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Welcome to the Teeny-Tiniest House in All of Great Britain

Could you live in a space only 10' by 6'? What about if it had an enviable view of the water and an unbeatable location? Well someone has, and someone did up until 1900 when The Smallest House in Great Britain was declared unfit for habitation. These days, it's one of two hugely popular tourist sites in the town of Conwy in North Wales.

Apparently there's only enough room inside for "one stove, a water tap, a bedside cabinet and a bed," although we're quite sure that IKEA would have something to say about it if they could get their hands on it.

The teeny-tiny red house stands on the quayside of the town, with the 8 turrets of the medieval Conwy Castle overshadowing it to the right and the town's even older defensive walls fencing it in on the left. It's quite a thing to behold—both the castle and the small house—but save your cash for going into the castle and not the cramped confines of the latter.

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Wales Travel / Britain Travel / Weird Travel / Anglesey Field Trip / → All Tags

Wish You Were Here: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrn- drobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales

Fifty-eight letters and one tiny train station. Welcome to the Welsh town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which sits in the northwestern most corner of Wales on the Isle of Anglesey. Llanfairpwllgwyngyll—the short form, or Llanfair PG to be even shorter—holds the title of longest town name in the world. It would be first for longest general place as well, if it weren't for a New Zealand hill annoyingly sporting 85 letters: "Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu."

In the town name of Llanfair PG, there are only 13 vowels, plus the impressive totals of 11 Ls and 7 Gs. As you can imagine, the town rides on tourism based solely on this claim to fame, and when we dropped by earlier today, the single parking lot at the train station was half-filled with tour buses and half with rental cars (our own included).

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Coming Soon to Cardiff: Airport Photo Shoots

Cardiff International Airport is looking to sex up its name. After all, when Liverpool changed its old name ("Speke") to something more flashy ("John Lennon"), it saw a jump in passenger numbers. (Though we've gotta wonder if it's really due to the name--or an expansion finished in 2002 that drew a number of new LCCs.)

High in the running at Cardiff, it seems, is "Gavin & Stacey," after the title of a BBC cult comedy shot in Wales. Other names under consideration are Dame Shirley Bassey, who did three James Bond theme songs, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who was born in Swansea, Wales.

But not everyone at the airport thinks slapping a celeb's name on the terminal is a good idea. Says one local:

I would like to see the late Richard Burton or Roald Dahl be considered. I hope they don't succumb to the current celebrity-craved popcorn culture and choose someone like Zeta-Jones or Shirley Bassey.

Related Stories:
· Gavin & Stacey Airport on the Way? [Metro UK, via]
· Toursim Board Travel: Happy Birthday Liverpool [Jaunted]
· Liverpool's Big Year of Culture [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikimedia]

Fall-Culture-Travel-Map / Literary Travel / Alcohol / Wales Travel / → All Tags

Fall Culture Travel :: Wit, Whisky and Wales

You don't have to stay at home just because the leaves are changing. Follow along on our Fall Culture Map to discover what's happening this autumn.

November in the Northern Hemisphere tends to signal the beginning of the season for "inside sports", foremost among these being things that involve drinking and wordplay. How appropriate, then, that this week finds us smack dab in the middle of a tribute to poet/drunk Dylan Thomas in his native city of Swansea, Wales.

The Dylan Thomas Festival runs from October 27th to November 9th, the days of the poet's birth and death, respectively. The festivities include film screenings, readings, concerts and a general excuse for celebrities of a literary bent to gather in a really Welsh city. Exercise your liver and pack a sweater as that November in Wales tends to be rather wet, damp and gray. Inside sports, folks.

And before you remind us it's a little late for a trip to Wales, fear not. Thomas' memory can still be appropriately toasted at the site of his death, Manhattan's White Horse Tavern in the West Village. Legend has it that Thomas lost a drinking contest to the jealous husband of his lover at the White Horse and later died from the experience. Be sure to enjoy your poetic nostalgia in moderation.

Related Stories:
· Dylan Thomas Festival [Official Site]
· Swansea Park Festival [Jaunted]
· Literary Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: sallypics]

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Back of the Envelope Travel Guide: Escape Into the Park Festival

This Sunday is Escape Into the Park, Swansea's annual orgy of dance and live music. The event is going to be ridiculous - when one of the stage areas is described as "an intensive hard house arena," that's pretty safe to say. So while you'll be spending your day drinking, sweating, and who knows what else with thousands of people, take a peek at our advice on how to chill out and recuperate the rest of the time in town.

Where to Stay
Sure, you can camp, but sometimes a shower is necessary. Go with the Dragon Hotel (The Kingsway) to contrast the down-and-dirty festival atmosphere with a bit of spotless comfort. If you're feeling especially worn out, hop over to the spa and ask for the "Spoil Me" package - it does just that.

Where to Eat
After stuffing yourself full of fried festival food, dust yourself off for dinner at the Fairyhill Restaurant (Reynoldston, Gower). Not only is their wine list strong, but they also make excellent and creative use of local ingredients. Try the Welsh black beef.

Where to Drink
If you feel you need to drink more after 12 straight hours of alcohol consumption and general dehydration, forgive us for this corruption of Dylan Thomas's work and do not go gently into that good night, but rather, rage, rage against sleep at the No Sign Wine Bar (56 Wind Street). Thomas, a Swansea native, frequented the spot in the 30's, and despite its fame and the changing neighborhood, the No Sign remains a good, genuine spot for a drink.

[Photo: Glen Bowman]

Related Stories:
Hotels in Swansea [HotelChatter]
Getting to Know the Welsh [Jaunted]

Culture / Britain / Food / → All Tags

Getting To Know The Welsh

We're not sure what comes to your mind first when you think of a visit to Wales, but some of those 50-letter-long unpronounceable town names is about where our imagination ends. So if you want to find out a bit more about what makes Wales tick, we recommend the Home Dinners in Wales system.

Similar to the Meeting the French website, Home Dinners in Wales gives travelers the chance to get inside a real Welsh house, eat a typical Welsh meal and chat to some genuine Welsh people. Average costs are about $55, including wine, and probably some hearty food like cawl (a broth) or Welsh lamb. After a few glasses of wine, you'll know more about Wales, and those town names will get easier to pronounce.

Related Stories:
· Makin' French Mates [Jaunted]
· Makin' German Mates [Jaunted]
· Home Dinners in Wales [Official Site]

[Photo: txusger]

Britain / Sex / Tourism Boards / Websites / → All Tags

Hackers Unleash Porn on Prospective Tourists

What do you think of when you plan to visit Britain? The Queen and her corgis, maybe, or shopping at Harrod's, London Bridge, perhaps even a stop at Stonehenge. Would pornographic sites cross your mind? No, of course not, they're British!

But pornographic sites are exactly what crossed a number of people's web browsers recently when they dropped by the Visit Britain website. It seems that a hacker with a particularly twisted sense of humor had changed some of the links in the section on Cardiff, redirecting prospective visitors to some graphic porn. As one websurfer said:

I wanted to see what kind of things were being done to promote Cardiff and I was just amazed when I saw this website link; I couldn't believe it.

Don't click away too fast--the tourist board has corrected the link and apologized for any offence it might have caused. But then again, perhaps it'll increase the visitor figures for Cardiff.

[Photo: Elliot Moore]

Related Stories:
· British Tourism Chiefs Red-Faced [Yahoo]