Motorhome Hire — Wales

Wales is one of those countries that constantly surprises. For its size - roughly 170 miles from north to south and 60 miles from east to west - it packs in an extraordinary variety of landscape, culture, and experience. Three national parks, over 750 miles of coastline, more castles per square mile than any other country in Europe, and a living language that gives every place name a musical quality that English simply cannot match. From our Pontefract depot, the Welsh border is around two and a half hours away, and from there the whole country is within comfortable motorhome range.

Snowdonia, in the north-west, is the most dramatic of the Welsh national parks. Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), at 1,085 metres the highest peak in England and Wales, dominates the skyline, but the park extends far beyond a single mountain. The Glyderau, the Carneddau, the Rhinogydd, and the Moelwynion all offer outstanding walking in landscapes shaped by glaciation. The slate heritage of Blaenau Ffestiniog, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, tells the story of an industry that roofed the world. Our dedicated Snowdonia guide covers this region in detail.

The Brecon Beacons National Park, in the south, offers a different character entirely. The central Beacons, with Pen y Fan at 886 metres as the highest point, are accessible hills with sweeping views across the South Wales valleys. The Black Mountains, straddling the border with England, provide remote ridge walking and deep, quiet valleys. The waterfall country around Ystradfellte, where rivers plunge through wooded gorges, is one of the finest walking areas in Wales. Dan yr Ogof, a show cave system near the head of the Swansea Valley, includes the largest cave in the British Isles open to visitors.

The Welsh coastline is the country's greatest asset for motorhome travellers. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, in the south-west, is the only wholly coastal national park in the United Kingdom. Its 186-mile coast path passes through some of the most spectacular marine scenery in Europe, from the cathedral city of St Davids - the smallest city in Britain - to the surf beaches of Newgale and the offshore islands of Skomer and Ramsey. The Gower Peninsula, west of Swansea, was the first area in Britain to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and its beaches - Rhossili, Oxwich, Three Cliffs Bay - are among the finest in Wales.

The North Wales coast road, the A55, provides fast access from the English border to the heart of Snowdonia and beyond. Conwy, with its medieval town walls and Edward I castle, is worth a stop in its own right. Llandudno, the Victorian seaside resort with its sweeping bay and Great Orme headland, offers a classic Welsh coastal experience. The Isle of Anglesey, reached by bridge across the Menai Strait, has sandy beaches, Neolithic burial chambers, and the village with the longest place name in Europe - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

Mid Wales, the sparsely populated heartland between the mountains and the coast, is often overlooked but richly rewarding for motorhome touring. The Cambrian Mountains, sometimes called the desert of Wales, offer empty roads, hill farming communities, and red kite country around Tregaron. Aberystwyth, the university town on the Cardigan Bay coast, has a Victorian promenade, the National Library of Wales, and a cliff railway. The Elan Valley, with its chain of Victorian reservoirs set among the hills, provides some of the most beautiful waterside scenery in Wales.

Welsh castles are inescapable, and they should be. The Iron Ring - the chain of castles built by Edward I to subdue Wales in the thirteenth century - includes Caernarfon, Conwy, Beaumaris, and Harlech, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites and all among the finest medieval fortifications in Europe. Caernarfon Castle, with its polygonal towers and eagle-topped turrets modelled on the walls of Constantinople, is the most ambitious. Harlech, perched on its crag above the coast with views across Cardigan Bay to the Llyn Peninsula, is the most dramatically positioned.

Welsh food has come into its own. Welsh lamb, reared on the mountain pastures, is justly famous. Welsh cakes, bara brith, Caerphilly cheese, and laverbread (made from seaweed harvested along the coast) are all traditional specialities worth seeking out. The craft beer scene has exploded, with breweries like Tiny Rebel, Crafty Devil, and Purple Moose producing outstanding beers. The food festivals at Abergavenny and Narberth are among the best in Britain.

Campsites across Wales are plentiful and varied. The Snowdonia campsites at Llyn Gwynant and Bryn Gloch are among the most beautifully situated in Britain. Coastal sites along the Pembrokeshire, Cardigan Bay, and Llyn Peninsula coastlines offer pitches with sea views. The Brecon Beacons have a network of quiet farm sites and Camping and Caravanning Club locations that suit motorhome travellers looking for peace and solitude.

From Pontefract, Wales is closer than many people realise. The M62 and M56 corridor reaches the North Wales coast in around three hours. The M1 and M54 reach the Mid Wales border in a similar time. Southern Wales, via the M1 and M50, is around four hours. However you approach it, Wales delivers a motorhome holiday that feels like a genuine escape to another country - because, of course, it is one.