Wales is one place many of us say we want to visit, yet never book.

So, this is your sign to book an October holidays UK to Wales. To get you in the spirit of booking your staycation to the land of the red dragon, here are 20 interesting and fun facts about Wales that you may or may not have known about…

  1. Wales has around 347 miles of stunning coastline.
  2. Over a quarter of Wales is designated as either a National Park or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
  3. The world’s first successful steam locomotive, built by Richard Trevithick, ran in Wales in 1804.
  4. The village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on the island of Anglesey has the longest place name in the UK and one of the longest in the world.
  5. Tintern Abbey, a famous ruin in Monmouthshire, inspired William Wordsworth’s poem “Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey.”
  6. The triple harp is one of the most important symbols of Welsh culture and appears on the Coat of Arms of Wales.
  7. The Welsh national anthem, “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau” (Land of My Fathers), is one of the oldest national anthems in the world.
  8. The town of Hay-on-Wye, located on the border between Wales and England, is known as the “Town of Books” and hosts an annual literary festival.
  9. The Gower Peninsula was the first area in the UK to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1956.
  10. The Brecon Beacons National Park is home to one of the world’s longest cave systems, Ogof Ffynnon Ddu.
  11. The Welsh town of Llanelli is known as the “Tinopolis” of Wales due to its history of tinplate production.
  12. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path, stretching 186 miles along the Pembrokeshire coastline, is one of the world’s most stunning long-distance walking trails.
  13. The Welsh city of St. Asaph has the smallest cathedral city in the UK, with a population of around 3,500.
  14. Myddfai, a village in Carmarthenshire, is known as the “Village of the Physicians” due to its historic association with herbal medicine and healing.
  15. The red dragon on the Welsh flag is one of the oldest national symbols in the world, dating back to the 5th century.
  16. The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth is one of the few libraries in the world that is legally entitled to receive a copy of every book published in the UK.
  17. The Snowdon Mountain Railway, which takes visitors to the summit of Mount Snowdon, is one of the oldest and most famous mountain railways in the world.
  18. The Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay is one of the most iconic buildings in Wales, featuring a striking design with a giant calligraphic inscription in Welsh on its facade.
  19. Wales is home to more than 10 million sheep.
  20. There are seven cities in Wales – Newport, Swansea, Bangor, St Asaph, St. David’s, Cardiff and Wrexham.