New Attractions opening across Wales

Visit Wales 28 May 2009

Enjoy a cup of coffee at the top of Snowdon in the highest building in England and Wales, be one of the first to travel the breadth of Snowdonia on the new railway line, or interact with the animals at Anna Ryder Richardson's new wildlife park.  These are just three of many new attractions that are opening throughout Wales this spring and summer.

Hafod Eryri - new visitor centre and café on the summit of Snowdon
Hafod Eryri, the new visitor centre and café on the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) is opening this summer. The highest building in England and Wales, the formal opening will be on 12 June although the building will be in use before then. The new visitor centre is architecturally unique with lines of poetry from former national poet Gwyn Thomas built into the walls. Named "a window to the world", a glass frontage provides panoramic views over the Snowdonia. The venue also acts as a terminal building for the Snowdon Mountain Railway, with a learning centre and refreshment café. For more information visit blog.snowdonia-active.com.

Manor House Wildlife Park opens 4 April near Tenby
After huge renovations and extensions Manor House Wildlife Park is due to reopen on 4 April 2009 near Tenby. Owned by former celebrity interior designer Anna Ryder Richardson, the wildlife park has been designed to be a truly interactive experience; animals aren't kept in traditional zoo cages, you're in with them! Visitors are encouraged to not only look but also interact with the natural environment and learn how to sustain the animals and their homes.  With café and gift shop, sand pits and playgrounds the new Manor House Wildlife Park has something for the whole family to enjoy. Admission will be £8 for adults and £6 for children. For more information visit www.manorhousewildlifepark.co.uk or call 01646 651201.

New steam railway opening in one of the most picturesque spots of Britain
The Welsh Highland Railway has just opened a new extension running through the Aberglaslyn Pass, named by National Trust members in autumn 2008 as the most beautiful view in Britain. The track will also be joined with the Ffestiniog Railway in time for the 2010 season, making it possible to travel 40 miles across the breadth of Snowdonia without a car for the first time. Built entirely by volunteers, the new railway will feature carriages for bicycles so that mountain bikers can explore the area with ease, and a new viewing carriage with panoramic windows to maximise the views for visitors. For more information visit www.festrail.co.uk or call 01766 516000.

Go barefoot at Greenwood Forest Park
Take off your shoes and get closer to nature at Greenwood Forest Park this spring with their new BareFootTrail attraction. The BareFootTrail has been designed to follow the methods developed by 19th Century Bavarian Priest Sebastian Kneipp, who believed that applying different range of natural stimuli to the feet would have therapeutic benefits. Reap the rewards as you walk over a variety of surfaces including leaves, pebbles, bark, sand, slate, water and mud. The trail opened on 20 March 2009, when the park opened fully for the summer season. Other rides at the park include The Green Dragon roller coaster, the first in the world to be run using the power generated by the weight of the people on it and Wales' longest slide. For more details visit www.greenwoodforestpark.co.uk or call 01248 670076.

New eco-gallery in St Davids
Opened in autumn 2008, this new gallery, visitor and education centre in St Davids showcases artists' interpretations of landscape borrowed from the National Museum Wales' vast collection of art and antiquities. Visitors to the gallery will also find work by 20th century artist Graham Sutherland, who was profoundly influenced by the landscape of Pembrokeshire, an interactive interpretation area, a kids' discovery room and a café serving dishes made using local produce. The £3.5 million crescent-shaped building has been designed to be environmentally efficient and to reflect the local landscape. The gallery and visitor centre is open daily 9.30am to 5.30pm during the summer months, and 10am to 4.30pm from November to Easter. Admission is free. For more information visit www.orielyparc.co.uk or call 01437 720392.


New multi-media tour of Cardiff Castle
The brand new exhibition and film make a great start to any visit to Cardiff Castle, followed by a peek at the newly exposed Roman Wall and a tour with a personal audio guide. Enjoy the views of the city skyline from the open-air roof terrace before relaxing in the new café. Dating back at least 2000 years, visitors can follow the history of the castle from the arrival of the Romans, via the Norman Conquest to lavish Victorian design in the 19th Century apartments. Open every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day each year the castle is open 9am to 6pm between March and October, and until 5pm between November and February. Admission £8.95 for adults and £6.35 for children aged 5-16 years. For more information visit www.cardiffcastle.com or call 029 2087 8100.

For more details of attractions across Wales visit www.visitwales.co.uk or call 0800 915 6567.

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