Dolphin Spotting, Gold Mines, and Coastal Walks: A Week in West Wales 🐬

We recently spent a week in Wales - the goal for the week was to see dolphins, but we also visited some National Trust Properties along the way. My wife has wanted to see dolphins for the longest time so the trip ticked multiple boxes. We started off with a tour of the Victorian gold mine at Dolaucothi, Carmathenshire. This National Trust site was so very different from the usual house/garden combination that I think it ranks nearly at the top of my list for "best sites to visit". Dolaucothi Gold Mine and LlanerchaeronDolaucothi has been mined over thousands of years, but not for very long each time. The Romans found gold here, and in fact these are the only known Roman gold mine across Britain. After the Romans left, the site laid dormant until the Victorians came along in the 19th century and a new group in the early 20th century before the site closed in 1938 for good. My wife's great, great, great grandfather obtained a licence to mine gold here in 1871! I didn't take many photos…