Anturiaethau Cymraeg
Sep. 12th, 2016 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rich_jackoI've been back at work for a full week and a bit (and nearly caught up with my inbox!), so it's probably about time I got around to writing up my holiday! I took nine days off by myself to get away from it all for a while. The first leg (of two) of my trip was to north Wales, a place I spend many a happy holiday as a kid.
Thursday 25th August
A fair bit of logistics went into planning this trip. Case in point - my journey there involved a tram, four trains and a bus. It all worked out very smoothly though, and I enjoyed seeing Flint and Conwy castles from the train, as well as Llandudno bay, which brought back some fond memories. Four-and-a-bit hours after setting off, I arrived in Caernarfon, a place I hadn't been to since I was a kid.
I checked into my hostel/B&B, which was literally a stone's throw from the town walls and only a couple of minutes walk from the castle and the town square, then went exploring to get the lay of the town. This did not take long. It only took 16 minutes to walk around the walls (sadly you can't go up on them) and there are only a handful of main streets.
I had a rather wonderful (homemade, jaffa cake and mango) ice cream and went on a boat trip up the Menai Strait. You can see the boat in the photo below. A swing bridge moves aside to let it through. After that I wandered up to the Roman fort, Segontium, which was quite extensive (although the visitor centre is temporarily closed.
A quick note about eating out. Restaurants are not designed for single people, and I feel self-conscious about ordering on my own. Fortunately I have no such reservations about cafés, fast food places and pubs. Now Caernarfon, historically being a place with a lot of dock workers, has several very good pubs, most of which do food. The Anglesey was my favourite, and one I kept coming back to. So called because it overlooks Anglesey, I spend a pleasant evening eating outside, then sitting on the wall overlooking the water, enjoying a beer as live music played and the sun went down.
Friday 26th August
Friday had the best weather forecast of all the days I was in Wales, so it was the day I earmarked to fulfil a long-held ambition - walking up Snowdon. I took the bus to Llanberis and went up the tourist track, colloquially known as "the motorway" because of the numbers of walkers using it. There were walkers of all ages and abilities going up the same time as me, plus a few crazy joggers. There are five other paths, but those are harder and I didn't want to try anything too challenging for my first climb. Maybe next time!
The path largely follows the mountain railway, and it was nice to see the trains go by. The Llanberis path was not too challenging - a 975m ascent over 7km. That's about the same steepness as the Laber, which I climbed in Bavaria last summer, but a greater ascent (due to starting at a much lower base!). It was easier though, without the German summer heat. In fact, it was pretty much perfect walking weather - at least, until I got above the cloud layer. There it got... interesting!
There were some spactacular views on the way up, but eventually the clouds obscured them and at the very top, visibility was zero. I'd made it though, in just 2 hours 15 minutes! Mind you, I was hurrying on one of the steeper sections just to get out of the wind and rain quickly! I felt pleased with myself, until I saw the souvenir shop was full of "I climbed the three peaks" merchandise. One down, two still to go. Who wants to climb Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike with me some time? ;o)
After an hour at the top, which included an incredibly well-deserved beer, and a giant pasty the size of my head, I trekked back down again. The skies cleared a bit and I saw some better views. Going down was surprisingly hard on the legs, and I only did it in ten minutes less time than it took me to go up.
There are pros and cons of holidaying alone. The downside is not having people you know to share the experience with, although I got chatting to many random strangers and jumped on facebook quite a bit in the evenings. The upside is you're on entirely your own schedule - not waiting for anyone and you can keep going as long as you want.
I doubt many people, having just walked up and down the highest mountain in England and Wales would have gone, "Let's walk up another hill to find a waterfall! Then let's walk another mile to find a castle!" But that's what I did, making the most of what Llanberis had to offer before catching the bus back. It was worth it too. The waterfall was spectacular and Dolbadarn Castle, while not exactly Caernarfon Castle, was interesting as a pre-Edwardian slate castle built by the Welsh princes.
I went back, had a much-needed hot shower and rested for a bit, before sampling another couple of Caernarfon's pubs in the evening - dinner at a pretty good Wetherspoons, and then the rather wonderful, medieval Black Boy Inn.
Saturday 27th August
Saturday was a slightly more laid back day. In defiance of the forecast, the weather was brilliant - Clear blue skies, and I could see the top of Snowdon. Typical! Still, I wasn't complaining, even when I developed sunburn!
I explored the docks and "did" Caernarfon Castle. I wasn't aware (or had forgotten) that the reason it looks so different from other castles is because it was a giant propoganda tool, designed to resemble rthe Roman gates of Byzantium. Edward I wanted to cash in on the local legend "The Dream of Macsen Wiedig", which tells how the Roman Emperor, Magnus Maximus, dreamed of a beautiful princess, then woke and sought her out. Finding her in Caernarfon, they wed and all the Welsh princes (not to mention King Arthur) are descended from them. How convenient that Edward's son was born in Caernarfon too...
After finishing in the castle, I wandered up the coast for a bit. I had fish 'n' chips for tea. There's a place in the town square with outside seating, which I thought would be nice. Unfortunately, it's where all the taxis wait, so you end up breathing in lots of car fumes, which is less pleasant. I checked out another couple of pubs in the evening, including the "smallest bar in Wales" before going back to the Anglesey for more live music and beer.
Sunday 28th August
Sunday was largely a travel day, journeying through a bit more of Wales before moving onto the phase of my holiday - Dublin! I said goodbye to Caernarfon, caught the bus to Bangor and then a local train up to Holyhead via several request stops, including (I was very pleased to see), Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Ironically, it has a short platform. :o)
I had an hour or so in Holyhead before catching my ferry, so I looked around the town, with its Roman fort and 13th century church. I was boggled by the screens in the station - Do people really need telling not to go onto the train tracks to catch Pokémon???
The check-in desks for the ferry are right at the end of the station platform. The 3-hour journey was very smooth and pleasant, even if the whole thing did resemble a floating airport departure lounge. I spent most of the time out on deck, away from the corporate hell inside and enjoying the sea air.
Before very long, the Emeral Isle came into sight, including the towers and cranes of the docks. My hotel room was cell-like but only a couple of minutes from O'Connell Street and the main train station. I experienced a bit of "big city shock" on arrival, having just come from a small town (pop 9.6k) to a capital city (pop 527.6k). I spent a while boggling at all the people and traffic and wondering whether I should have stayed in Wales. The football crowds didn't help. I felt more relaxed after a pint of the black stuff at Mulligan's. According to my guide book, it does the best Guinness in the city, and it's true - It does taste better in Ireland! :o)
To be continued...
Thursday 25th August
A fair bit of logistics went into planning this trip. Case in point - my journey there involved a tram, four trains and a bus. It all worked out very smoothly though, and I enjoyed seeing Flint and Conwy castles from the train, as well as Llandudno bay, which brought back some fond memories. Four-and-a-bit hours after setting off, I arrived in Caernarfon, a place I hadn't been to since I was a kid.
I checked into my hostel/B&B, which was literally a stone's throw from the town walls and only a couple of minutes walk from the castle and the town square, then went exploring to get the lay of the town. This did not take long. It only took 16 minutes to walk around the walls (sadly you can't go up on them) and there are only a handful of main streets.
I had a rather wonderful (homemade, jaffa cake and mango) ice cream and went on a boat trip up the Menai Strait. You can see the boat in the photo below. A swing bridge moves aside to let it through. After that I wandered up to the Roman fort, Segontium, which was quite extensive (although the visitor centre is temporarily closed.
A quick note about eating out. Restaurants are not designed for single people, and I feel self-conscious about ordering on my own. Fortunately I have no such reservations about cafés, fast food places and pubs. Now Caernarfon, historically being a place with a lot of dock workers, has several very good pubs, most of which do food. The Anglesey was my favourite, and one I kept coming back to. So called because it overlooks Anglesey, I spend a pleasant evening eating outside, then sitting on the wall overlooking the water, enjoying a beer as live music played and the sun went down.
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Friday 26th August
Friday had the best weather forecast of all the days I was in Wales, so it was the day I earmarked to fulfil a long-held ambition - walking up Snowdon. I took the bus to Llanberis and went up the tourist track, colloquially known as "the motorway" because of the numbers of walkers using it. There were walkers of all ages and abilities going up the same time as me, plus a few crazy joggers. There are five other paths, but those are harder and I didn't want to try anything too challenging for my first climb. Maybe next time!
The path largely follows the mountain railway, and it was nice to see the trains go by. The Llanberis path was not too challenging - a 975m ascent over 7km. That's about the same steepness as the Laber, which I climbed in Bavaria last summer, but a greater ascent (due to starting at a much lower base!). It was easier though, without the German summer heat. In fact, it was pretty much perfect walking weather - at least, until I got above the cloud layer. There it got... interesting!
There were some spactacular views on the way up, but eventually the clouds obscured them and at the very top, visibility was zero. I'd made it though, in just 2 hours 15 minutes! Mind you, I was hurrying on one of the steeper sections just to get out of the wind and rain quickly! I felt pleased with myself, until I saw the souvenir shop was full of "I climbed the three peaks" merchandise. One down, two still to go. Who wants to climb Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike with me some time? ;o)
After an hour at the top, which included an incredibly well-deserved beer, and a giant pasty the size of my head, I trekked back down again. The skies cleared a bit and I saw some better views. Going down was surprisingly hard on the legs, and I only did it in ten minutes less time than it took me to go up.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
There are pros and cons of holidaying alone. The downside is not having people you know to share the experience with, although I got chatting to many random strangers and jumped on facebook quite a bit in the evenings. The upside is you're on entirely your own schedule - not waiting for anyone and you can keep going as long as you want.
I doubt many people, having just walked up and down the highest mountain in England and Wales would have gone, "Let's walk up another hill to find a waterfall! Then let's walk another mile to find a castle!" But that's what I did, making the most of what Llanberis had to offer before catching the bus back. It was worth it too. The waterfall was spectacular and Dolbadarn Castle, while not exactly Caernarfon Castle, was interesting as a pre-Edwardian slate castle built by the Welsh princes.
I went back, had a much-needed hot shower and rested for a bit, before sampling another couple of Caernarfon's pubs in the evening - dinner at a pretty good Wetherspoons, and then the rather wonderful, medieval Black Boy Inn.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Saturday 27th August
Saturday was a slightly more laid back day. In defiance of the forecast, the weather was brilliant - Clear blue skies, and I could see the top of Snowdon. Typical! Still, I wasn't complaining, even when I developed sunburn!
I explored the docks and "did" Caernarfon Castle. I wasn't aware (or had forgotten) that the reason it looks so different from other castles is because it was a giant propoganda tool, designed to resemble rthe Roman gates of Byzantium. Edward I wanted to cash in on the local legend "The Dream of Macsen Wiedig", which tells how the Roman Emperor, Magnus Maximus, dreamed of a beautiful princess, then woke and sought her out. Finding her in Caernarfon, they wed and all the Welsh princes (not to mention King Arthur) are descended from them. How convenient that Edward's son was born in Caernarfon too...
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
After finishing in the castle, I wandered up the coast for a bit. I had fish 'n' chips for tea. There's a place in the town square with outside seating, which I thought would be nice. Unfortunately, it's where all the taxis wait, so you end up breathing in lots of car fumes, which is less pleasant. I checked out another couple of pubs in the evening, including the "smallest bar in Wales" before going back to the Anglesey for more live music and beer.
 |
 |
 |
Sunday 28th August
Sunday was largely a travel day, journeying through a bit more of Wales before moving onto the phase of my holiday - Dublin! I said goodbye to Caernarfon, caught the bus to Bangor and then a local train up to Holyhead via several request stops, including (I was very pleased to see), Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Ironically, it has a short platform. :o)
 |
 |
 |
I had an hour or so in Holyhead before catching my ferry, so I looked around the town, with its Roman fort and 13th century church. I was boggled by the screens in the station - Do people really need telling not to go onto the train tracks to catch Pokémon???
The check-in desks for the ferry are right at the end of the station platform. The 3-hour journey was very smooth and pleasant, even if the whole thing did resemble a floating airport departure lounge. I spent most of the time out on deck, away from the corporate hell inside and enjoying the sea air.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Before very long, the Emeral Isle came into sight, including the towers and cranes of the docks. My hotel room was cell-like but only a couple of minutes from O'Connell Street and the main train station. I experienced a bit of "big city shock" on arrival, having just come from a small town (pop 9.6k) to a capital city (pop 527.6k). I spent a while boggling at all the people and traffic and wondering whether I should have stayed in Wales. The football crowds didn't help. I felt more relaxed after a pint of the black stuff at Mulligan's. According to my guide book, it does the best Guinness in the city, and it's true - It does taste better in Ireland! :o)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
To be continued...
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no subject
Date: 2016-09-14 09:26 pm (UTC)Don't think I'm up to doing Ben Nevis these days though.