The sand dune is one of the Welsh coast’s most prominent contradictions. These vast areas that dominate the coastline of Wales are home to sprawling and enormous walls of shifting sand; at once both huge and impenetrable but also incredibly delicate and fragile. A grain of sand on its own is tiny and insignificant, but…

“I am not a number, I am a free man” shouts Patrick McGoohan’s character Number 6 in The Prisoner, one of the most iconic television series from the 1960s. The line is perhaps one of the most well-known from the series that captured the public’s imagination when it was first broadcast in 1967. The Prisoner…

“He was the greatest Welshman which that unconquerable race has produced since the age of the Tudors….. and those that come after us will find the pillars of his life’s toil upstanding, massive and indestructible”. Winston Churchill’s parliamentary tribute to David Lloyd George just after his death in 1945 paid homage to the Liberal politician…

Here in Wales, we boast a history and heritage that dates back thousands of years, so it’s no surprise that dotted all around North Wales are some of the most beautiful and historic stately homes and manor houses in the country. Built for a huge number of reasons, these elegant and often enormous houses were quite…

As we’ve already discovered as we’ve delved into some of Wales’ most famous tales and legends – almost every little corner, nook and cranny of our wonderful country has an ancient story or legend attached to it. It’s one of the things we love about Wales – the culture and landscape that dates back thousands and…

Today on the Oakeley blog, we’re continuing our journey of discovery into the myths and legends of Wales. Have you heard the legend of Nant Gwrtheyrn? Get your tissues at the ready, because this is a sad one! Now the home of a Welsh Language Centre, Nant Gwrtheyrn is a small bay and community on…

To trace the origins of canals, we can float back for almost 6,000 years. In Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq and Syria), enormous irrigation canals were built as far back as 4,000 BC. The Grand Canal of China is not only the longest canal in the world but its origins go back to at least 480…

Here in Snowdonia, we love a good old fashioned steam train! And Great Britain has enjoyed a love affair with railways since Trevithick’s first railway steam locomotion was built in 1804. And when George Stephenson opened his first public steam railway twenty years later the golden age of Britain’s railways had begun. The railways opened up…

Yesterday, England and Wales fought their battle out on the football field in Northern France, and thankfully that occasion was full of passion, pride and a lot of fun for both teams and their supporters. However, not too far from the city in which they were playing is the site of one of the deadliest…

Regular readers of the Oakeley blog will already know that beautiful Snowdonia and the area surrounding the Oakeley Arms Hotel is rich in history and culture, and today we’re commemorating the 100th anniversary of events that changed the political landscape of a nation. Deep in the heart of the Welsh countryside in the small village…