Cardiff Castle and Cardiff Bay

Just a few blocks away from our lodging is the stately Cardiff Castle where we’ll have a guided tour of this historically significant and architecturally unique castle.

In the afternoon let’s hop on a water taxi and head towards Cardiff Bay, a vibrant waterfront to explore.

To the Pembrokeshire Coast 

Settle in with your knitting project for our bus drive out of Cardiff towards the magnificent Pembrokeshire Coast.  We’ll have a stop at the National Botanic Gardens for an opportunity to smell the roses... or at least the bluebells, daffodils, tulips and wild garlic! They have an impressive raptor exhibit and, it the timing is right, a raptor demonstration!

Upon arrival at the coast, we’ll get our hands busy with a choice of (2) workshops to dive into for the afternoon: Tapestry Weaving or Embroidered Wet Felting.  At the close of the afternoon, and with a touch of magic, the french doors will open up for a view of the stunning coast as we now have time to enjoy the scenery along with delicious tea and scones. 

The Druidstone Hotel is a special place.  It is quirky and creative, but a bit helter-skelter and worn around the edges.  It is not the typical hotel we use for our groups, but every once in a while, we find a place that has such a wonderful creative and community vibe that we have to use it.  The house was previously the family home when in 1972 Rod and Jane Bell opened it to guests, and it still very much feels like one.  Stone-built around 1850, Druidstone stands at the sea's edge atop St. Brides Bay on 20 acres of grounds. Tucked along the coastal path within the wild Pembrokeshire National Park, enjoy stunning views and spectacular sunsets over the Atlantic Ocean, overlooking the sweeping sandy Druidstone Beach.  We will have the entire property for our exclusive use, and in addition to the house, there are several cottages which you may find yourself in.  Many of us will have rooms with shared bathrooms here, but the location, the creative energy, the food, and the warm welcome will more than make up for it. 

Finishing Workshop,  Garthenor Organics & Fishguard

We’ll be amazed at our progress and delight in our finished works of art in the morning. In the afternoon we’ll visit the passionate, hard-working Garthenor Organic yarn company to learn about their mission for sustainable wool. The family behind Garthenor have been instrumental in Organic Wool standards and produce spectacular yarns. Sally Davies started the company to promote organic handspun yarn, and her son Jonny King has transformed the business over the past few years to increase their manufacturing and reach a wider audience. 

On our way back to Druidstone, we will take a detour to the lovely town of Fishguard, which has a fascinating story about a certain cobbler named Jemima Fawr (Big Jemima)and the adventures that inspired an amazing tapestry that is on display at the local Library. 

St. David’s & Melin Tregwynt

Saint David's is the smallest city in Britain - with a population of 1,600 you may ask why it is considered a city at all! After all, you can walk around it in just 10 minutes! However, the key to city-hood in the UK is having a cathedral.  St. David's Cathedral has been a place of pilgrimage for over 800 years.  Here we will be joined by local Blue Badge Guide Marion Davies.  She will guide is through St. David's and its iconic cathedral, pointing out bits of local history and guiding us to the best galleries and cafes populating this tiny gem of a city.  With a stop or two at a local woollen mill you may think the day is done.

But wait…there’s more. Tonight, the common space at Druidstone will transform to a dance hall and we’ll take part in ceilidh dance. Technically, in Welsh it is a twmpath (toom-pah), either way it is a night of music and dance, and The Druidstone is putting one on just for us!  We will have an opportunity to learn some local folk dances, as well as have some time to recover and just listen! Local band Off-The-Cuff will perform for us and teach us, so put your knitting down and bring your dancing shoes ... or dance in your sneakers - whatever makes you comfortable!  

Interestingly, twmpath is also the word used to refer to speed bumps in Wales.... the word derives from the habit of the band to set up on the mound or village green so that the dancers could see them!

A Woolly, Woolly Day

Today we leave the coast and head east for more "uniquely-Wales" stops along the way to Hafod Hotel. The National Wool Museum of Wales, located in the historic former Cambrian Mills where shirts and shawls, blankets and bedcovers, woolen stockings and socks were made and then sold in the surrounding countryside - and to the rest of the world.  Follow the process from fleece to fabric and visit the restored and historic mill buildings and machinery.

A raised walkway gives a unique view of textiles in production at Melin Teifi, the site's commercial woolen mill, while the Textile Gallery displays aspects of the National Flat Textile Collection. 

After lunch in the cafe, we can visit with and hear the fascinating story of hard-working Susanne Ullrich who operates Pure Welsh wool farm and enjoy her wonderful little flock that produces beautiful yarn! Wensleydales, Shetlands, Suffolks, Llanwenogs, and Gotlands! Sue always has a big grin on her face when sharing her passion for raising sheep and producing wool for fiber artists, and you’ll leave with the same grin on yours.

Up next is Strata Florida - a unique vibe with unmistakable echoes of greatness among the ruins. The carved west doorway into the abbey offers an epic view down the nave to where the high altar once stood. You can still see some of the incredible decorated tiles that would have covered the floors of the church. Griffins, birds and fleurs-de-lis surround the enigmatic ‘Man with the Mirror’. This 14th-century figure dressed in a doublet and close-fitting hood is reckoned to be a symbol of vanity. Strata Florida, or Ystrad Fflur as local people know it, is the final resting place for generations of medieval Welsh princes. The great poet Dafydd ap Gwilym is said to be buried under a yew in the churchyard. No wonder it’s been called ‘the Westminster Abbey of Wales.

We arrive at the recently renovated, oh-so- boutique Hafod Hotel. The cozy restaurant and lounge area and view down the valley is quite spectacular! British crime show aficionados may recall this location from the show Hinterland. 

A Morning with the Devil and a Steam Train to Aberystwyth 

The dramatic Devil’s Bridge is not to be missed! Afterwards a one-hour steam train ride on the Vale of Rheidol Steam Railway through a picturesque valley with plenty of time to explore Aberystwyth. Walk along the seaside promenade and grab some fish and chips for lunch. 

In Aberystwyth, you can visit the Ceredigion Museum, browse the shops, or head to the end of the promenade to ride the Funicular to the top of the cliff for some spectacular views.  There is a little cafe up top as well. 

We'll gather back for our bus ride back up the valley at 3pm.

Onwards to the Wonderwool Wales Festival

We’ll depart Hafod early and enjoy a beautiful drive through the Bannau Brycheiniog park to arrive at Builth Wells for the start of the grand extravaganza we’ve all been waiting for: Wales Wool Festival. Ready, set, go forth and conquer fiber!

Wonderwool Wales vendor facilities are not heated. Dress in layers and wear wool socks for the day so you can shop / participate with ease.

Return to the Wonderwool Wales Festival

Again we return to the wool festival in Builth Wells. If there's a morning class you want to take, or more sheep that you want to pet, or yarn to buy, we will happily drop you off at the festival this morning at 10:00 am and pick you up at 4:30 pm.

If you’d rather stay in and explore the town of Hay-On-Wye, it has it’s own delights: known as The Book Town for the plethora of used book shops lining its streets and tucked higgledy-piggledy down alleyways. Books not your thing? There are wonderful boutiques, cafes, gift shops and vintage shops as well, and there is a lovely riverside walk. 

We’ll have our closing celebration dinner here tonight.

Cardiff

We’ll have a leisure morning in Hay on Wye to pack up all the goodies we found at Wonderwool Wales then load it all on the bus for the ride back to Cardiff and the Hotel Indigo for our last night. The hotel will store our luggage once we arrive if rooms aren’t available for check-in. You will be free to explore the City-Centre; we’ll have suggestions for lunch and other sightseeing options. We’ll wrap up the day with a closing dinner.

Homeward Bound

You will journey homeward with a dragon taxi ride to the Cardiff airport or a train ride to Heathrow. A fond Hwyl Fawr goodbye to all. 

Suzie Briddsang is an avid knitter, spinner, and all-around fiber enthusiast plus writer, gardener, adventurer and appreciator of both cityscape and landscape.  When she realized she could combine her love of making things with her love for travel and new experiences, she found her happy place! Suzie lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She’s the author and illustrator of The Nervous New Owner’s Guide to Angora Rabbits. No longer a fiber animal owner, she loves nothing more than visiting fiber animals someone else owns -- preferably in another country. She writes about her travel experiences at www.studiobriddsang.com

Colleen Troy joins RTT as Domestic Tour Development and Fiber Ambassador as well as Bookkeeper. She’s knitting multiple projects right now, spinning hand-blended fibers on her Lendrum DT, and has found it difficult but not impossible to knit and watch a South Korean show on Netflix with subtitles at the same time. She is curious about makers' stories of the lineage and evolution of their craft and where to find truly awesome pie.  Her professional background in outdoor tour guiding and small business ownership makes a great match with RTT. Colleen loves to drive a convertible, swim in natural waters and hula hoops. Does she talk to her plants? That’s what her friends want to know.