Thousands of anti-war protestors left Wales for London to take part in one of the biggest demonstrations ever seen in the UK.

Around 100 coaches left locations across Wales, bound for London, with many other protestors joining the huge march by rail.

Yvette Roblin has not marched since the 1950s

Organisers predicted that more than 500,000 people would take part in the in the London protest against war in Iraq, but some estimated that a million people were on the streets of the UK capital.

Protests also took place in Glasgow, Belfast and cities across the world.

Twenty coaches packed with protestors left from City Hall, Cardiff, at 0800 GMT on Saturday.

Veteran anti-war campaigner Ray Davies of the South Wales Stop the War Coalition, spoke to BBC Wales News Online from the march.

Protestors queued to sign for the march in Cardiff

He said: "The atmosphere was electric and we were told by stewards that a million people had turned up.

"There were people there from all over the UK and beyond and from all walks of life.

"There were so many smaller marches joining from all over London, that it took hours just to reach the start point."

Yvette Roblin, 75, of Cardiff, took part in her first demonstration since marching in protest against the Korean war as a student in the 1950s.

She told BBC Wales News Online: "I think Saddam is dreadful, but war isn't the way to go about things.

Student Mina Rai took part in the march

"I haven't done anything like this since I was a student at Aberystwyth, but I feel so strongly about it.

"I am not a pacifist and my husband fought in Burma, but I think Blair has lost the plot and I will never trust him again."

Taking part in his first-ever demonstration was Cardiff student Ben Finden, 20.

"I'm marching mainly to find out about the war because we haven't been told enough," he said.

"It must have an effect on the people making the decisions over war."

Around 20 buses left Cardiff for London

Also taking part in her first march was student Mina Rai, from Cardiff.

She said: "I'm completely against the war and I think most people are.

"It's time we went out and said 'no'."

Lecturer Elin Jones, 35, from Aberystwyth, added: "

"I want to see if we can do something to stop the war."

The march in London was organised by Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and the Muslim Association of Britain.

Ray Davies of the Stop the War Coalition

The three-and-a-half mile march started from two positions at midday and converged at Piccadilly Circus.

It culminated in a rally at Hyde Park where a succession of speakers, including former US presidential candidate Reverend Jesse Jackson, took to a stage near Speakers' Corner.

The prime minister's office said in a statement that Tony Blair "respected the views" of those taking part in the march but suggested the demonstration would make little difference to government policy.