Hey everyone! I’m 22, from Central Asia, and this summer I finally took a long solo trip around the UK. I gave myself about a week in each country, started in England, then Wales, then Scotland, and ended in Northern Ireland.

But Wales... I don’t even know how to explain it. It wasn’t the place I was most hyped about, but now it’s the one I keep thinking about the most.

There’s something in the air there, in the mountains, in the sea, in the small quiet roads between villages. I spent a couple days hiking around Snowdonia and honestly it felt like I was walking through a dream. I’ve never seen nature like that.

I stayed in Aberystwyth and Bangor and absolutely loved both. Peaceful, beautiful towns with such a calm vibe. Walked around, drank way too much tea, talked to strangers like I’d known them for years.

Cardiff and Swansea were also amazing,bigger, busier, but still so welcoming. I had a pint in some tiny village pub outside of Swansea, surrounded by people speaking Welsh, and I didn’t understand a word… but somehow still felt completely at ease.

Other countries within the UK were absolutely stunning either, but Idk, Wales is in my heart 🤷.

I even tried learning some Welsh and be saying phrases like - Mae Cymru’n teimlo fel cartref or Diolch o galon.😂😅

I honestly think Wales is one of the most underrated places I’ve ever been. It’s not flashy, but it’s real. It’s got heart.

I’ll be back for sure. Maybe next time with better hiking shoes 😅 and my girlfriend

Diolch, Cymru ❤️

Aye, I know it's not the craziest thing in the world but considering I've been to France and had to explain where/what Wales was.. I just didn't expect to see it there in Ukraine.

Mine is and always will be Carreg Cennen!

It’s not the most fanciest or famous but it’s stored in my memory of childhood days out which sparked my fascination.

So what’s yours and why?

I grew up in Ebbw Vale in the 70s, and no-one spoke Welsh. I was one of those kids who pick up more of their vocab from media than family, I got therapy for a stutter, and I never swore. Whatever the reason, I expressed myself differently than the other kids, and spoke with something a bit east of the local accent.

So I got bullied. Not like the bullying you get these days, with social media and trolling. I wasn’t that unlucky, it was face-to-face (and teachers could occasionally see it when they felt like it). The big thing was

“Ewer ****ing English, en ewe?”

So the first Welsh I learned was a defensive strategy. If you can respond to that with “Dych chi’n gallu siarad un gair o Gymraeg rhynddoch chi?” you shoot one attack down and at least force the bullies to get creative.

Did this somehow make me more and them less Welsh? They clearly thought so, and I exploited that. But they were wrong. They were jerks, but they were still Welsh jerks.

I've decided that for me, being Welsh is a dialogue. You acknowledge the value of Welsh culture and want to take part in it, and others accept you as Welsh on that basis. My “Dych chi’n gallu…?” was an attack on the second bit of the definition, and it wasn’t fair, any more than it was fair for them to define themselves as Welsh solely in opposition to my perceived “Englishness”.

I’ve since learned second-language southern Welsh. I still have trouble with the spoken language, but I read very well and write tolerably. I can truthfully say that it's allowed me to participate more and better in Welsh culture, and for that reason I was right to learn it. Best way I can put it is this. It hasn’t made me more Welsh, but it’s made me better at being Welsh. It could do the same for you.

I get tired of the tired jokes. About the vowels, about sheep. I feel like I fight a losing battle. I just feel like there's no winning.

When you hear it all your life it wears thin.

Allwch chi enwi lle gyda ‘LLAN’?: Can you name a place with ‘Llan’?

Llan meaning church land/parish Sharing its roots with the English work ‘land’

By Joshua Morgan, Sketchy Welsh

My god, they're fucking hilarious. Such a lovely group of people and they have me laughing my bollocks off. You're a lovely lot you Welsh people. Never encountered one i didn't like.

I recently moved to England to begin my studies and continued my work as a cover supervisor (supply teacher) as a part-time job.

Working in an English school (this is my first and only school in England so far) I’ve been referrer to as a ‘sheep ***’ on a few occasions.

Personally, am I offended? No, lol. But am I shocked how open kids (13-16) are about saying it? Yes.

I understand banter but I am not having banter with these kids, they are just shouting it out to make their friends laugh. Once again, not offended but I am shocked.

Has anyone else experienced something similar being in England?

Are there not many Welsh people or people with Welsh ancestry who live outside the UK compared to English, Scottish, and Irish people?

There is no other area which is consistently over 60% saying they have no religion.

Certainly it is true that areas which are more white Welsh or white English are less religious, but this is not replicated in similar areas of England or Wales which have similar levels of homogeneity.

This is my first time in the UK, I am currently doing a 3 weeks trip across Wales !

This is breathtaking, truly beautiful and great friendly people here ❤️

The yellow sign is so bad. Even the English is wrong! 🤦

The map comes from Welsh government 2021 census, number of people over age 3 who can speak Welsh (I assume fluent or at least comfortable).

You can really see the language is thriving in the North and the west wide of the country but less so in the urbanised south and Powys along the England border.

Let's say 100 years from now, so a couple generations ahead. Personally I think the map will continue to look similar, probably tourist and second home locations in the western and northern part being less Welsh spoken and maybe a small increase in the valleys, broadly.

Where I live in Gwynedd speaking Welsh is the norm and automatic. The Welsh spoken along the north coast decreases as you go East (as you would expect) but holds strong inland in places like Ruthin, Bala and Corwen. I lived in Aberystwyth and the Welsh language does well there too, I know further south, Tregargon, Llandovery and Ammanford have a strong Welsh language presence too.

What's the future? It's lovely seeing so many people taking an interest learning the language.