Conwy County, United Kingdom

Vern woke to the squawking chorus of big gulls (Molly hawk size) at somewhere around 5. I didn’t hear them as I was deep asleep at that time. They have a nest on our roof and they are a real problem in Conwy. We had a reasonable breakfast – no black pudding which makes it a bit ordinary (LOL). The breakfast room is also crowded and I was a bit grumpy to have to cram on a table as well as in our room – feeling the need for some space! Then Vern got a bit disappointed that we missed out on tickets to go on the steam train up Mt. Snowdonia. The tickets were all sold out this morning for the next few days, but had we booked last night when we had a look at the web site we could have secured a couple of tickets for tomorrow (Saturday) and we could possibly fit that in on route to the Cotswolds. Not to worry you live and learn, so if you are coming over and wish to do a steam rail trip – book well ahead. Disappointments noted, we set off in the car for a car hike to take in Caernarfon Castle, Betws-y-Coed, and perhaps a short walk to Swallow Falls in Snowdonia National Park near Betws-y-Coed.

It was drizzling when we set off and as we saw the water of the Irish Sea in the first part of our journey just out of Conwy we saw the Menai Suspension Bridge which connects the isle of Anglesey to the mainland in the distance and thought we would detour and have a look. Interesting it was designed by Thomas Telford in 1826 (same engineer that did the Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland that we saw.) At 580 ft. it was the longest bridge in its day, and was built 100ft above the tide line to allow tall navy ships through. We couldn’t find an easy view point on the other side (strange) so carried on a bit further to the town of Beaumaris which like many places has its own history and also a castle started in 1295 for King Edward which has a charming little moat. We did not go inside (money conscious and its pretty much a shell/ruins) but I sneaked the photo through the fence.

We had a quick cuppa and mini scone with jam and cream which was horrible – not super dry like the last one, but still dry, heavy and tasted like baking soda. We are not going to buy any others here and if I ever needed to I would be able to come over here and teach classes on how to make scones I am sure I would make a fortune.

From Beaumaris we negotiated multi roundabouts (6 going off one) with only one mistake and 20 minutes later arrived in Caernarfon along with the sunshine breaking through. Yeah, happy moods again. We had a little wander through the walls, into old town and around the outside of the castle by the estuary before buying a couple of rolls, some cranberry cheese and thick slice gammon from the supermarket, along with chocolate milk – making for a very tasty and cheap car picnic in the supermarket car park. We packed one plate and some great picnic cutlery, including wine opener for days like this. We also have anti-bacteria wet wipes and a stash of tissues on hand at all times. Caernarfon is reasonably bigger than Conwy, its castle a bit more imposing and impressive from the outside (its where the Prince of Wales gets crowned on the lawn inside) but we like the smaller size of Conwy and its walls which we are yet to walk around a bit better.

Further on from Caernarfon to Betws-y-Coed you travel about 40 minutes through very scenic scenery of the Snowdonia National Park. We passed through valleys formed by glaciers with high stoney hills on either side, across dryer tablelands with tussock type vegetation like the desert road at home, a dark lake, clear streams filled with stones and boulders and lots of natural lush woodland. There were plenty of Welsh sheep in the paddocks and unlike Scotland these were all white and a lot tidier, having been shorn recently.

Betws-y-Coed is as scenic as all the reports we have read and would not disappoint anyone looking for a picture perfect town in a National Park to stay in, and use as a base for stunning walks. We didn’t make it to the falls, as in our wander through town we had enough fun at the local river where a cocky heron put on a performance – he was huge and comical looking at about 1.5m tall.

We drove back to Conwy on the other side of the loop – skirting more the edge of the park and more in central Welsh farmland. There were a few pretty little country towns – the houses are not as decorative as in other areas we have seen but still have their own charm. The countryside also had pockets of pretty, but the National park was definitely a highlight and one we could have spent more time in – up to a couple of days I think.

As last nights dinner was so ho-hum we opted for fish and chips where they also made their own mushy peas. Added to that they sold pickled onions, gherkins and pickled eggs singularly so I got an onion and an egg to the mix, together with a pot of gravy. These were the best chips so far on the trip – chunky and crispy. Fish was good too. We enjoyed our gourmet dinner by the water, throwing jandles at aggressive sea birds till they got the message to stay away. Vern has not forgiven them for disturbing him this morning, even though he did get back to sleep. The estuary area is very pretty and you will see the smallest house in Britain pictured – it was like a dolls house and apparently the owner had to sleep with his feet out the window! Our amble home took us past the supermarket for our regular apple juice evening relaxer. Feeling too full and relaxed we decided to walk the city walls in the morning before we leave, instead of the evening. We also saw a cute jug in a hospice shop that of course was closed, so we hope it will be open in the morning to purchase – £3 it looks like a bargain.