“We’ll keep a welcome in the hillsides....”

“...We’ll keep a welcome in the Vales. This land you knew will still be singing, When you come home again to Wales.”

I think Christmas time has the power to bring out the inner child in all of us by having, doing and seeing things that remind you of a time in our lives when we’d excitedly anticipate Santa’s arrival, counting down the days with an advent calendar.

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Those feelings of nostalgia are particularly strong when I watch a Christmas movie (The Santa Clause and Home Alone are two of my favourites), but also taking a trip to some local towns in South Wales decked out with festive lights and sparkling window displays.

Why? Well, market towns like Abergavenny in South Wales are like those quintessential towns you see on the cover of a Christmas card - community churches, shops transformed by tinsel (even the smell of that stuff reminds me of growing up in the 90’s), glowing Victorian lamp posts, real Christmas trees and cosy coffee shops to warm up with a hot chocolate or mulled wine.

As much as I love heading into the city to see the Christmas Markets open up, I feel like these picturesque towns have retained a certain charm you see in abundance in those wholesome festive films.

Festive Afternoon Tea in South Wales

Abergavenny has a beautiful indoor market and if you’re stuck for ideas for gifts it’s a great place to start for inspiration. The town is also home to The Angel Hotel where I’ve visited with friends at Christmas for their Afternoon Tea - it’s probably my favourite Festive Afternoon Tea in Britain, perfectly balanced savoury and sweet treats with a wonderful tea menu.

A viewpoint in South Wales to see snow… and Santa

Monmouth’s side streets and antique shops take you back to a bygone era and The Kymin above the town is a spectacular viewpoint to look for snow dusting the Brecon Beacons…and Santa.

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Festive markets in South Wales

Another place I’ve enjoyed at Christmas in South Wales is Caerphilly and its magnificent castle. I remember wandering through the fortress grounds and seeing a harmonipan (an old musical instrument with pipes) playing Christmas jingles and picking up a frothy hot chocolate - can you get any more festive?

On Saturday 3rd December the town will come together for a Winter Food & Craft Market. I do like seeing the castle lit up in the evening, it makes such a great Christmassy photograph.

Here’s a handy list of five South Wales towns for Christmas Nostalgia:

Abergavenny

Caerphilly

Crickhowell

Monmouth

Usk

tripr says: Have you ever made a trip to South Wales – we'd love to hear about it so why not drop us a line?

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Read more here:

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