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UP TO 19% BELOW 2009 LEVELS!

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UP TO 19% BELOW 2009 LEVELS!

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UP TO 19% BELOW 2009 LEVELS!

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UP TO 29% BELOW 2009 LEVELS!

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HOME AT FIRST

 

WALES HOME

NORTHWEST WALES WALES PRICES MAP WALES GOLF WHAT YOU GET BRITAIN & IRELAND HOME ENGLAND SCOTLAND IRELAND

HOME AT FIRST's
           New Zealand

      
COUNTY CORK

Wales: Land of castles, big and small. Photo © Home At First.

FAMILY
TRAVEL

LOCATIONS SAMPLE
LODGING
ACTIVITIES

SEARCH
HOME AT FIRST

Photo ©
HOME AT FIRST

 
Live in a Legendary Land.
 

Black Mountain Cottages, near Abergavenny, Wales. Photo © Home At First.

           HOME AT FIRST’s Mid-Wales cottages are in the midst of superb scenery to the north and the south of the Black Mountains, near the English border towns of Hay-on-Wye (to the north) and Abergavenny (to the south). The nearby Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons National Park are scenic Welsh wilderness playgrounds ideal for exploration on foot, on horseback or by car.

HOME AT FIRST COTTAGE, MID-WALES
Photo © HOME AT FIRST

 

 

LOCATE MID-WALES ON HOME AT FIRST'S MAP OF ENGLAND & WALES.

 
     

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Two Lodging Locations in Mid-Wales:

NORTH of the Black Mountains HOME AT FIRST’s cottages are in or close to Hay-on-Wye, a unique town astride the English border known for its wonderful collection of second-hand bookshops. Besides more than two dozen bookshops, Hay offers several restaurants and pubs, and other stores. At the end of May Hay hosts the remarkably successful Hay Festival, which brings up to 80,000 visitors to discuss art, politics, literature, and other cerebral subjects. At all times of year Hay-on-Wye offers great short and long distance walking, golf, horseback riding, and adventure sports including white water rafting and mountain biking. Hay's location makes it within

Second-hand book shops line the streets of Hay-on-Wye, Mid-Wales, on the border with England. Photo © Home At First.
SECOND-HAND BOOK SHOPS LINE THE
STREETS OF HAY-ON-WYE, MID-WALES,
ON THE BORDER WITH ENGLAND.
Photo © HOME AT FIRST

easy day-trip reach of all of Mid-Wales (including the Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons National Park), much of South Wales, portions of North Wales, as well as divers parts of Western England, including the Northern Cotswolds, Shakespeare Country, Ironbridge in Shropshire, even Oxford.

 

Hiking in the Black Mountains near Abergavenny, Mid-Wales. Photo courtesy Wales Tourist Board Photo Library.
HIKING IN THE BLACK MOUNTAINS
NEAR ABERGAVENNY
.
Photo courtesy Wales Tourist Board.

SOUTH of the Black Mountains HOME AT FIRST's cottages are in or near Abergavenny, a large Welsh town on the edge of the Black Mountains village with excellent services, including many restaurants, shops, and a passenger rail station. Abergavenny's location provides great access to all most of South Wales (including the Blaenavon World Heritage site and Merthyr Tydfil, Cardiff, and the great Caerphilly Castle) all of Mid-Wales (especially the Usk Valley, the Black Mountains, and Brecon Beacons National Park), as well as parts of Western England including the Cotswolds, Bath, Bristol, Oxford, and Berkeley Castle. Activities in this region are as endless as the mountains seem to be: 

horse trekking, golf, castle exploration, cycling, walking, climbing, canal cruising, shopping for crafts at open-air markets, riding historic railways, discovering the early Industrial Age.
 
 

GOLFER AT CELTIC MANOR GOLF RESORT,
TWENTY MILES SOUTHEAST OF ABERGAVENNY.
CELTIC MANOR HOSTS THE ANNUAL WALES OPEN,
AND OFFERS COURSES FOR PLAYERS OF ALL LEVELS.
Photo courtesy britainonview — Rod Edwards.

Golfer at Celtic Manor Golf Resort, home of the annual Wales Open. Photo credit britainonview - Rod Edwards.

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See a sample HOME AT FIRST lodging in the ABERGAVENNY region:

 

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Black Mountain Cottage interior. Photo © Home At First.

NEAR THE TOWN
OF ABERGAVENNY
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BLACK MOUNTAIN
COTTAGES

Black Mountain Cottages. Photo © Home At First.

          Photo © HOME AT FIRST                                                                                                                            Photo © HOME AT FIRST  
 

In our customers' own words—
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            "Our cottage was charming. Accolades to our hostess for making our visit such a special one. She anticipated our needs and was always available for advice and directions. The best food we had the entire trip was at restaurants and pubs that she recommended."
                                                                                 —B. & G. Gilleland, Florida

 
 

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A Land where Legends Live. Tintern Abbey. Photo © Home At First.

         Search for King Arthur and the Druids here and you’ll find them. Our Mid-Wales locations offer great access to Shakespeare country and the Cotswolds, easy day trips away from pretty Wales on the English side of the border. Another secret the Welsh may be the friendliest people in Britain.


HENRY VIII RUINED TINTERN ABBEY.
WILLIAM WORDSWORTH FOUND
INSPIRATION AMONG ITS RUINS.
YOU WILL, TOO.
Photo © HOME AT FIRST

 

Convenient Bases for Exploring Wales and Beyond.
         Welsh cakes, Cardiff, tiny steam railways, Norman castles, great mountains, valleys full of fairies and witches, prehistoric monuments, the home of Dylan Thomas,

The Monmouth and Brecon Canal. Photo © Home At First.

open-air markets full of Welsh crafts, coal tipples from the industrial age, coastal resorts well-known and anonymous, ancient Celtic traditions, golf at classic seaside links and challenging parkland courses, and the mysteries of Merlin and Arthur all draw you to Wales. On the English side of the border Bath, Stratford-on-Avon, the Cotswolds, and Ironbridge, Shropshire, all are within reach as day trips.
 

A WELL-MAINTAINED TOWPATH TRACES THE MONMOUTH
& BRECON CANAL, AND ENCOUNTERS A PUB EVERY FEW MILES.
WALKING WALES RANGES FROM THE TRANQUIL & LEVEL
TO THE CHALLENGING & PRECIPITOUS.
Photo © HOME AT FIRST

Photo courtesy Lynne S.

Home to Kings and Poets.
         Mid-Wales and the adjacent English border counties have a long and often contentious history which, for many Welsh, continues to this day. King Offa of Mercia constructed a wall along the border to keep the Welsh out of his kingdom. The Normans built castles to keep the Welsh out of their towns. Eventually, the monarchy honored the Welsh by naming their crown heirs Princes of Wales.

 
Hay-on-Wye outdoor honesty bookshop. Photo courtesy Lynne S.
HONESTY BOOKSHOP, HAY-ON-WYE. THIS SMALL
BORDER TOWN HAS GAINED WORLD-WIDE FAME
FOR ITS  MANY USED
BOOK SHOPS WHERE YOU
MAY STILL FIND HIDDEN TREASURE.
 

 
     
 

In our customers' own words—
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        "Hay-on-Wye was a beautiful town with ample eateries and many nice shops. We did lots of walking and especially enjoyed the Wye River Trail and the canal trails. We explored the Bath area and spent an overnight in the Cotswolds at a lovely farm B&B. The rural farm and pasture scenes of Wales will stay forever in our memories. The beautiful scenery rivals Switzerland!"   
                  
                                                                  
—S. & D. Kaplan, New Hampshire

 
     

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Three Cliffs Bay, Gower Peninsula, on the south coast of Wales. Photo courtesy www.britainonview.com.
3 CLIFFS BAY BEACH ON THE
GOWER PENINSULA ALONG
THE SOUTH WALES COAST.
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Family-friendly London.
         Should we bring the kids along? Are you kidding?! There are national parks for hiking, and steam train rides better than in any amusement park. Want history to come alive for your kids? Why not take them where so much history has been made? Wales has more castles of all kinds per square mile than anyplace in the British Isles. Worried about being away from McDonald's and TV? Don't be. Kids of all ages can get their burgers, fries and CNN all over Wales. Your kids like the water? Wales has three coasts lined with sandy beaches, plus some of Britain's largest mountain lakes and cleanest, wildest rivers. Ride a kayak or go white water rafting. Rather go biking? Wales has many of Britain's top mountain biking trails and marked, quiet, scenic road routes.
 

Photo courtesy www.britainonview.com


SEE OUR
FAMILY TRAVEL PAGE FOR FULL INFORMATION!    
KIDS STAY FREE WITH HOME AT FIRST!

 

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The Right Prices to Create Your Dream Trip:

 
CENTRAL SCOTLAND PRICING 2008
 
   PRICES ARE DOWN BY AS MUCH AS 29%! WILL THIS EVER HAPPEN AGAIN?  
 

PRICES PER PERSON 2 PERSONS 3 PERSONS 4 PERSONS 5+ PERSONS SUPPLEMENTS
& REDUCTIONS
1 Week
FULL
PACKAGE

2010 PRICES AS MUCH AS
13.11%
BELOW 2009 RATES!
 
$
1889
 
$1798 $1699 $1664 HI SEASON
+$270/prs.

  ECONOMICS 2010: WIN TWICE WITH TWO-TIERED PRICING:
   1. Wales Fixed Package Prices are as much as 29.73% below 2009 rates!
   2.
Instant Discounts Pricing can save you hundreds more under 2010 rates!
 

INCLUDES: Round-trip Flights NYC/PHL to LON/MAN + One Week of Lodging & Car Rental. LO SEASON
–$330/prs.
 
Extra Week
SAME LODGING
2010 PRICES AS MUCH AS
29.72%
BELOW 2009 RATES!
 
$489 $421 $350 $320 HI SEASON
+$90/prs.
INCLUDES: One Additional Week at the Same Lodging & Car Rental Extension.
 
Extra Week
DIFFERENT LODGING
2010 PRICES AS MUCH AS
29.73%
BELOW 2009 RATES!
 
$530 $472 $390 $367 HI SEASON
+$90/prs.
INCLUDES: One Additional Week at a Different Lodging + One-Week Car Rental.
 
1 Week
GROUND ONLY ARRANGEMENTS
2010 PRICES AS MUCH AS
18.8%
BELOW 2009 RATES!
 
$890 $850 $760 $738 HI SEASON
+$110/prs.
INCLUDES: One Week of Lodging & Car Rental.
 
1 Week
LODGING ONLY
2010 PRICES AS MUCH AS
15.07%
BELOW 2009 RATES!
 
$730 $650 $620 $610 HI SEASON
+$110/prs.
INCLUDES: One Week of Lodging, but No Transportation Items.
SEASONS: HIGH SEASON: MAY 28–AUG 28, 2010 MAIN SEASON: All Other Dates
LOW SEASON: NOV 1–DEC 16, 2009 and JAN 6–MAR 28, 2010
NOTE: Prices subject to change.
Estimated Connecting Costs per person from MID-WALES to:
SCOTLAND ENGLAND & WALES IRELAND
Central Highlands, Borders, Edinburgh,
and Glasgow
Inverness & Northern Highlands London Northwest
Wales
and
England
Central
Ireland
Counties Cork & Kerry, Donegal & Sligo, and Antrim & Londonderry
$30–$150 $40–$200 $30–$100 $20–$200 $100–$300 $120–$335
 
 

SPECIAL OFFERS

VISIT OUR DEALS PAGE TO REVIEW THE LATEST
MONEY-SAVING SPECIAL OFFERS ON HOME AT FIRST TRAVEL!

 
 

WHAT DO YOU GET:
WITH HOME AT FIRST'S VACATIONS TO MID-WALES?
         You get all the elements your trip requires. You don't get more than you need. Your trip comes with the independence and flexibility that will let you travel at your own pace and explore according to your interests.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS!
           HOME AT FIRST helps you do it all with its exclusive, expansive WALES ACTIVITY GUIDE, plus a current calendar of events happening in the Mid-Wales region during your visit.
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STROLLING THROUGH COSMOPOLITAN
CARDIFF, SOUTH WALES.
Photo courtesy britainonview - David Angel

 
Strolling through cosmopolitan Cardiff, Wales. Photo courtesy britainonview - David Angel.

 

How to Design & Book Your Trip
CLICK HERE to begin your HOME AT FIRST travel adventure to MID-WALES!


GO BACK TO WALES PROGRAM PAGE  
 

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