These might not make the list in the Seven Wonders of the World, but according to Welsh folklore, their home grown wonders far exceed the magnificence of anything outside the Welsh borders.
Wales’ seven wonders have been generally accepted as the best Wales has to offer for many years and even made it into national poetry in the form of a poem by “Anon” which goes…
Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham steeple,
Snowdon’s mountain without its people,
Overton yew trees, St Winefride’s well,
Llangollen bridge and Gresford bells.
Whoever wrote this and whether that was indeed the inspiration for the original list, few could claim that they got it wrong. So here we explore the Seven Wonders of Wales to find out what all the fuss is about.
1) Pistyll Rhaeadr Waterfall is located close to the village of Llanrhaedr-ym-Mochnant in the Berwyn Mountains. The waterfall is close to the Wales / England border, and at 240ft (80m) is the tallest waterfall in England and Wales. Many would argue that the falls surrounded by woodlands, and area around them could rival Snowdonia in their beauty, but as that is also on our list we’ll remain on the fence.
Please note however – being in this list makes the waterfall rather popular and the roads to it are fairly narrow, so it may take a little longer to get there than you’d expect. Once there, we’re sure everyone will think the journey very worthwhile. As a sidenote, if you’ve ever seen the film “The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain” with Hugh Grant, the falls are set in the country where that was filmed.
2) St Giles’ Steeple in Wrexham dominates the skyline of the welsh border town of Wrexham, even if many people think it’s in England. For a relatively small town, the church is an impressive building featuring this equally impressive steeple which is actually a tower built onto the side of the church.
Dating from around 1506, the 135 foot high tower is graced by many medieval carvings including those of an arrow and a deer which are the attributes of Saint Giles. The tower has international significance with a smaller replica appearing at Yale University, due to connections with philanthropist Elihu Yale who raised significant funds to start the university and is buried close to the tower.
3) Snowdon Mountain has to be one of the undisputed great landmarks of Britain along with Helvelyn in the Lake District and Ben Nevis in Scotland. At 1085 metres, the mountain attracts 10,000’s walkers and sightseers from all around the world and is possibly even more famous because of the Snowdon Mountain Railway.
The craggy rockface of the mountain doesn’t seem to detract from it’s beauty and the views on a clear day make a trip up the mountain by whatever means well worth the effort….even if the train took the strain. Definitely one of the great wonders of Wales and Britain.
4) The Yew Trees of Overton-on-Dee might seem like an unusual addition, but these yews are believed to be around 1500 to 2000 years old! The trees need a little helping hand to stay upright these days with the weight of all those branches, but overall seem to be in as good a health as when the Romans were wandering around Britain, even if they probably never got as far as these yews.
Keeping up the traditions, the newest tree in the collection is just 19 years old, having been planted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1992. Hopefully this tree too shall be standing there in 1000 years.
5)St Winefride`s Well is one of those sites created around ancient myths surrounding the story of Winefride who had her head chopped off at this spot. According to the legend, where her head hit the ground is where the spring came up from the ground, but luckily for Winefride , her uncle St Bueno replaced her head and his prayers restored her to life.
Today a large font stands where the spring emerges and the waters are believed by many to have healing powers. Those wanting to be healed by the waters will need to pay the £1 entrance fee, but that also gets you into the exhibition about the story and some of the apparent cures which have taken place.
6) Llangollen bridge is possibly not the most spectacular structure in Wales, but this was included in the list originally as the first stone bridge to span the River Dee. We shouldn’t detract from the design too much however, as it still encompasses some rather fine arches in almost a bishop’s mitre style and the location is certainly worthy of inclusion in any list of places to visit. Nice touches have been added at various times including the lights which now run along either side of the bridge.
7) Gresford Bells are some of the oldest bells in the country, with bells dating from 1755 up to the mid 1800s. It may be this ancient craft of bell casting which makes these bells so famous as they are said to have some of the purest tones of any in Wales. If you want to hear the bells ringing, you need to visit Gresford in Wrexham County Borough (North East Wales) on a Sunday or a Tuesday evening.
Hopefully that has given you some inspiration for a visit to Wales. There are of course plenty of other places to visit in Wales which didn’t make this ancient list.
More Wales Links:
Hotels in North Wales
Hotels in Mid-Wales
Seven Wonders of Wales on VisitBritain
Self-catering cottages in Wales
