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| Wales Travel
- International |
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| AIR |
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Wales' international
airport is Cardiff
International Airport (CWL)
Airport information: tel: (01446) 711 111).
Facilities include buffets, snack bar, bars, bureaux de change,
ATMs, duty- and tax-free shops, numerous other shops, travel agency,
children's play area, executive lounge and facilities for the disabled.
Train
Local buses link the airport with Cardiff Central station, which
is 19km (12 miles) away. The station is served by the InterCity
network and regional lines, including a fast service to London Paddington.
There are also bus connections to Barry Town Station, 8km (5 miles)
from the airport.
Coach
Regular coach services operate to Cardiff Central Bus Station from
London Victoria and other major destinations with connections to
the rest of the country.
Local bus
Bus nos X91, X45 and X35 run from Cardiff bus station to the airport
on an hourly basis (Mon-Sat). Service X5 runs from Cardiff bus station
every 2 hours on a Sunday.
Taxi
Available through local operator Cardiff Airport Taxis (tel: (01446)
710 693)
Car hire
Europcar has an office at the airport (tel: (01446) 711 924); Avis
(tel: (01446) 719 569) and Hertz (tel: (01446) 711 722) also provide
services.
Private car
Cardiff is reached on the M4 from London, exiting at Junction 33
and following the signs. Car-parking facilities are available at
the airport for short- and long-term stays. |
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| SEA |
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| The main ports are Fishguard
and Holyhead (Anglesey), both of which have ferry connections to
the Republic of Ireland. |
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| RAIL |
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There are two main-line
routes into Wales. One runs from London Paddington to Fishguard
along the south Wales coast (branching at Whitland to serve Haverford
West and Milford Haven), while the other links Holyhead with Chester
and northwest England.
In addition, the line from Cardiff to Chester (via Newport, Hereford
and Shrewsbury) links the south Wales cities with Abergavenny in
Gwent and Wrexham in Clwyd.
There are also two smaller cross-country lines: these run from Shrewsbury
to Welshpool, Barmouth, Harlech, Porthmadog and Pwllheli; from Shrewsbury
via Welshpool to Aberystwyth; and from Craven Arms (on the Shrewsbury-Ludlow
line) through Llandrindod Wells and Llandovery down to Swansea.
There are also a large number of local steam railways, rescued by
railway enthusiasts during the Beeching era, known collectively
as The Great Little Trains of Wales. The most famous of these is
the one at Ffestiniog, Porthmadog in Snowdonia, which has lovingly
restored locomotives and carriages from the last century. Others
include the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway (in north Powys), the
Fairbourne and Talyllyn Railways (both near Barmouth in Cardigan
Bay) and the Bala Lake Railway. Wanderers' Tickets are available,
giving access to all the railways for a specific period. For further
information, contact The Great
Little Trains of Wales, c/o Talyllyn Railway, Wharf Station,
Tywyn, Gwynedd LL36 9EY (tel: (01654) 710 472; fax: (01654) 711
755; e-mail: enquiries@talyllyn.co.uk).
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| ROAD |
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The best road approach
to Wales from southern England is via the M4 motorway, which runs
from west London to Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, almost to Carmarthen.
The A5 links London and the Midlands with the ferry port of Holyhead,
and the A55 links Holyhead with Chester. The best cross-country
road is probably the A44/A470 from Oxford to Aberystwyth.
Many of the smaller roads are slow, and in upland areas may become
impassable during bad weather. The bilingual Mantais Cymru information
line, operated on behalf of the National
Assembly for Wales (NAW) offers primary access to the very latest
traffic and road user information for travel to, from and within
Wales (info line tel: 0845 602 6020; e-mail: info@traffic-wales.com).
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| URBAN |
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All the main cities
have local bus services. There is a good network of local train
services radiating from Cardiff.
Distances
From London:
· to Cardiff is 249km (155 miles),
· to Fishguard is 425km (264 miles),
· to Holyhead
is 476km (296 miles)
· and to Aberystwyth is 394km (245
miles). |
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