Wales: Through the Lens Trivia Quiz

Answer: No

Yr Wyddfa is the highest mountain in Wales but not the highest mountain in the United Kingdom. The Welsh peak is a popular one amongst hikers and is often ascended as part of the National Three Peaks Challenge; the challenge laid out before participants is to climb to the top of the highest mountains in England (Scafell Pike), Wales (Snowdon) and Scotland (Ben Nevis) all within just twenty-four hours! The largest of those three peaks, and indeed the highest mountain in the United Kingdom, is Scotland's Ben Nevis.

Answer: Cardigan bay

Mor Iwerddon is the Welsh name given to the Irish Sea, a body of water that separates Great Britain from Ireland. Found at the heart of the Irish Sea is the Isle of Man, an island that has its own parliament and its own flag (peculiar in that it features three legs pointing in different directions). One particular inlet of the Irish Sea is Cardigan Bay, which forms the coastline of a great deal of west Wales.

Answer: Swansea

Swansea, or Abertawe in Welsh, is a part of the world that is typified by contrasts. The urban landscape is sprawling and unappealing, the former of those adjectives borrowed from Dylan Thomas' appraisal of his hometown, "...an ugly, lovely town...crawling, sprawling...by the side of a long and splendid curving shore.

This sea-town was my world." The city and surrounding countryside has tremendous inherent beauty, its wonderful coastline clear to see and the breathtaking rurality of the Gower peninsula but just a stone's throw away. Growing up just outside of this city, Thomas' words resonate deeply; Abertawe is in a far-flung corner of the country, its isolation (in British terms) contributing to its identity and the identity of the people who live there in communities such as Bonymaen and Morriston.

Answer: Pembrokeshire

The county of Pembrokeshire occupies the most south-westerly corner of Wales; as those familiar with the nation will have noticed, the map that accompanied this question is out of date. This reflects the fact that the county lines in Wales get redrawn with exhausting regularity, with councils merging and splitting endlessly. St Davids is considered the ecclesiastical capital of Wales and is the smallest city in the United Kingdom.

Answer: Menai Strait

This beautiful picture captures the fantastic landscape of mainland Wales and the island of Anglesey (Ynys Mon) as well as the bridge, which effortlessly blends into its surroundings, that connects the two. The bridge alluded to is the Britannia Bridge which traverses the Menai Strait; positioned within the strait is the island of Ynys Gored Goch (Red Weir Island), the precarious location of two homes, which is accessible by boat and boat alone.

Answer: Ilfracombe

The Bristol Channel and the Severn Estuary separate the south of Wales from the counties of south west England. Wales is situated to the north of these bodies of water, whilst English counties such as Devon and Cornwall are to be found to the south. Haverfordwest and Milford Haven are two settlements found in Pembrokeshire, Wales and Porthcawl is a Welsh settlement found not all that far from the town of Bridgend. Ilfracombe is a town found on the beautiful coastline of north Devon.

Answer: Castell Nedd

Neath, the hometown of yours truly, has an incredible history and one of the greatest remaining monuments to the town's intriguing past is Neath Castle. As is expected of a structure that was built in 1120, parts of the castle have fallen away but what remains hints at the settlement's Norman past.

The Welsh name for Neath is Castell Nedd, which references the structure that is now surrounded by buildings of the modern age.

Answer: Aberystwyth

Aberystwyth, home to the National Library of Wales and Aberystwyth University, is a remote town found on the shores of Cardigan Bay, an inlet of the Irish Sea. The imposing mound that overlooks both the town and the bay is Constitution Hill, a feature of the landscape that can be ascended by train due to the services provided by the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway.

Answer: Brecon Beacons

I first took a trip along the Heart of Wales Line in 2015 as a means to visiting the Royal Welsh Show at Llanelwedd, Powys. A portion of this line near Cynghordy station I found to be particularly special, winding along the viaduct gifts passengers a perfect view of the bucolic environs.

Not far from Cynghordy and Llandovery stations is Brecon Beacons National Park, a favourite of hikers and motorcyclists.

Answer: London

The M4 is the main route in and out of south Wales; travel far enough east and you'll reach London, the capital of the United Kingdom, where, as this map suggests, all roads seem to lead to! The M4 motorway crosses the Second Severn Crossing, a fact which results in much disquiet as travelling westbound across this bridge requires the payment of a rather hefty toll!