We visited here on their special Thomas the Tank day. Although the trains were wonderful and the…read morestaff were lovely we felt that the day was badly organised and no-one seemed to know what they were doing. Our 5 month old thoroughly enjoyed himself though and particularly loved the Punch and Judy show.

We have been on the 'Thomas' days several times now. The Grand children are great Thomas fans and…read morealways have a fun packed day going on the trains, even had a go 'driving' the actual engine. Depending on the season (Easter, Christmas ) they put on a show of characters from the stories,,Meeting the Fat Controler was a highlight for the youngest Because the Station has a small car park and awkward entrance they usuallyput on shuttle buses which run from the County Showground at Nantici. We were lucky to go on a Vintage open top Bus in the summer, fortunatly it was dry. The children always enjoy whatever the weather.

This striking lifesize sculpture depicts Truith the Boar (or in Welsh, 'Twrch Trwyth'), from the…read moreold Welsh tale 'Culhwch and Olwen' found in the collection of folklore known as 'The Mabinogion'. In fact the second half of the story is mainly concerned with the hunting of the enchanted boar which strangely enough has poisonous bristles, a pair of scissors, a comb and a razor, between his ears! After many adventures, he is finally driven into the sea and drowned. The sculptor, Chris Crane, was born in Cumbria in 1976. He studied Fine Art in Lancaster and obtained his B.A.(hons) from University of Wales Institute, Cardiff in 2000. These days, he lives and works in Carmarthenshire. He works mainly with old bits of scrap metal, old farming equipment, and other remnants of the industrial past. One of many interesting sculptures in the area which I enjoyed during my time there until last year when I relocated to Scotland.

This is a wonderful place for a walk! Not only is Richard Burton's childhood home here (a terraced…read morehouse on the main road) and one of the entrances to the massive Afan Argoed Forest Park, but there is an impressive, mile long circular walk you can do here which will take you over both a tall 19th century viaduct and a disused aqueduct! Start opposite the shop in Pontrhydyfen (there is only one!) and take the left hand fork facing you (Station Road) instead of going down the steep hill. Walk along here past the cemetery and a little further on turn right onto the aqueduct. After appreciating the marvellous views of the Afan Valley, cross to the other side, turn right into the village of Oakwood and walk to the end. Follow a grassy track which winds down some steps and then turn right onto the viaduct. This is another great place for views back over the village of Pontrhydyfen and the aqueduct, although the sides are high - you might need to stand on tiptoe! Keep going until a woodland 'crossroads' then turn right and follow the river back to the road, where you will turn left and left again up the steep hill to take you back to where you started. Not far from where we live and a walk we often enjoy at all times of year.

Ystradfellte is the Brecon Beacon's Waterfall country and its also were I grew up so its a place I…read moreknow well and love very much. Its a place that a lot of people in Wales know of just because of the fall and the caving complexes. The most famous of the waters is Sgwd Y Eira. If you have seen the advertising posters for Brecon Water this is the waterfall in the picture. Its a fairly easy walk apart from the steps as you get near and its one of very few waterfalls that you can actually walk underneath, though do expect to get sprayed a bit. I personally prefer some of the walks around the other falls which are much quieter in the summer and offer refreshing pools to swim in or picnic by. In all my years of living here I have never got bored of walking the area, its different all the time. Just a note to vistors the two main car parks charge a daily fee and a national parks ranger goes between them. If you want to avoid the fee park in the village itself and walk a bit further, tempting as it may be to pull up on the verges near the car parks I have seen so many break in's that you really are risking it a bit.

'Y Garreg Siglo' in Welsh, a great place to visit, not far from Pontypridd Hospital and with a…read moremarvellous view over the town. The central stone is over 5 feet high and placed there in Neolithic times. It does indeed 'rock' slightly back and forth if you sit or stand on it and push a bit! The stone circle surrounding it is much more recent, having been arranged there only one or two hundred years ago (there appears to be some dispute about the exact date). There are various other stones dotted about the Common. There are several places to park nearby along the road side.

This large ruin stands on a ridge overlooking the Taf river estuary, close to the town of…read moreLaugharne. The castle was built by the Normans in the 12th century and is now owned by Cadw (similar to the National Trust). Much of the castle survives, including two large towers and a gatehouse. It costs £3 to visit and there's a shop nearby where you can buy some souvenirs and a guide book.

Coity Castle is a magical place full of distant battle cries and that incredible sense that…read moreimportant things have happened there. Built in 1100 and then rebuilt after a siege by Owain Glyndwr, this is a castle often overlooked by visitors to Wales, despite its extremely important part in Welsh history. Although other castles, such as Cardiff Castle, Caerphilly Castle and Castell Coch, are more visited, I would argue that it's the lesser known relics which are more interesting. This Medieval castle is built up on a hill, with clear evidence of moats, and looks almost like a half-rotten tooth sticking up into the sky. It has just as much grandeur and fairy-tale quality as a person could ask for in a castle. This historic site is well worth a visit; sunset will reward you will specular photographs and views.

This is another of South Wales's impressive Norman Castles, standing in ruins near the town of…read moreBridgend in South Wales, not far from Cardiff. It was built by Sir Payn "the Demon" de Turberville, one of the legendary Twelve Knights of Glamorgan who are supposed to have conquered the area under the leadership of Robert FitzHamon, Lord of Gloucester. Although it was originally built soon after 1100, a lot of the castle actually dates from the fourteenth century and later. Parts of it were rebuilt following the siege by Owain Glyn Dr in 1404-05. Despite being in ruins, there are still plenty of interesting features to see - including the remains of the central octagonal pillar for the vaults of the castle. If you have OS map 170 the reference is SS 923815. Nearby you can also visit Newcastle and Ogmore Castles in a day trip.

On the side of a cliff path overlooking Manorbier Beach, King's Quoit is in one of the most…read morebeautiful positions for a Neolithic tomb and also one of the easiest to find! It isn't far from the beach up the cliff path on the left of the beach (south-east side) but the path is steep and rocky in places so care should be taken. There are two small stones which support a massive capstone measuring 15ft by 9ft. At the back corner there is another stone which is low and disappearing into the side of the grassy cliff. The height inside is 2ft 6inches - the chamber being partly underground. There are also other interesting stones of the same kind which line part of the cliff face (which itself is mostly red sandstone). Really worth a visit if you're at all interested in ancient history or just want to soak up the very special and mysterious atmosphere of this incredible tomb.

When you visit Tenby you will find this structure that leads to the main drag for restaurant, cafes…read moreand shops, worthy of a visit. The Tenby town walls are Grade I-listed medieval defensive structures around the town of Tenby in Pembrokeshire. They are assessed as one of the most important surviving medieval city walls in Britain. The walls were built in the 13th century by the Earls of Pembroke and improved in the 1450s. They were last known to have been repaired in 1588 and have declined thereafter. Most of the town's gates were demolished beginning in the 18th century and only one survives

This impressive structure and south-west gate is the most prominent part of the city walls which…read moreenclosed a large part of what is now called the old town. The walls were built by the Normans back in 1296 and this gate was, at that time, a single arch. However, later, a barbican was added to protect the gate. In the 19th century, other arches were knocked through owing to the increased number of people passing through. The wooden gates have not survived although the huge slots which housed the bolts can still be seen. During the French Revolutionary War a roof was added to proved an ammunition store. My photo was taken during a visit to the town before my husband and I left Wales.