Wales for the Tourist Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cardiff

Although the area has been the site of communities for many centuries (Cardiff castle dates from 1093 and sits on the site of an ancient Roman fortress), Cardiff only celebrated its centenary as a city in 2005. A major manufacturing centre and shipping port, it has been the capital of Wales since 1955 and one tenth of the population of Wales resides there.

Answer: Tintern

"Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey" was the title of Wordsworth's poem and although its theme was ethereal and philosophical, he does provide a broad stroke description of the beautiful Wye Valley. It is a lovely, peaceful area and the tree canopied road north to Monmouth twelve miles away is worth the gas.

The abbey itself is being slowly restored. Nearby is an inn that was originally a boathouse for the abbey. If you want to sit in a pub which has a wall dating back to the 12th century, The Anchor Inn is the place for you!

Answer: Portmeirion

Williams-Ellis was an architect who designed the village hoping to prove the point that a community could be built without ruining the intrinsic beauty of the surrounding area. Suffice to say, he succeeded.

Although Portmeirion pottery bears the name of the village, it is manufactured in Stoke-On-Trent in England. You can purchase samples of the product in the village, however.

"The Prisoner" was one of the more esoteric TV programs of the era with the "Big Brother" motif and the white bubble that always captured McGoohan after his attempts to escape. If you're familiar with the program at all, it's easy to visualize the sets on your visit.

For more info on the village, go to http://www.portmeirion-village.com/en/guidebook.php

Answer: Betws-Y-Coed

The views of the Irish Sea from the mountains west of Betys-Y-Coed are quite noteworthy and exhilarating.

Abergavenny is a market town in the south east of Wales near the English border, Bangor is a port and cathedral town in the north west near the Isle of Anglesey and Llandrindrod Wells is a spa right smack dab in the middle of the country... and strangely enough, quite away from any other urban centre.

Answer: Celtic Manor Golf Resort and Spa

Sir Terry Matthews, who's made billions and billions inventing a computer chip, is the prime mover and shaker behind this facility. Proud of his Welsh heritage, Matthews insisted that every possible employment opportunity in the creation of the resort be filled by a Welsh national, his way of striving to boost the Welsh economy. The resort is located just west of the English border in Newport.

The Marriott St. Pierre and the Vale of Glamorgan resorts are similar in ilk to the Celtic Manor and, in fact, it may be an arguable point as to which offers the poshest amenities. As for me, I can afford the green fee at these places but staying on site is far beyond my meagre financial resources. Incidentally, there is a fabulous links style golf course at Porthcawl but it is an old, established members club, not a resort.

Answer: Caernarfon

Caernarfon is a port located in the far north west of the mainland of Wales, across the Strait from the island of Anglesey.

Wales is a land rife with castles in various condition. Caernarfon is quite intact, maybe even habitable, while the castle at Kidwelly is a vast ruin that is being partly rehabilitated merely to hint at its former splendour. Harlech castle is enormous and stands out magnificently on a hill adjacent to the Irish Sea. Caerphilly castle is even larger than Harlech and after Windsor castle, is the largest castle in the U.K. It also was the first castle to incorporate concentric walls as a line of defense and one of the first to use water (a moat) as part of a defense strategy. Kidwelly was built in the 1180's, the others a century later.

Castle aficionados could not go wrong touring Wales!

Answer: Carmarthen

Merlin first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's "History of the Kings of Britain", written in around 1135.

Merlin was said to have cast a curse on a large, old oak tree - "When Merlin's Oak shall tumble down, then shall fall Carmarthen town". The tree eventually died but to ensure the community's health, the rotting stump was encased in concrete and moored with iron cable. However, in the interests of progress (it was situated in a busy intersection and lorries and buses had difficulty negotiating their way around it), it was uprooted and placed in a museum. Sure enough, a downpour that lasted for days caused the River Tiwy to overflow its banks and several homes in Carmarthen were lost... but not the town itself which continues as a thriving market community for the entire shire.

Answer: Llangollen

The Welsh are notoriously good singers and many choirs travel the world giving concerts. It would not be unusual for a group of Welshmen to break into song at a restaurant or pub if the mood struck. If you missed the festival, Llangollen would be worthwhile visiting to see the remains of a castle dating back 1,300 years, another castle in Chirk, a short distance away, that was built in 1310 and has remained occupied ever since and many other historical structures dating all the way back to Roman times.

Speaking of singers, Pontypridd is the birthplace and childhood home of Tom Jones. Brecon is a charming little town at the base of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Ystradgynlais is an old mining community not far from Brecon. It is said "Ystradgynlais was the last place dug by God before he broke His shovel". I'm unclear as to whether that is complimentary or not!

Answer: Tenby

Besides lying on the beach or patronizing one of the several fine restaurants and pubs in town, there is plenty to do in Tenby. You can walk the town walls constructed in the 13th century, visit an active monastery on Caldy Island just a couple of miles off shore, meander along the streets to study the architecture of the restored homes that date two and three hundred years, or play a game of golf at the oldest established golf club in Wales. You could also take a little trip to Laugharne a few miles away to visit Dylan Thomas' boathouse... it remains as he left it prior to going to New York in the early 1950s and drinking himself to death!

All the other choices are in north, rather than south, Wales.

Answer: M4

The M4 begins in London, just east of Heathrow airport, and goes directly west into Wales ending half way between Swansea and Carmarthen, as of 2005. If you fly into Heathrow, you can be on Welsh soil in a little over two hours.

Answer: The Mumbles

If you speak Welsh, it's Mwmbwl, a place in need of vowels! The views of Swansea at dusk are truly memorable and over the hill a mile or two south, there's a lighthouse on the cliffs and views of Langland and Caswell Bays with their lovely beaches. Residents of the area include some of the wealthiest people in Wales, most notably Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Answer: Worm's Head

The name actually derives from the Viking word "wurm" meaning "dragon" and using your imagination, you can see it. During the day, surfers flock to the site and in the evening, shutterbugs take over for the spectacular sunsets when the sky is right.

Answer: Llandudno

Llandudno is located at the base of a rocky hill known as "The Great Orme". At the turn of the 20th century, a cable tramway was built to carry people to the summit for the spectacular views and the town was on its way as a resort. A number of estate mansions were built at the base and part way up the hill and many of these have been converted into inns and B&Bs to service the tourists. Also notable are the Victorian and Edwardian structures along the esplanade near the beach, now mostly hotels. Interesting architecture. If you're there in winter, you can even don the boards and do a little skiing at nearby Happy Valley.

Answer: Offa's Dyke

That king's name was Offa and he built the dyke to defend his kingdom from the Welsh rabble to the west. He was king from 757 to 796 and it is believed that construction of the fortification started around 784. Much of the structure still remains and a footpath system has been developed adjacent to the dyke for those who choose to walk and explore it.

Answer: Exeter

Chester is very close to Wales in the north, Shrewsbury is just across the border in the north east and Bristol is just off the M4 in the south, across the Severn river from Wales. Exeter is in the mid of Devon south of the Bristol Channel which forms Wales' south shore.