Wales
Journal
Concepts that sit behind the town pages — pick a pillar, or read the towns they actually name.
Each piece teaches one concept once — then points at the town URL that owns the dated fact.
These are not second copies of a town tariff or a restaurant chapter. Use them to understand the rule, then open the town URL for the dated table.
Things to do
Passes, paths, and a wet day with prices — not another vibe list.
Cadw vs National Trust in WalesTwo different organisations. One pass does not open the other.Pen-y-Pass, Snowdon, and how not to waste the dayPre-book the car park. The A4086 verge is not a plan B.Rainy-day Cardiff with pricesStart with what is free. Then decide what you will pay.Booking activities in Wales: what to check firstSeason, fitness, tickets, and weather — before the operator list.Zip World in Wales: which site, and what you buyFive Welsh parks. Velocity is not the Cardiff stadium zip.Barry Island: parking, tide, and what is freeThe beach is free. Harbour Road parking is dated. High tide covers the sand.Llandudno: Great Orme tram vs cable carTwo tickets. Official 2026 tram return is £12.30 in July–August.Tenby on a wet day, with pricesCastle Hill is outdoor. Tenby Museum is £7 for adults from 7 April 2026.Yr Wyddfa: railway, Sherpa, or walkThree products. A Pen y Pass booking is not a train ticket.Conwy Castle: Cadw, not the cable carCadw castle. Adult £12.90 from 1 September 2026. Not the Orme cable car.Cardiff Castle is not a Cadw siteIndependent gate. A Cadw pass does not open it.Worm’s Head: check the tide firstNational Trust tidal island. About 2½ hours either side of low tide.Four Waterfalls: pay to park, do not swimGwaun Hepste: £6 a car, card only. Do not swim.Pen y Fan parking is not Pen y PassPont ar Daf, £7.50 a car. Not a Snowdon pre-book.Portmeirion is not a castle passPrivate village. Cadw and National Trust cards do not open the gate.Caldey Island: the Tenby boatBoats from Tenby Harbour. 2026 adult fare £24.95 at the blue kiosk.Dogs on Welsh beaches in summerNo national ban. The council sign at that beach is the rule.
Eat
What a menu number includes, and why the hygiene sticker is law in Wales.
Food hygiene ratings are law in WalesThe sticker on the door is a legal duty, not a courtesy.How to read a menu price in a tourist townWhat the number usually includes — and what it does not.Sunday lunch in Wales: what the roast price includesVAT is usually in. Service and ‘from’ often are not. The sticker is law.Takeaway and delivery still need a hygiene rating in WalesApp stars are not the FSA score. The 2013 Act still applies.Allergen labelling in Wales (Natasha’s Law)PPDS food needs a full ingredients list from 1 October 2021.Eating in Tenby: kitchen hours and hygieneBar open is not kitchen open. The sticker is still law.Assistance dogs in Welsh pubs and cafésA pet policy is not the law on assistance dogs.
Stay
What you are buying, then match weekends when rooms disappear.
Hotel vs self-catering in WalesWhat you are actually buying before you look at names.Six Nations in Cardiff: hotels and taxisBook the bed first. After the match, use the rank and the meter.Hotels in Tenby: peak week vs shoulderJuly–August fills first. We do not invent a nightly rate.Holiday cottage extras in WalesLinen, cleaning and parking are often extra. Read the conditions.Camping, caravan and glamping in Wales: what you payA pitch is not a glamping hut. 21% of 2022 overnight trips were this cluster.Llandudno in winter: what a seafront stay actually isThe promenade is quieter. Heating and cancellation matter more.Cardiff visitor levy: £1.30 a night£1.30 a person a night from 1 April 2027. Not every Welsh council.Dog-friendly stays in WalesThe listing is the pet rule. An assistance dog is a different duty.Holiday lets in Wales: 182 nights or council tax252 days available and 182 nights let, or council tax can apply.
Trades
Gas Safe first. Then what a call-out actually includes.
What a plumber or boiler call-out should cost in WalesAsk what the visit includes. Gas work needs Gas Safe.Gas Safe before you call a plumber in WalesBoiler and gas work: check the register before anyone opens a wall.EICR for a Welsh rental: the five-year electrical reportWelsh landlords need a valid electrical report at least every five years.Home EV charger in Wales: who can fit itPart P applies. A competent-person installer or building control — not a flyer.Roof repair vs replacement after Welsh weatherMake-safe, repair and replacement are three jobs. There is no official tariff.Locksmith call-out in Wales: agree the price firstAgree the price before anyone drills. There is no official call-out fee.A builder’s quote in WalesNo official tariff. Labour, materials, VAT, and what is left out.Oil heating in Wales: OFTEC, not Gas SafeOff-grid oil is a competent-person scheme. Gas Safe is for gas.Tree work in Wales: ask before they cutA quote is not council consent. Ask about TPOs first.A skip on the street needs a permitHire and a highway permit are two permissions.
Car care
The MOT cap, then what a fail means.
How much does an MOT cost in Wales?The Class 4 cap is £54.85 nationwide. Stations may charge less.What an MOT failure usually meansFail is not scrap. Retest rules and what to ask the garage.Car tax in 2026: EVs now pay (Wales included)From April 2026 most post-2017 cars pay £200. EVs pay too.Car service vs MOT in WalesThe MOT cap is not a service. They are two bills.Breakdown vs recovery in WalesA roadside repair is not a tow. Agree the destination first.Tyres in Wales: 1.6 mm, MOT fail, wet roads1.6 mm across the central three-quarters. Below that fails the MOT.Windscreen chip or replacement in WalesA chip and a cracked screen are different jobs. Ask about the camera.
Taxi fares
Who sets the meter, how you hire them, and a Cardiff worked example.
How much is a taxi in Cardiff?Hackney flag £3.50, then the council meter — not an app quote.Hackney vs private hire in WalesHow you hire them, and who sets the price.How Welsh councils set taxi faresEach council publishes a maximum meter. Private hire is a quote.Tipping taxi drivers in WalesThe meter is the fare. A tip is optional, not a second tariff.How to complain about a taxi fare in WalesLicensing sits with the council. Keep the receipt and the plate number.Wheelchair accessible taxis in WalesAsk for a WAV when you book. Not every licensed car is accessible.Cardiff Airport taxis are a quoteRhoose is not the city meter. Agree the airport car when you book.The Severn Crossing has no tollTolls ended 17 December 2018. That is not the 20mph rule.
By town
Most journal pieces are Wales-wide. These name a place — then send you to that town’s knowledge page.
Cardiff
Rainy-day Cardiff with pricesStart with what is free. Then decide what you will pay.Zip World in Wales: which site, and what you buyFive Welsh parks. Velocity is not the Cardiff stadium zip.Cardiff Castle is not a Cadw siteIndependent gate. A Cadw pass does not open it.Takeaway and delivery still need a hygiene rating in WalesApp stars are not the FSA score. The 2013 Act still applies.Six Nations in Cardiff: hotels and taxisBook the bed first. After the match, use the rank and the meter.Cardiff visitor levy: £1.30 a night£1.30 a person a night from 1 April 2027. Not every Welsh council.How much is a taxi in Cardiff?Hackney flag £3.50, then the council meter — not an app quote.Cardiff Airport taxis are a quoteRhoose is not the city meter. Agree the airport car when you book.
Tenby
Tenby on a wet day, with pricesCastle Hill is outdoor. Tenby Museum is £7 for adults from 7 April 2026.Caldey Island: the Tenby boatBoats from Tenby Harbour. 2026 adult fare £24.95 at the blue kiosk.How to read a menu price in a tourist townWhat the number usually includes — and what it does not.Eating in Tenby: kitchen hours and hygieneBar open is not kitchen open. The sticker is still law.Hotels in Tenby: peak week vs shoulderJuly–August fills first. We do not invent a nightly rate.Holiday cottage extras in WalesLinen, cleaning and parking are often extra. Read the conditions.
Also in the journal
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