking in English and spoke in Welsh when we went in !!! didn't take any notice though ...each to his own ! We went on a bird watching walk through the hills and took my daughter who was small then, to the centre for alternative technology...it was a lovely place and have been back a few times !

Very unusual for any nationality to speak privately in their second language , wonder if the French chat to each other in English then switch to French if a strsnger appears

GadaboutGran
I don't know, it's so difficult to research with Welsh surnames - there are so many unconnected families all called Jones, Williams, Evans, Jenkins etc etc!

No Gadabout Gran

I love Wales too, and the mens choirs they have there are superb. One question, how come everyone in Wales can sing, is it the air, the mountains,it must be something we dont have.

I spent all my childhood holidays in a converted , I use that term very loosely, double decker bus, in a field in Wick near Ogmore. I am an expert at playing cards as it rained nearly all the time, but they were the best holidays ever.

Diddy, perhaps it's just love of singing, I live in a small Welsh market town, we have a male, female, mixed, church, junior schools, lower and upper school choirs . I was taken at the age of four to chapel to hear Handels Messiah on Good Friday . Or could be the rain

A beautiful country it is too. Not far from me. We have spent lots of holidays there. Great beaches too and friendly people mostly. Welsh speakers can be a bit unfriendly we found. They do not seem to welcome the English for some reason.

GREAT Rugby team too, but please keep Johnathan Edwards away from the microphone. He does nothing but criticise.

We have been to Caldy island. So beautiful and peaceful. Llyn peninsula; Amazing place; Portmeirion and lots of other places. some camping some little cottages. Love it.

OH's family are from there.

Got to give beautiful Aberdovey a mention. Many happy hols and then Mil and Fil lived there until 2003. Varied weather but always beautiful,and the joy of family gatherings.

Honeymooned in Llandudno, well it was 1969, been back many times since to North, Middle and South love it. Cousins still in Wales, plenty of Welsh blood knocking around on both sides.

We had our honeymoon in Llandudno too. 1977, and there was a bakers' strike on. We'd just scraped enough money together for the week, travelling with a coach load of pensioners who were so kind to us. We're still using some of the 10 or so souvenir teatowels they bought for us It rained all week, bath chairs were being pushed along the sea front into a howling wind, and the Great Orme cable car left us dangling for 20 minutes. Oh, and when we went out for a drink at about 9pm, the pubs had just closed . We loved it all!

Favourite places: Criccieth; Borth y Gest; anywhere on Llyn Peninsula; Harlech; St Davids; Solva; Nine Wells; Machynlleth; Welshpool and Llanfair Caereinion and anywhere on Anglesey! Wish I was in any of these places now

We lived in mid-Wales for five years. Some time aago now, but I remember being very surprised that there was such a thing as Welsh! Spent a long time trying to learn but I am no linguist and could never practise as whenever I spoke Welsh my neighbours would politely answer in English. (Unless they were children, when they would laugh!)

I too love wales. The only problem is: the OH has an aversion to rain and lack of sun sorry annie but I know you like the truth
You mustn't be greedy, all that beauty and good weather too!

Petra, we do not lack sun, we had sun yesterday and I checked on a local site by a obsessive local forecaster and he predicts rain untill next Wednesday then another sunny Thursday

I simply love Wales and absolutely thrilled that DD has bought a house in Brecon. It's my number one destination for holidays and any other excuse I can conjure up
Sitting in Brecon Cathedral listening to the Brecon Male Voice Choir is beyond description, food for the soul (and you can sit and listen to their rehearsals for free)

Loopylou, if you look out for the summer events in the cathedral you will see lots of concerts by soloists from around the country and further, organists, pianists, cellists etc, pop in when they are rehearsing too , free . Also in the area , end of May is the Hay Book Festival, I have heard so many authors talk there , Bill Clinton, Stephen Fry, too many to list. Take your wellies if sky is grey

I truly long to visit South Wales where my beloved Father came from. Dad died when I was 14 years old. Sadly Dad very rarely talked about his Welsh heritage, probably because at such an age I would not have been that interested. Typical bloody Teenager !!
Thanks to the internet though, I have recently been able to see the home where he was born and bred. I cried when I first saw it. Finally, my heritage made sense.
I have also discovered via a census that my Great Grandfather worked in the coal mines at the age of 8 years of age.
I am so proud of my Welsh heritage.
Thank you Anniebach x

I'm Welsh descent and spent all my school holidays there. I vividly remember the Welsh hell fire sermons, which oddly enough, were one of the few positive things about my childhood!

Chewbacca Solva is one of our very favourite places. I have a watercolour of the harbour at low tide which is on the wall in front of our bed and it is a pleasure to look at it every morning, if you can't have the real thing!

My son and family moved to midWales about 16 years ago and the GC(4) have been educated and grown up there. GD has just gained an A* GCSE for singing (in Welsh) and her older sister performed in the Eisteddfod last year so they are truly integrated (having a Welsh surname helps!)We had a static caravan in Llanidloes for several years before we had to leave and I was devastated. Midwales is so beautiful and quite unspoiled (apart from the windfarms).

A BIG HELLO FROM CARDIFF

.cookie, I am so happy you have found your roots, do visit South Wales and if you are brave enough msy I suggest you visit Blaenavon Big Pit, you can see the museum and you can go down into the pit itself , quite safe, no use for anyone who is claustrophobic though, when I went it was magical, I knew many generations of my family had done the same but for their whole working lives, most incredible feeling . Do let me know if you do visit X