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    <location name="Wales" avg_rating="0" content_source="1" created="2007-07-17 01:16:40.214044" creator="71" hidden="0" id="696" inherited="0" latitude="52.404614" longitude="-4.006977" ltp_level="0" merged_to="" modified="2007-07-17 01:16:40.214044" modifier="2" style="1" type="4" votes="2" zoom="6" />
    <trips id="17190" created="2009-10-29 19:20:31" creator_id="72" creator_name="cristina" creator_status="100" default_for_user_id="" description="For a country the size of Massachusetts (or Israel, or Slovenia, or El Salvador), Wales packs a hearty punch in the land mass that is Great Britain.  It's much less touristy than England and even Scotland, and the lack of easy public transportation probably contributes to that.  But if you're willing to hire a car, you'll be rewarded with some of the most ethereal scenery that Europe has to offer.  Seriously, it's all here - rolling greenery, dramatic coastlines, craggy peaks, and or course, lots and lots and LOTS of sheep.

Unless you're already living in Britain, it's likely that you'll be flying internationally into London or Manchester (who flies into Cardiff?), and this itinerary is built on that assumption.  Have your fun in London, then take an early bus or train to Bristol, where you can hire a car and stock up on groceries (for camping, a nice route in these parts).  From here, it's a mere hour and a half to Llanthony Priory in the Vale of Ewyas, within Brecon Beacons National Park.  Park your car at the Priory and you should have enough time for a 3-4 hour walk in the surrounding hills before beers at the Priory and eventually bearing down for the night.

Wake up early the next morning and drive toward Hay-on-Wye, but make sure to stop for a short walk somewhere along the way - the scenery is particularly dramatic here, and there are magnificent views of England.  Once in Hay-on-Wye, spend the afternoon perusing bookshops and lounging around in cafes.  You can stay the night, but if books aren't your thing, it's not a long drive to Gower Peninsula - maybe 2 hours. 

Once in Gower, take a few days to do some coastal walks, surf, or simply lie on the beach.  Woebley Castle has great views of the salt marshes, where lamb graze.  The raw lamb chops for sale at the Castle are *fantastic* for grilling later on in the evening.

Once you pull yourself away from Gower, head up to Snowdonia - you should hike Mt. Snowdon, but it takes a full day so start early.  There are also many other beautiful walks to choose from.

From the area around Mt. Snowdon, it takes about 3-4 hours to drive to Manchester, where you can drop off the car and explore the best Yorkshire has to offer. " marked_deleted="0" modified="2009-11-11 21:05:55.590933" modifier_id="72" privacy="1" static_map_url="http://maps.google.com/staticmap?hl=en&amp;maptype=roadmap&amp;format=png&amp;markers=51.957440,-3.054390,reda%7C52.073621,-3.127352,redb%7C51.849353,-3.433228,redc%7C51.598167,-4.226102,redd%7C51.574402,-4.112835,rede%7C51.598167,-4.226102,redf%7C51.672784,-4.702568,redg%7C53.116270,-4.119180,redh&amp;key=ABCDABCD&amp;size=123123123x123123123&amp;path=rgb:0x0000ff,weight:5|51.957440,-3.054390|52.073621,-3.127352|51.849353,-3.433228|51.598167,-4.226102|51.574402,-4.112835|51.598167,-4.226102|51.672784,-4.702568|53.116270,-4.119180" status="0" sum_locations="8" sum_votes="2" title="The One-Week Vacation: Walking in Wales " triplocation_id="696" />
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