Outside The Glen Usk Hotel in Llandrindod Wells

Aidan Brittan, GTO for Derbyshire-based group Classic Tours, recently took 36 people away for a four-day holiday to Wales. He explains, “The accommodation was booked through Grand UK Hotels, part of the UK Holiday Group based in Norwich. Our contact was a great help in every way, as was the manager and staff of The Glen Usk Hotel in Llandrindod Wells where we stayed; they even suggested the best places to visit in the area. Slacks Travel of Matlock, Derbyshire provided us with our executive coach; their fleet is immaculate.”

As usual, the group took the scenic route to their destination, stopping at the city of Lichfield in Staffordshire for a short coffee stop, breaking for lunch in Much Wenlock in Shropshire and at the Edinburgh Woollen Mill at Welshpool Old Station for afternoon tea. “There is a very nice tea shop here and it is an ideal place to stop off,” comments Aidan.

Having arrived in Llandrindod Wells, the group then travelled through the Brecon Beacons National Park, calling at the Mountain Centre, near Brecon, for coffee and onto Abergavenny for lunch, returning through the Black Mountains. “The Mountain Centre was excellent with fantastic views,” Aidan says. He continues, “The following day, we took the coach on a narrow road round the Elan Valley dams, where we also enjoyed amazing views. We then went via Devil’s Bridge and the Vale of Rheidol down to Aberystwyth and the Ceredigion Heritage Coast. Interestingly, when we came to park the coach in Aberystwyth, there was a group of bikers in the way, and they were suprisingly helpful in making sure we had enough room for the coach!” laughs Aidan.

On the journey home, the group headed into Herefordshire, exploring its black and white villages, calling at Leominster for a coffee stop, then continuing through Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire to the viewpoint on Clee Hill before travelling on to Bewdley for a lunch stop at Bewdley Museum. “I would definitely recommend a stop at Bewdley to others as, along with refreshments, the Museum is free to enter and also has various craftspeople demonstrating their skills in the old stables there.” This visit was followed by an afternoon tea stop at Notcutts Garden Centre near Solihull, just off the M42. Says Aidan, “If I’m in the area, I always plan a stop here as the venue is great for groups and, during the holiday as a whole, we were blessed with the sun shining throughout!”