SU CARROLL rounds up the very best activities to do and things to see close to the coastline this month
1SAINTLY CELEBRATIONS
March 1 is one of the most colourful days of the year in Wales, celebrated with vivid yellow daffodils, green leeks and vibrant traditional dress. St David’s Day is a day of parades, concerts and eisteddfodau - festivals of music, language and culture.
St David is the only native-born patron saint of the countries of Britain and Ireland and was the greatest figure in the 6th century Welsh Age of Saints, founding scores of religious communities. He is remembered on March 1, the day he died in 589 or 601. He was canonised by Pope Callixtus in the 12th century. To wish someone a Happy St David’s Day in Welsh, it’s Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus.
Celebrate the occasion at one of the beautiful castles found in Wales at Conwy (pictured). With eight principal towers, it takes pride of place at the heart of the town overlooking the water.
The National Trust’s Bodnant LOCALS Gardens is 80 acres with LOVE woodland, great planting and five National Collections – magnolia, embothrium, eucryphia, rhododendron forrestii and bodnant rhododendron hybrids. It is home to exotic plants from the Blue Poppy of the Himalayas to the Fire Bush of the Andes and also boasts Wales’s largest collection of UK Champion Trees, which provide a year-round spectacle. nationaltrust.org.uk
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2 ROYAL ANNIVERSARY
July 11, 2024, marks 750 years since the birth of Robert the Bruce, one of Scotland’s most famous rulers. Robert I was King of the Scots from 1306 until his death (from unknown causes) in 1329. He fought for Scottish independence in the 14th century and travelled all over the country including the landmark victory at the Battle of Bannockburn, close to Stirling Castle. Take a trip to the dramatic abbey ruins at Arbroath Abbey (pictured), a Tironesian monastery founded in 1178 by William the Lion, where the famous Declaration of Arbroath was drawn up in 1320. Scottish nobles submitted the declaration to Pope John XXII who, in 1324, accepted Robert I as king of an independent Scotland. visitscotland.com
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A traditional seaside town, Arbroath has a picturesque harbour which lends its name to the world-famous Arbroath Smokie. Legend has it that this delicacy of haddock smoked over wood fires began when a fire cooked a shed full of haddock being brined. Whatever its origins, it’s delicious. Discover everything you need to know on the Arbroath Smokie Trail. visitangus.com
3 WELCOMING WALK
The 870-mile long Wales Coast Path opened in 2012 and since then has welcomed thousands of people who have enjoyed the varied walking, scenic views, friendly towns, historic sites and unique wildlife. The Wales Coast Path route travels from Chester, near the border with England, and Chepstow.
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