My party:

CG Ranger
Minsc (& Boo!)
Kivan
Imoen
Branwen
Dynaheir

All at Level 4, except for Imoen who just reached Level 5.

Just finished the Nashkel Mines and went back to see the Mayor of Nashkel, so that loop is closed. I've also done most of the sub-quests in the area, but there are some wilderness areas that I have yet to explore.

I see an area on my map labelled "Ulcaster" and another one "Firewine Bridge". Would this be an appropriate time to go see what goodies & monsters lie in wait over there? Or should I go do something else first?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Ulcaster or Firewine Bridge are good choices. Or you can go along coast to Lighthouse area.

Just remember to stop at Beregost once you've explored everything.

After the Nashkel mines, I usually head west of Beregost and do the quests in the High Hedge/Sword Coast area. There is a decent amount of experience to be had in these parts, and there are a few nice items around here too (I won't go into too much detail here). I find this a good area to explore and bring up the party's experience level. Firewine and Ulcaster can be quite tricky if your party is still around level 4 or so (as mine usually is after the Nashkel mines). There are many (small) sidequests to be done along the Sword Coast and other areas in the vicinity - not too tough but very useful for bringing your party up to scratch before you tackle the harder regions in the game.

Thanks for your suggestions. Found a guy by the name of Samuel that I need to bring to the FAI. After that I pop back to Beregost area and finish up the coastal areas as suggested.