Things to do in Groes-faen

The park is made up of 519 square miles of mountain ranges, river valleys, rolling hills, forests, lakes, waterfalls and hidden caves. In among this stunning natural beauty, you will also find some of Wales’ most colourful towns, pubs, farmers’ markets and Michelin-starred restaurants. The quaint village of Llanddewi Skirrid near Abergavenny is particularly worth a visit.

Sun worshippers have been flocking here since Victorian times to what is essentially a small island, though joined now to the mainland since 1896 by a small pier. The site of a Butlins holiday camp during the 1960’s, Barry Beach is perfect for families, with its signature calling card being Barry Island Pleasure Park. Come here for crowds, candy floss and sticks of rock, the scream of the rollercoaster and the thump of the dodgems.

Opened in June 1999 complete with the first fully retractable roof in the UK, it has hosted some of the world’s most famous sporting events as well as concerts featuring the biggest entertainers in show business, from Take That, One Direction and Oasis to Madonna, Rihanna and Beyoncé.

A 12-sided medieval keep offering panoramic views across the city from a platform at its top is at the castle’s heart, but the site is also full of later additions that capture the imagination. Fabulous mock-Gothic features, including an extravagant banqueting hall and clock tower, were added during the Victorian era.

The main area of the arena is a hugely versatile space capable of staging a wide variety of events, from trade exhibitions to music concerts and stand-up shows. It is capable of holding a standing audience of 7,500 people, a number that falls to 5,000 for seated events.

One of the UK’s major teaching and research universities, in its 2014 University Guide the Sunday Times described Cardiff as “the acknowledged leader of higher education in Wales”. The previous year it hailed it as a “powerhouse of academic and research excellence”.