Wales
 Wales | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Language: | English, Welsh |
| Capital: | Cardiff |
| Population: | 3,004,600 |
| Currency: | Pound Sterling (GBP £) |
| Hitchability: | from  (good) to  (very good)
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| Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots | |
| <map lat='52.450' lng='-3.80' zoom='7' view='0' float='right' height='350' width='300'/> | |
| Check out hitchhiking spots on Hitchmap | |
Wales (Welsh: Cymru) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom.
Hitchhiking in Wales is fun! People are very willing to help and will often take you to your destination, or at least closer to it, even when it's not on their way. Waiting speeds vary, but generally speaking hitchhiking is quite fast, unless you're in the extreme situation of either trying to leave a city or hitching on a very remote road with few cars.
There are not many motorways, but the A-roads are almost the same, except that they are interrupted by roundabouts in every town. This can make perfect places for hitchhiking for you, although it doesn't have to, as hard shoulders aren't too popular in Wales - aim for bus stops. Though signs are not very necessary outside urban areas, they can sometimes help to make people more inclined to stop.
Wales is an important through route from Ireland to England, as two major ferry lines use Welsh harbours. The southern line (Rosslare to Fishguard and Pembroke) is mainly used for traffic going towards Cardiff, Swansea and the South of England, although there is the odd car going to North Wales or Liverpool/Manchester. Try your luck and ask around. For North Wales and Liverpool/Manchester, the second line is more promising, though - the one from Dublin to Holyhead. Neither of these lines is hitchable, prices for a single foot passenger are currently around 33€ (for Rosslare to Fishguard on Stena Lines).
Welsh pronunciation guide
Though for some Welsh people, especially in the North West, Welsh is the first language, everyone you meet will speak English. Even so, some knowledge about Welsh pronunciation can help, since some places only have Welsh names. Others will have an English name and a completely different Welsh name (e.g English - Abergavenny, Welsh - Y Fenni) - both will be written, so you can just use the English one.
ll (double L) - sounds like a hissed "tl"
"w" - this is a vowel in Welsh! Something between o and u
c - always k (not s)
f - sounds like v (ff is an f)
dd - sounds like th in "the"
u - sounds like i in hitch
Cities
Constituent countries: England • Northern Ireland • Scotland • Wales
Overseas Territories: Anguilla • Bermuda • British Indian Ocean Territory • British Virgin Islands • Cayman Islands • Falkland Islands • Gibraltar
Crown dependencies: Channel Islands • Guernsey • Isle of Man • Jersey
