Contents
Page
Where is Wales?
Travelling to Wales
Travelling in Wales
The weather in Wales
The National Parks of Wales
Work in Wales
The food of Wales
Time to investigate!
Vocabulary
Page 2
Where is Wales?
Where is Wales?
What is Wales?
In Europe
A country
Wales is in Europe.
Wales is a country in Europe.
[Map]
EUROPE
ASIA
AFRICA
ANTARCTICA
OCEANIA
NORTH AMERICA
SOUTH AMERICA
N
E
S
W
north
south
west
east
Scotland
France (The Channel)
Ireland
England
Page 3
Travelling to Wales
By aeroplane
People travel by aeroplane to Wales.
By ferry
Sometimes people travel by ferry to Wales.
Page 4
Travelling in Wales
How do people travel in Wales?
[Map key]
Main road
Motorway
Railway
People travel by car in Wales.
People travel by bus or train in Wales.
People travel on the CymruXpress bus from north to south.
Some people travel in a small aeroplane in Wales.
People travel from Anglesey airport (Valley) to Cardiff airport.
Page 5
The weather in Wales
Sometimes it rains in Wales.
Sometimes it’s windy in Wales.
Sometimes it snows in Wales.
Sometimes it’s sunny in Wales.
Page 6
How is the weather measured?
Here is some equipment for measuring the weather.
a barometer
a thermometer
It’s very hot.
It’s hot.
It’s warm.
a rain gauge
a weathercock
A weathercock shows from where the wind is coming
(A windsock also shows from where the wind is coming.)
an anemometer
An anemometer shows the speed of the wind.
The little cups turn in the wind.
a windsock
A weather station
The equipment is kept in a weather station.
THERE ARE 18 WEATHER STATIONS IN WALES!
Page 7
What will the weather be like?
Summer in Wales is in June, July and August. Winter in Wales is in December,
January and February.
annual rainfall
the temperature in January
People who live on high land get more rain than people who live on low land.
People who live on low land get better weather than people who live on high land.
Weather data
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Temperature (°C)
Rain(fall) (mm)
The weather is not the same in every part of Wales. The main wind (the wind that
blows most days) comes from the south-west. This and the warming effect of the Gulf
Stream on the coast and the mountains causes a change in the weather.
Page 8
The weather on Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales (1085 metres).
The weather on the summit of Snowdon can change suddenly.
Facts about the weather on Snowdon
Approximately 500cm of rain falls every year.
The temperature can be 30°C in summer and –20°C in winter.
The wind can blow up to 150 miles an hour.
Sometimes there is snow, ice and frost on Snowdon between October and May.
Snowdon in winter
Snowdon in summer
Snowdon Mountain Railway
Miners’ track
the Snowdon race
Hafod Eryri
Hafod Eryri is a new building at the summit of Snowdon.
Hafod Eryri was built between 2006 and 2009.
The work was slow because of problems with the weather.
THERE ARE 2 BIG GLASS WALLS IN THE BUILDING, SO THE VIEW IS
AMAZING!
Page 9
Weather problems in Wales
Floods
Sometimes too much rain causes floods. Floods happen near rivers and the sea. When
it rains heavily, the water level of rivers and the sea rises. Where does the floodwater
go?
SOMETIMES SCHOOLS IN WALES ARE CLOSED WHEN IT’S –1°C.
SCHOOLS IN SIBERIA ARE OPEN WHEN IT’S –40°C!
Snow and ice
Snow and ice cause problems too. Sometimes people can’t travel to work. Schools
close.
Drought
The weather in Wales is changing. Sometimes it doesn’t rain for a long time. The
ground becomes dry and it is difficult to grow crops and vegetables.
Hurricanes
Sometimes the wind is very strong, such as the tornado outside Aberystwyth in 2006.
A tornado is a tube of wind coming down from a cloud. The wind in the tornado turns
very quickly – up to 300 miles an hour. It lifts things. It destroys things.
Page 10
The National Parks of Wales
Where are the national parks of Wales?
[Map]
National Parks
SNOWDONIA
BRECON BEACONS
PEMBROKESHIRE COAST
miles
Snowdon
Cadair Idris
Epynt Mountain
The Black Mountain
Pen y Fan
The national parks cover 20% of Wales.
Name
Snowdonia National Park
Brecon Beacons National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Where
north Wales
south Wales
south-west Wales
Page 11
What is a national park?
The purpose of the national parks is to:
 care for the environment
 give people opportunities for recreation
Snowdonia National Park
Brecon Beacons National Park
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
THE PEMBROKESHIRE COAST PATH IS 186 MILES (299 KM) LONG. THERE
IS NO OTHER COASTAL NATIONAL PARK IN THE UNITED KINGDOM!
Page 12
The National Parks of Wales
What is in the national parks?
Brecon Beacons National Park
Opened:
1957
Size:
1344 square kilometres (519 square miles)
The park’s highest mountain: Pen y Fan
What is on the land?
Reservoirs and lakes 0.6%
Forests 13.8%
Bracken/open land 5.5%
Common grazing land/mountain land 38.5%
Grazing/cultivated land 39.7%
Buildings and roads 1.3%
Mine works and waste land 0.4%
Wildlife
Wildlife is an important part of the park.
buzzard
rare flowers
pied flycatcher
Page 13
Who uses the national parks?
Living in the park
Over 32,000 people live in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Approximately 48% of the people live in towns such as Crickhowell and Brecon.
Brecon
Holidays in the park
People come on holiday to the park. These are the most popular places in the park:
Place name
How many people visit every year*
The park’s mountain centre
Pen y Fan
Dan yr Ogof Caves
Carreg Cennen site
Craig-y-nos Country Park
Llangors Common
Cwm Porth
Garwnant Visitor Centre
Sugarloaf Mountain
Brecon Museum
* estimated total
The Mountain Centre
The army uses the park to train soldiers and to practise low flying. There are army
bases in Sennybridge, Crickhowell and Brecon.
Page 14
Are the national parks at risk?
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Problems
footpaths being destroyed
Why? Too many people are walking the paths.
rare plants disappearing
Why? Too many people are farming the land and walking the paths.
wildlife along the seashore disappearing
Why? Too many people are doing watersports.
oil pollution in the sea
Why? Ships travel through the Irish Sea and use St Brides Bay to wash empty tanks.
air pollution
Why? There are oil refineries along the Milford Haven waterway.
building wind turbines
Why? Farming land is lost.
building more accommodation for visitors/caravan sites
Why? Animals and plants lose their habitats and views disappear.
Plans to burn bitumen fuel in Pembroke power station.
Dear Council Officer,
I’m ten years old and live in Milford Haven. I’m not happy with the idea of storing
liquid gas in Milford Haven. It’s not fair on the people living in the National Park.
Mam and Dad have described what happened to the sea and the birds after the Sea
Empress oil spill. Perhaps there’ll be another accident and fewer people will come on
holiday to the area. People will lose their jobs. You must say ‘no’.
Yours,
Angharad Davies
Page 15
Work in Wales
People in Wales work …
on the farm
in a seaside hotel
in an office or a school
in a shop or supermarket
in a factory
Page 16
Farming
Farming is important in Wales. Farmers in Wales farm sheep and cows.
There are many sheep in Wales. We get wool from the sheep. Also, Welsh lamb is
world-famous.
Wales is also famous for its black cattle.
THEY FARM ALPACAS IN PATAGONIA TOO!
This is an alpaca. Some farmers farm alpacas in Wales.
Farmers sell animals at the market.
They put the animals in a trailer or lorry to go to the market.
A Welsh company makes trailers – the Ifor Williams company.
The company is very well-known. It sells trailers all over the world.
Where? France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy and Switzerland.
Page 17
The food of Wales
Some farmers make food such as cheese, yoghurt, butter and chocolate. Some farms
sell the food to shops.
People like the food of Wales. They like the food because it’s good and very tasty.
AND THE MÔN AR LWY (TASTE OF ANGLESEY) COMPANY MAKES ICE
CREAM!
Halen Môn
Anglesey
mussels
On the seashore near Conwy
Llaeth y Llan yoghurt
Llannefydd, Denbighshire
Tŷ Nant mineral water
Bethania, Ceredigion
Caws Cenarth
Cenarth
fresh laver bread
South Wales/Swansea
There are special food festivals in Wales.
Caerphilly Food Festival
Caerphilly castle is famous. Caerphilly cheese is famous. And now the Caerphilly Big
Cheese Festival is famous too. It takes place every July. People do strange things,
such as running a fancy dress race carrying a piece of cheese!
Page 18
Holidays creating jobs
People like coming on holiday to Wales.
Visitors are very important to Wales because a lot of people in Wales work in hotels,
caravan parks, castles or museums.
Hello! My name is Trefor Jones.
I work in Big Pit, near Blaenafon, in south Wales. A lot of people used to work in
coal mines and it was very hard work. Big Pit is now a museum. I show children the
mine and tell them about its history. They can walk through the mine and they learn
all about the coal mines.
Hello! My name is Dylan Wyn.
I work in a leisure centre in Wrexham. The centre is called Waterworld. I teach
children and adults to swim and I enjoy my job. It’s good to see children able to swim.
Local people and visitors use the leisure centre.
Hello! My name i David Williams.
I work at the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, north Wales. A lot o people used to
work in slate quarries. I demonstrate how the slate-workers used to cut the slates.
Sometimes I drive the steam train around the quarry. It’s very busy here in the spring
and summer.
Hello! My name is Ami Thomas.
I work in a seaside restaurant in Aberaeron. I’m very busy in the summer because lots
of visitors come to the restaurant. I have to work long hours but I enjoy my job.
Page 19
Time to investigate!
LOOK FOR THE ANSWERS IN THIS BOOK!

What’s the weather like in Wales?

What do we need to measure the weather?

Where are Wales’ weather stations?

What are the national parks in Wales?

How many national parks are there in Wales? Do you remember where they
are?

Are the national parks at risk?

What work do the people of Wales do?

Do Welsh people farm?

Is there any special food in Wales?
Page 20
LOOK IN OTHER SOURCES!

What’s the weather like in your area?

Is the weather a problem in your area?

Where is the nearest weather station to you?

Where is the nearest national park to your school?
•
Are there any problems in the nearest national park to your school?

Is any special food made in your area?

What work do the people in your area do?