it's cheaper than the train but nowhere near as enjoyable.read more

Last Tuesday evening, November 29, 2011, I arrived at the London Heathrow Airport from the US…read more Trying to lessen my burden upon arrival, my husband booked passage on National Express via the internet. My passage was booked for Gloucester, England, but I needed to find Gloucester Place in London. Being my first trip to the UK, I dutifully boarded the bus at approximately 20:00 hrs. I was tired after a long plane ride, and dozed for quite some time. Upon awaking I realized we were far away from any metropolis, but kept thinking somehow the bus would end up back in the London area again. Finally upon entering Gloucester, and only one other passenger on the bus, I asked our driver, David, if we were in a suburb of London. He told me we were 120 miles from London. Before driving any further, David called his dispatcher at Heathrow, and told of my plight. The decision was made to drive me to the depot in Gloucester (the end of this route), and wait for the next bus back to Heathrow. I agreed and was treated like a special guest until the bus was readied for the return to London Heathrow. After finishing his shift work, David waited with me until Simon came on shift and was ready to drive the Gloucester-London Heathrow route. I was only in the Central Bus Station for about 15 minutes, when another National Express employee (forgot her name) beckoned me to an awaiting Mercedes private taxi, with a driver dressed in a suit. I was carefully carried to my destination on Baker Street, near Gloucester Place, in downtown London. Even though I arrived several hours later than originally planned, I felt so pampered. Thank you David, Simon and everyone at National Express! You are all brilliant and sorted out my problem perfectly! Renee Machado Connelly Berry, San Jose, CA, USA

Signposted from the M4, this is well worth a visit. There are seven miles of forest to explore,…read morewith several parking bays along the way where you can get out to walk along one of the marked paths, or have a picnic. There is also a fishing lake and a mountain bike trail. The views from the top are incredible! There's a fairly new visitor centre and cafe at the foot of the drive.

We've just spent a lovely couple of days podding at the campsite here absolutely breathtaking…read morescenery, spotless loos and showers, and really well thought out pod arrangements, all for £35 a night (minimum 2 nights). Loved the picnic table and bbq areas too if we come back to South Wales we'll definitely stay again. Gorgeous.

I love this place at any time of year. The visitors center is small but comprehensive and the staff…read moreare very helpful, I would advise popping in here when you arrive to get a walks leaflet or to ask the staff about which is the best way to go. Situated on the recovered Newport-Monmouth canal you can walk southwards through woodland towards Bettws and Newport (there is a two hour circular walk here coming back through the golf course) or take the canal side path northwards and carry on for as long as you like towards Monmouth! Both routes have great views over Newport and good wildlife, last time there I saw a kingfisher. Free parking at the canal center, toilets and cafe.

A very large room on the ground floor of the building with various Welsh gifts for sale around the…read morewalls on racks and shelves. I was in there two days ago and found it quite interesting to have a look around. There's a lot of wasted floor space and I would have liked to see more racks with perhaps local crafts and confectionery for sale. The main reason I went there was to buy postcards but I was very disappointed to find they didn't have any, apart from a few black and white cards of Newport at the turn of the last century (I discovered later that Clinton Cards is the only place where you will find a few postcards of modern-day Newport). There's a very dull and unimaginative frontage to this shop (which is part of the library building in fact) which doesn't exactly draw you in. There's a small basic cafe upstairs, along with toilets.