Along from Newport is Cardiff, the capital of Wales, sits at the mouth of the river Taff. The Cardiff Bay area is chic and the city as a whole much regenerated with attractions ranging from the Castle to the Millennium Stadium.

Inland from Cardiff, you have "The Valleys" - beautiful green valleys that stretch for 30 miles inland, heather moorlands on the top, lush green trees and forestry on the valley sides, and homes and industry on the valley floors. The valleys were a hive of industry in times gone by, with a vigorous coal mining sector that's now all gone; they're coming out of a bleak economic period now, but are still depressed compared to most of the rest of the British Isles.

Map locator - Cardiff


Caerphilly Castle - right in the town


Welsh Valley Scene


Old Railway viaduct, Ystrad Mynach


Memorial to coal and rail, Ystrad Mynach


The Welsh flag flies above Caerphilly Castle