Product Description

Find out how a dream inspired Wales' greatest castle in Caernarfon, p.255.

Tuck into a Welsh Black beefsteak at the Bear Hotel near Abergavenny, p.130.

Go green at the Centre for Alternative Technology near Machynlleth, p.234.

Throw yourself into the Atlantic on a coasteering day out in Pembrokeshire, p.164.

Two authors, more than 1700 hours of research, 68 maps
Expanded coverage of Snowdonia for mountain lovers
Top recommendations for that special weekend away
Content updated daily: visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveller suggestions

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #209002 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 356 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781741045383
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
For sheer global reach and dogged research, attention must be paid to Lonely Planet…' --Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2003

From the Publisher
Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travellers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travellers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
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* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travellers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travellers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Customer Reviews

The only only-Wales guide? An excellent one!
Lonely Planet Guides are for "advanced" travellers, but this one is usable and very fine even for those of us who aren't in that category. It also seems to be the sole "Wales only" guidebook now available, so for those who plan to travel only in Wales and want detailed information about places, history, transportation etc. it is excellent. Although these days even the un-advanced can plan a trip by websites, most of us need a guide such as this to get started, and the material here proved more reliable than that on some websites. Realistic information about travel distances and times, cautious advice on how to climb Mt. Snowdon, and background about Welsh mythology all can be found here. The guide also tries to counter the "theme park" atmosphere by including the sad history of the collapse of mining and industry.

Disappointing and inferior to Rough Guide
I usually get both the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides for my trips, and generally both are good. In this case there is no comparison, and I would recommend just getting the Rough Guide. It's 585 pages compared to Lonely Planet's slim 332 and contains much more detailed information. The fourth edition of the Rough Guide (May 2003) is even less expensive! And where Lonely Planet usually wins, in color photographs and maps, the Rough Guide has at least caught up. I do like Lonely Planet's giving phone code and population for each city/town/village, but that alone doesn't make it worth carrying around!

More practical than inspirational: what and not why
The plethora of eateries and places to stay, more than the sights, shops, and ambiance of much of Wales, permeates these pages. You get less of a sense of why to visit so many of the places rather than where to sleep and munch when you get there. This emphasis on the practical, of course, makes this an essential reference for any traveller. Yet, I would supplement it with cultural reading and research before planning a vacation, for too often too little of the reasons to go to one place rather than another are lacking in this Lonely Planet guide.

Extra credit, however, for stimulating, if too brief, introductory material at the start that places as marginalia recommended books and websites (inevitably some of the latter being puffed up as better than they actually are regarding their depth). Too often in many guides, such lists are appended rather than featured prominently. All in all, a helpful nuts-and-bolts guide to where to go and what to do, but as I mentioned, the why will be better found in other books and guides for the newcomer.