Wild Wales Tours and Walkabouts, our story!
Wild Wales Tours and Walkabouts L.L.C. was established to introduce North Americans and others to the people, culture and physical landscapes of the nation of Wales. The Lonely Planet Guide for 2017 chose North Wales as the fourth most desirable region to visit on the planet in 2017!
Growing up in Snowdonia, North Wales in the ‘50s and ‘60s, I had no idea how lucky I was to be raised in such a rich culture, surrounded by magnificent landscape. After leaving Ysgol y Gader High School in Dolgellau in 1967, with no prospects of finding work in the area, I joined the Royal Air Force. Six years later I sailed across the Atlantic on a small sailboat to the Welsh settlement in Patagonia, but ended up in Northern Maine. I met my wife Anne in Los Angeles in 1989, and the next thing I knew we were moving to the prairies in southeastern Minnesota for her teaching job at Winona State University. We are still here!!
For the past twenty years, Anne’s colleagues and many of our friends have asked me to take them to Wales. Most of them have been to Ireland, the Isle of Skye, London, Paris and many other destinations in Europe, but the truth of it is, they don't know where Wales is, or its relation within the British Isles!
Wild Wales Tours & Walkabouts was established to introduce North Americans and others directly to the Welsh people and culture, and to their own Welsh heritage, all from an authentic Welsh perspective. Our goals are to highlight the immense beauty of the Welsh landscape, the choral tradition of Wales, and the everyday lives of the people who reside in this magical nation. Our vision is to help sustain the Welsh language, and build relationships to promote economic growth. Along the way we will be entertained by story tellers, musicians and historians.
Many of our guests tell us that they would like to travel in an unhurried way, meet the Welsh people, and discuss issues of the day. Often we will be staying in the same area or town for two or three days to get to know the history and people.
In May 2017 we will be taking our first Wild Wales Tour group to travel around Wales at a slower pace for ten days with no more than twenty people on the bus. At some locations we will have local dignitaries there to welcome us! We will board the Welsh Highland Railway www.festrail.co.uk in Caernarfon that will take us through the Snowdonia mountains to our next hotel in the seaport town of Porthmadog. The choral tradition in Wales, over a thousand years old, is the backbone that connects the Welsh language and culture. The Brythoniaid Male Voice Choir www.corbrythoniaid.com from Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, won the prestigious first place at the National Eisteddfod in Abergavenny this past summer. On our bus tours in May and October, 2017, we will hear them sing and meet with them afterwards!
As the director of Wild Wales Tours I will be on the bus accompanied by Carole Startin, a storyteller and Blue Badge Guide to Wales.
We also will be leading Wild Wales Walkabouts for 8-10 people hiking around the Welsh Coastal Path and Snowdonia National Park. As we connect with the landscape and the amazing world of nature, we will pass through small, rural Welsh communities and the countryside that surrounds them. As we tread along we will support small businesses, stay in local B&B’s and small hotels, and eat in the local pubs. We do cater to family groups and clubs who would like us to customize their trip to Wales.
Come join us! There are a few seats left in May and October 2017
Learn more at: wildwalestours.com and also on facebook at wildwalestoursandwalkabouts
