Celtic Explorer

Drive through the Brecon Beacons in to Tywi valley, one of the most spectacular river valleys in Wales, with castles dotted throughout its length. Find the enchanting glacial lake of Llyn y Fan Fach and learn more about the ‘lady of the lake’ legend. Below the hills lies the picturesque market towns of Llandovery and Llandeilo. Seek out Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Fychan, known as the ‘Welsh Braveheart,’ executed by Henry IV as punishment for his support of Owain Glyndŵr, a rebellious Prince of Wales. Look out over the most breath-taking scenery in Wales perched on a 90-metre limestone crag at Carreg Cennen. Continue your journey west to the Taf estuary to visit Laugharne. Walk and drink in the footsteps of its most famous inhabitant, Swansea-born writer and poet, Dylan Thomas.

Explore the Preseli Hills to get a true sense of the Celts. These captivating prehistoric landscapes are so mesmerising that they’re known in Welsh as ‘Gwlad Hud a Lledrith,’ meaning ‘Land of Magic and Enchantment.’ Walk the ‘Golden Road’ to discover ancient monuments, burial places and rocky tors which signpost a rich and dramatic past. Foel Eryr is a perfect start, the “Place of the Eagle,” with a Bronze Age burial cairn at its summit, buzzards and red kites gliding overhead, and wild ponies roaming this raw grassland. The Mabinogion, a collection of ancient Welsh stories, tells of King Arthur and his knights fighting a battle with a terrible boar called Twrch Trwyth in the grassy cwm below Foel Cwmcerwyn. A line of rocky outcrops at Cerrigmarchogion are supposedly the graves of some of Arthur’s knights killed in that battle. The whole area is steeped in myth and legend. Find Foel Drygarn, where a formidable Iron Age fortress (around 350 BC) with its double ramparts and ditches once stood.

Uncover one of the biggest and well-preserved Neolithic dolmens in Wales, at the Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber. Rich in myth and legend, the spotted dolerite bluestone of this chamber is the same stone used for parts of Stonehenge. Experience life in Castell Henllys, a reconstructed Iron Age village in North Pembrokeshire, where history has been brought back to life to give a sense of life during the Iron Age over 2000 years ago. Take the barefoot trail to walk in the footsteps of the Demetae tribe and then take a short drive north to watch Celtic-inspired jewellery being made in the foothills of the Cambrian Mountains. Many of the pieces have been influenced by the legacy of the Celts, drawing on the language, folklore and traditions.
Discover St Davids, de facto ecclesiastical capital of Wales, an enchanting city with a spectacular 11th cathedral built on the site of the 6th-century monastery founded by Saint David, patron saint of Wales. It was once thought that two pilgrimages to St Davids was equivalent to one pilgrimage to Rome.

Spend a morning on a foraging experience along Pembrokeshire’s Coastal Path – ‘The Jewel in Wales’s Crown.’ The Celts had a spiritual bond with the natural world and believed that the sea and coastline were a source of healing, cleansing, food and wealth. 186 miles of picture-perfect coast, glittering seas, dazzling beaches are waiting to be discovered. Explore the rock pools to uncover shellfish, wild samphire, sea anemones, and scarlet elf cap mushrooms. Walk one of the most beautiful stretches of the Coastal Path from Newport to Dinas Head for magnificent views of the Preseli Hills and the dramatic Cardigan Bay. Find the ruined church at Cwm Eglwys – washed away by storms in 187 – and watch the sunset at the Old Sailors Inn, with a bowl of mussels and a pint of locally brewed ale.

Take the Celtic journey from Pembrokeshire to Ireland’s Ancient East. Explore the historic streets of Wexford, a Viking town on the mouth of the River Slaney brimming with story and oozing with character. Find historic 12th century Selskar Abbey, which is a part of the Westgate Heritage Tower built on the ruins of the first Anglo-Irish peace treaty in 1169. Discover stories that shaped the nation at The National Heritage Park. Journey through 9000 years of Irish history, with settlements representative of the earliest settlements up to the arrival of the Normans in the 12th Century. Head out to Curracloe Beach, the magnificent dune-backed location for Spielberg’s ‘Saving Private Ryan.’

Head to impressive Rathgall (Ring of the Rath), a Bronze Age hillfort enclosed and defended by four concentric ramparts, now designated a national monument. 10,000 objects have been uncovered in the inner circle since excavations began. Nearby is the pretty village of Baltinglass situated on the east bank of the River Slaney. Its abbey, now in ruins, was once the richest in Ireland with six beautiful Gothic arches on either side of the nave. Search for the striking Boleycarrigeen Stone Circle aligned to face the rising sun as it moves along the upper slopes of Kaedeen mountain during the Summer Solstice.

Take a scenic drive into the Wicklow mountains and enjoy the spectacular scenery at Glendalough ‘the valley of the two lakes.’ Discover its monastic city founded by the monk and hermit St Kevin in the 6th century, one of the crown jewels of Ireland's Ancient East with buildings dating to the 11th and 12th centuries. Follow the Old Military Road and enjoy the viewpoint at Sally Gap, or for the more adventurous, climb to Gravale or Djouce mountain peaks. Visit the Powerscourt Estate overlooked by the Great Sugar Loaf Mountain. Walk to its famous waterfall, the tallest cascade in Ireland, or simply explore its beautiful gardens surrounded by magnificent roses and rhododendrons. Spend the evening amongst the fine Georgian architecture and compact cobbled streets of Dublin.

Visit the awe-inspiring 5,200-year-old Newgrange Passage Tomb in the Boyne Valley, one of Ireland’s most ancient regions, rich in Celtic history. Journey to Loughcrew boasting a cluster of megalithic cairns, where the hills and tombs are collectively known as Slieve Na Galliach and offer the most spectacular view from their highest point in Co. Meath. Sit in the hag’s chair to hear the history and learn of the mythical legends surrounding this area. Head to Trim Castle, the best preserved and most impressive example of Anglo-Norman castles in Ireland, offering spectacular insight into the lives and traditions of the people from the Middle Ages. Walk in the footsteps of the 7th Century Benedictine monastery at Fore Abbey, founded by St. Fechin. Climb to the top of one of the most sacred sites of ancient Ireland, The Hill of Tara. Now just a grassy hill with a wonderful vista, this once was the centre of the country, and it is said that over 142 kings reigned and ruled over Ireland from this very site. A fitting place to end your exploration of the ancient east before returning to Dublin for you final evening in Ireland – enjoy the craic in bustling Temple Bar, at a cosy pub with Irish music and a pint of the ‘black stuff.’

Cross back over the Irish Sea to the unmatched beauty of Anglesey. Explore the island, find the beautiful seaside village of Rhosneigr, its sandy beaches and local seafood. Anglesey is rich in prehistoric remains with the first evidence of humans dating all the way back to the Mesolithic period. Throughout history, those that occupied this island erected numerous stone burial chambers, standing stones and hill forts, many of which survived the ages. Anglesey was the Druid’s last stronghold, a priestly society that learned class in the ancient Celtic society. Discover the finds at Llyn Cerrig Bach, described by Caesar as a sacred lake in which the spoils of war were thrown by the Celts as offerings to their gods. Or head to the site of Hendy Farm where Hendy Head was uncovered, thought to represent the gods and used for ceremonial purposes. Your final stop is Beaumaris, a captivating pastel-painted seaside town with a mix of medieval, Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture, with views across the Menai Straits to Snowdonia.