Fun in Wales

Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales Mid

Recommendation added: 06/12/2007 17:23
By: mamba17 (YSUK rating +87)

mamba17 has been thanked 2 times for this contribution

"After visiting Wales pretty much my whole life it can be expected that I have visited the town of Aberystwyth around a thousand times. Whenever we go to Wales, even for a weekend, it seems we have to visit the town. As one of the main towns in Wales it does have a reputation, but for those who are unknowing I will tell you some things about it and why I like the place.

Aberystwyth is located in the far west of Wales. It is on the coast and approximately sixty miles away from Welshpool. If you follow the signs from Welshpool to Machyllenth and then follow the signs to Aberystwyth it should take you about one hour from Welshpool to get there. Or if you want to travel by train there are trains running from Birmingham New Street to Aberystwyth that run every two hours. The location is brilliant, its right next to the sea so you can get some fresh air when your there, it is pretty much in the middle of everything so no matter where you want to go in Wales you can get there from Aberystwyth.

It's a great town, very much a student one as the University is just outside of the town, very vibrant and lively. Driving down the main road to get there you can see all the houses, buildings and the sea so it really does make a brilliant picturesque scene when you're first coming in. The town isn't the biggest in the world but it has many shops that would keep you entertained for the day. All the high street shops are there such as Woolworths, New Look, Dorothy Perkins, Argos and WH Smith. It is missing some of the main stream shops such as Debenhams and Next but it's a great place to go shopping anyway. All of the shops are located on the main high street so its quite easy to find everything and its nice to have all the shops close together for convenience.

Aberystwyth also has lots of independently owned shops which add to the character of the town. There are lots of craft and antique stores within and located around the town so its quite nice when you find one as there may be something quite individual located in them.

The sea front is lovely on a summer's day. Everyone is there walking on the promenade eating ice creams and setting up picnics on the beach. The beach isn't the nicest one I've come across in my life but it's still a nice place to sit down, especially if you have kids and they want to play. There's also a paddling pool for kids which I always find quite a nice touch to the sea front as there are always parents and their kids playing about. For families with young children it's a lovely place to spend an hour on the sea front, just relax and have some fun. They even have some entertainment going on sometimes. I have been there a couple of times when there has been some band or dance accruing, however I am boring and have never joined in!

For the older kids, or teenagers if you will, there is the arcade centre. This was a nice touch on the place years ago but now it does look a bit tacky and a tad chavvy. But for teens it is a fun place to spend some time. Filled with machines like the '10p' machine it can provide some entertainment.

There are quite a few nice restaurants and cafes in Aberystwyth if you know where to look. They all seem to be dotted about the place but the nicest one are on the sea front.

Other things to do in Aberystwyth include miniature golf, which is always a fun activity. There are old castle ruins which are quite interesting to walk around. Then there is the mountain railway. This electric railway takes you up to the top of the mountain where you can get some fabulous views of Aberystwyth and the sea. There are lots of walks that start from the summit as well as a café and a small museum of sorts.

As I've said before you can get to a lot of places from Aberystwyth and there are plenty of attractions such as farms and amusement villages only a small drive away. There is quite an impressive golf course just outside of the town which is amazing to have a game on in the summer.

I will only mention a small bit about the University but it is pretty nice. I went round it when looking at Universities and it is pretty impressive. Nice buildings and student accommodation, plus some lectures theatres overlook the sea which is pretty cool. Overall it is a nice University with some good courses.

To stay in Aberystwyth is quite easy as there seems to be dozens of beds and breakfasts and hotels about the place. The prices can vary starting from anything around £20 per night for something a little out of town to around £60 per night for a hotel that is on the sea front. It can be quite a cheap place to spend a weekend break on holiday as it is good for shopping and close to different places and attractions.

Overall Aberystwyth is a lovely place to visit and I recommend it completely. After visiting the place dozens of times each year all my life I still enjoy going and having a potter around the town. A lovely sea town with great views, good shopping, nice places to stay and a great base for any holiday!

I am going to give the address to the Four Seasons Hotel in Aberystwyth as if gives a good location to go to if you are travelling to Aberystwyth.

Address: Portland Street, Aberystwyth, SY23 2DX
Telephone number: 01970 612120"