Cymru am byth - we love Wales!

[Cyril Haearn]

I wasn't actually questioning the validity of St.Fagans, I was just replying to Cyril Haearn's posting.
I actually love St.Fagans and have been visiting for over 40 years and am perfectly happy with its location.

I just think some facilities could be dotted around the country a bit more.

There is a museum like St Fagans in Kiel Germany
At the gate one reads that there are only a handful of different types of farmhouses in the region, but there are a hundred buildings, if one spent ten minutes looking at each one would need several days, it is overwhelming, the same with St Fagans
It's fine if one lives nearby of course and can go several times a year

I think some buildings from the Valleys, Cardiff Docks etc should be moved to the north, maybe Llandudno Junction would be a good place. Maybe a few dozen redundant chapels could be shown there
Not instead of St Fagans but as well

Bring Wales together again!

Alternative facts welcome

[Cyril Haearn]

The Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans is great but why just one big museum right at the bottom of Wales? It should be at the top

It would have been better to have three smaller museums, one in the middle and one at the top

Having just one site probably saves a bit on mileage payments, mind

Isn't virtually everything centred on and around Cardiff

The recently opened Photographic Museum could just as well have opened in Aberystwyth, but no, stuck in the capital again.

The Llyfrgell Cenedlaethol is in Aberystwyth, but for how much longer?

With so many attractions down south one could say that the top of Wales is at the bottom
Is Cardiff the new London?

[pwa]

I wasn't actually questioning the validity of St.Fagans, I was just replying to Cyril Haearn's posting.
I actually love St.Fagans and have been visiting for over 40 years and am perfectly happy with its location.

I just think some facilities could be dotted around the country a bit more.

There is a museum like St Fagans in Kiel Germany
At the gate one reads that there are only a handful of different types of farmhouses in the region, but there are a hundred buildings, if one spent ten minutes looking at each one would need several days, it is overwhelming, the same with St Fagans
It's fine if one lives nearby of course and can go several times a year

I think some buildings from the Valleys, Cardiff Docks etc should be moved to the north, maybe Llandudno Junction would be a good place. Maybe a few dozen redundant chapels could be shown there
Not instead of St Fagans but as well

Bring Wales together again!

Alternative facts welcome

The "alternative facts" of this topic are that the National Museum of Wales, of which St Fagans is a part, is under severe financial pressure and while, yes, another mini St Fagans would be nice it is extremely unlikely. Consolidation rather than expansion is the name of the game.

[pwa]

The Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans is great but why just one big museum right at the bottom of Wales? It should be at the top

It would have been better to have three smaller museums, one in the middle and one at the top

Having just one site probably saves a bit on mileage payments, mind

Isn't virtually everything centred on and around Cardiff

The recently opened Photographic Museum could just as well have opened in Aberystwyth, but no, stuck in the capital again.

The Llyfrgell Cenedlaethol is in Aberystwyth, but for how much longer?

With so many attractions down south one could say that the top of Wales is at the bottom
Is Cardiff the new London?

I've been to Aber many times and I like the place, but any museum there would get tiny footfall.

[Cyril Haearn]

Maybe admission charges should be reintroduced

[pwa]

Maybe admission charges should be reintroduced

If you went down to St fagans today, or any Saturday with half decent weather, you would find it pleasantly busy with families meandering around enjoying the parkland and the play areas, venturing into the preserved buildings. They are relaxed and mostly happy, and probably on one of several visits they have made there because it is free and they can enjoy the place without feeling that a £35 family ticket means they have to see all there is to see. I go there quite a lot. If I had to pay I'd go very little, having seen almost all of it several times already.

[fausto copy]

Isn't virtually everything centred on and around Cardiff

The recently opened Photographic Museum could just as well have opened in Aberystwyth, but no, stuck in the capital again.

The Llyfrgell Cenedlaethol is in Aberystwyth, but for how much longer?

With so many attractions down south one could say that the top of Wales is at the bottom
Is Cardiff the new London?

I've been to Aber many times and I like the place, but any museum there would get tiny footfall.

The problem is we're always catering to the masses. There's plenty to see in Cardiff as it is.
Had, for instance, the photo museum been opened in Aber, then surely it would have increased visitors there.
After all, they do have several exhibitions on at the Uni (and I'm sure there's an art department too) it's just that maybe there's not quite enough on there to justify a visit unless one is passing through.
Maybe Machynlleth would have been a good venue too, to accompany MOMA perhaps.
Or Mynachlogddu....now you're talking.

[Cyril Haearn]

Shrewsbury should be the capital of Wales, it has the best access by train with lots of through trains from the south and the north

[fausto copy]

Shrewsbury should be the capital of Wales, it has the best access by train with lots of through trains from the south and the north

And the world's largest signal box too.

[brooksby]

The Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans is great but why just one big museum right at the bottom of Wales? It should be at the top

It would have been better to have three smaller museums, one in the middle and one at the top

Having just one site probably saves a bit on mileage payments, mind

Isn't virtually everything centred on and around Cardiff

The recently opened Photographic Museum could just as well have opened in Aberystwyth, but no, stuck in the capital again.

The Llyfrgell Cenedlaethol is in Aberystwyth, but for how much longer?

With so many attractions down south one could say that the top of Wales is at the bottom
Is Cardiff the new London?

I remember when I was at university, the Welsh International Film Festival was in Aber. That's also in Cardiff now...

[brooksby]

I've just been down to Pembrokeshire for a holiday (unfortunately, I was banned from bringing a bike... ). Anyway, there seem to be an awful lot of cycle paths (ie. shared use type paths) of the sort you find in cities in England, out in the countryside - you can cycle off road on most of the roads around from Haverfordwest down to Pembroke. Is that the councils being sensible, or just an admission of how badly everyone seems to drive around there...?

[Cyril Haearn]

Shrewsbury should be the capital of Wales, it has the best access by train with lots of through trains from the south and the north

And the world's largest signal box too.
Box.jpg

Plus One for railway pictures without rolling stock
There are some good ones of the signal gantry at Rugby for example

[Cyril Haearn]

I've just been down to Pembrokeshire for a holiday (unfortunately, I was banned from bringing a bike... ). Anyway, there seem to be an awful lot of cycle paths (ie. shared use type paths) of the sort you find in cities in England, out in the countryside - you can cycle off road on most of the roads around from Haverfordwest down to Pembroke. Is that the councils being sensible, or just an admission of how badly everyone seems to drive around there...?

Both are true maybe*, like in Germany

* a favourite philosophical phrase of mine

Back to Wales, there is a government office at Llandudno Junction and a bit of action at the top of Wales but not much in the middle at all. Probably it simply reflects the concentration of votes/population at the Bottom of Wales (down under? )

[fausto copy]

I've just been down to Pembrokeshire for a holiday (unfortunately, I was banned from bringing a bike... ). Anyway, there seem to be an awful lot of cycle paths (ie. shared use type paths) of the sort you find in cities in England, out in the countryside - you can cycle off road on most of the roads around from Haverfordwest down to Pembroke. Is that the councils being sensible, or just an admission of how badly everyone seems to drive around there...?

What you've seen is the Brunel Trail, between Haverfordwest and Neyland, which has been converted from bridlepaths and towards Neyland, an old railway track.
It was funded by Sustrans and is supposed to be council maintained, but as ever, cutbacks mean there's been a lack of cutting back.
There are cycle paths between Milford Haven and Pembroke and also from Pembroke towards Carew.
Apart from those, it's mostly quiet lanes.
Another joint user path goes from Fishguard a short distance to Scleddau and there are a couple of others small ones west of Fishguard.
We've also recently had one extension of a joint user path from Haverfordwest heading out on the St.Davids road.

I think this is all to do with Welsh Government directives and to be honest most of the drivers around here are pretty sensible, but there's always the odd one.
Sadly holiday visitors seem to have no idea how to drive on the winding narrow lanes in these parts. They seem to think it's OK to drive at 60 mph even when there's no visibility beyond say 30 metres.

Hope you had a good holiday, even without your bike.

[Cyril Haearn]

The Grauniad reports about a new gallery, Ty Pawb, at the Top of Wales in Wrecsam!