PHOTOGRAPHY TOUR OVERVIEW: Having lived among the Welsh for ten years and learnt their language, I find them to be a noble race that dwell proudly in ‘Cymru’, while holding tightly onto one of Europe’s oldest cultures.

These ‘hill folk’ are reputed to be the original Celts, and claim the oldest language in Europe as being the ‘Language of Heaven.’ I invite you to join me for pieces of Welsh heaven amid this intimate land of mountains, ocean, moorland, forests, tumbling rivers, castles and unique culture.

Geographically speaking, Wales sits to the west of central England and is approximately 70 by 120 miles in size. Contained within this intimate landscape are a plethora of picture opportunities and cultural experiences. Some of those images, i.e. castles, were the result of oppression from their English neighbors, and their vain attempt to ‘control’ the Welsh! Today those same castles, such Caerffili, Caernarfon, Caerhiw, Harlech and Cricieth, are classic images just waiting for you to capture them from the best vantage points.

After flying into London’s Heathrow, the itinerary gets under way at Tintern Abbey in South Wales, and then it’s on to the Cardiff area for the coal mine created character of rows of terraced houses tumbling down steep hillsides under the weight of strong Welsh accents. We’ll then go west via the Gower Peninsula to the St. Davids region in southwest Wales. Here, mighty St. Davids cathedral ‘hides’ in a hollow, and St. Govans Chapel is tucked into the ‘cleft of a rock.’

Moving north via the Preseli mountains from whence came the rock for Stonehenge four millenniums ago, we’ll pause amid the lush green landscape that contains the three ‘Devil’s Bridges’ atop one another, plus Aberystwyth castle on the oceanfront at dawn.

I lived in North Wales, and the best is saved for last as the group photo-explores Snowdonia National Park, Harlech, Caernarfon, a sheep farm plus much more. The north is where spectacular mountains rise from boulder-strewn lakes, and narrow, but paved, one-vehicle lanes await your visit armed with sufficient film and memory cards. You’ll need plenty!

Bird song follows us everywhere we go, and having been a Young Ornithological Group regional leader back in the 70’s and familiar with all the bird species, I’ll take you to a spot to [hopefully] photograph the Water Ouzel and more.

Lastly we'll explore more lush green rolling hills around Llangollen where stone walls have given way to hedgerows, and wild Pheasants rule the roost.

John Baker, former Welsh resident photographer

INCREASING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS: There isn’t a straightforward way to describe everything you will learn on one of our photography tours in just a few words, but I'll give it a try . . . I instruct, encourage, nurture, coach, nudge, help and guide clients etcetera, all day and every day.  This includes one-on-ones and 'collective instruction', i.e. advice given to the whole group at each photo stop. Subjects and techniques discussed and demonstrated are composition strength, shutter speeds, exposure compensation, how aperture choice influences depth of field, lens choice, filter use, long exposure effects, deliberate blur, macro and so on. I also encourage you to 'see' an image when the opportunity presents itself, i.e. to be on the lookout for those less obvious shots that are no less stunning. Lastly, I conduct image critiques both on location - digital camera screens are ideal for this - and via the use of laptops. PhotoShop sessions are also included as time permits. For more details regarding what you'll learn go here.

TRAVEL TO THE GATEWAY AIRPORT
o It is recommended that clients arrive a day early to be fresh for the trip, and to also counteract possible flight delays.
o Early arrival also enables you to explore the gateway city should you wish to do so.
o When booking flights, add a day for overnight travel or two days if also crossing the Pacific Ocean/International Dateline.
o The last day of the trip is the date you should arrange your flight home unless you plan to stay on. Thank you!

DAY 1  |  To ENGLAND
I’ll meet your early morning flight into Heathrow, and we'll go west on the M4 and then turn south into the 'green and pleasant' English landscape where we can slow down for our first picture opportunities. English villages are notoriously charming and the day's highlight will be Avebury which was built among standing stones. On to our accommodations in Wiltshire for some rest after long flights, with Stonehenge scheduled for sunset on day 1, or a sunrise visit on day 2 depending upon the availability of the permits. You will however photograph among the stones!
Near STONEHENGE, 1 night

DAYS 2, 3 and 4  |  CORNWALL
Quaint villages near Amesbury are on the morning menu, as is the Gothic Salisbury Cathedral. Then off to Cornwall via the cobblestone and thatch of Gold Hill in Shaftsbury . . . an English classic. On to our central Cornwall accommodations for a 3 night stay.
Day 3 will be given to a loop of the Land's End peninsula including Porthleven, St. Michael’s Mount, Mousehole, a coastal tin mine, St. Ives, and more.
Day 4 sees us exploring more picturesque coastal communities including St. Mawes, Portloe, Mevagissey Polperro and spots in-between.
CORNWALL, 3 nights

DAYS 5, 6 and 7  |  The COTSWOLDS
We leave the quaint coastal scenes behind today and head for the county of Somerset. There we'll take in Glastonbury Abbey and Wells Cathedral before continuing north to our new home in the heart of a honey-colored Cotswold stone village.
COTSWOLDS, 3 nights

DAYS 1 and 2  |  The CARDIFF region
I'll meet your morning flight and in our comfortable van, we'll head west on the M4 motorway and over the Severn suspension bridge into the land of song, harp, Red Dragon and the 'language of heaven'. We'll turn north to take in the 12th century Tintern Abbey ruins where you'll find plenty of compositions to be created. From Tintern, we'll continue west to our accommodations near Cardiff.
Day 2 will see us in Cardiff for the Castle, Llandaff Cathedral, and the terraced symmetry of the valleys shaped by the coal industry. If you like people pictures, and like to hear strong local accents, you'll find the residents will be very obliging.
SOUTH CENTRAL WALES, 2 nights

DAYS 3, 4 and 5  |  ST. DAVID'S and COASTLINE
As we head towards St. David's we'll traverse one last coal valley, and move on to the Gower Peninsula. Rhossili Head is spectacular with it's views to Worms Head and across Rhossili Bay.  Dylan Thomas did his best work from his boat shed at Laugharne, which sits at the mouth of the Taf River and we'll take that spot in too.
Working from the St. David's area, on days 4 and 5 we'll point lenses at St. David's Cathedral, Martin's Haven, Solva, St. Govan's Chapel in the cleft of the rock, Carew Castle and explore coastal landscapes etcetera.
SOUTH WEST WALES, 3 nights

DAY 6  |  To ABERYSTWYTH
Going north today, we'll take in some coastal village ports as we head to the Strumble Head lighthouse. We'll pause too at the old Fishguard Harbor where the new harbor being a busy commercial port. The Pentre Ifan Cromlech [exposed burial chamber] will be on our menu today, and on the nearby River Teifi, we'll look for  fishermen in Coracle boats that owe their origins to the Roman period. At Cenarth, the falls, mill and centuries old bridge will be worth some frames and then we'll continue north to Aberystwyth for our one night sojourn.
MID WALES, 1 night

DAYS 7, 8, 9 and 10  |  SNOWDONIA
Time to explore Aberystwyth promenade and 13th century Castle this morning. Then we'll go east to Devil's Bridge where three distinctly different bridges sit atop one another. To the north, the market town of Machynlleth and estuary situated town of Aberdyfi will get our attentions. Dolgoch Falls, Tal y Llyn Lake and Dolgellau will also be featured as we head to our 4 night home in Snowdonia National Park.
On days 8, 9 and 10 we'll take loop trips to include Cricieth, Caernarfon, and Harlech castles, Llanberis Pass, the Isle of Anglesey via Telford's suspension bridge to
 Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwrndrobyllllantysiliogogogoch, a slate mine and woolen mill, and a Welsh farm. The Welsh language is strong in the north, and you'll likely to hear me speaking it with the locals . . . it comes in handy for creating photo opportunities too!
NORTH WALES, 4 nights

DAY 11  |  CLWYD
The ruggedness of Snowdonia gives way to the green, rolling Clwydian Hills today as we head east on little traveled roads to Ruthin. Rock gives way to moorland, and castle gives way to a stark silhouette of an old manor house on the Denbigh Moors. Clwyd is subtler than Snowdonia, but no less photogenic sitting in north and central Wales, and our day will close with a fabulous medieval banquet at Ruthin Castle.
CLWYD, 1 night

DAY 12  |  To WINDSOR
This morning, we'll take in the Clwyd landscape and Llangollen where steam trains will feature prominently. We'll then journey to the outskirts of London via the motorway system.  We'll get into Windsor early enough to take a break and slowly explore the 'Long Walk' leading up to Windsor Castle, then take last relaxing supper together near the castle.
Near Heathrow, 1 night

DAY 13  |  Flights home
Departing flights can be arranged for any convenient time. USA residents will arrive home on the same calendar day.  Free transport is available to the next scheduled photography tour.