1^st September 2024

 

Dear All,

We have returned from a very enjoyable few days in North Wales staying in the Princes Arms, Trefriw near Betws y Coed. One of our walking group was at catering college with the owners and gets competitive rates and excellent service.

Our first walk on Monday was to Conway initially climbing Conway Mountain then exploring the town. The climb was a bit of a jolt for us flat East Anglians and was a severe test of the lungs and legs however the colours of the heather and gorse were very vivid and the views out to sea made it all worthwhile. There is a wall round most of the town but part of it was being repaired so we could only walk a section of it but again the views were rewarding.

 

 

View of Conway Town from Conway Mountain

 

 

Vivid Heather

 

 

View of Conway Bay

 

 

Conway Castle from the Wall

 

The weather forecast for the area was diabolical for Tuesday as we set out for the Island of Anglesey and we arrived in a very heavy downpour and in the teeth of a severe gale. We were largely in a wooded area with pine trees to stabilise sand dunes so we had some protection, but there were areas where it was difficult to walk upright. However, we finished the walk testing the phrase “There is no such thing as bad weather just poor waterproof clothing”

In the afternoon we headed for Penrhyn Castle near Bangor. It is an austere Norman style building built in the 19^th century funded by the slate and slave trades. The internal decorations are very ornate and there is an attractive walled garden. In the evening our leaders arranged a wine tasting featuring 9 wines – hic!

 

 

Dressed for the Weather

 

 

 

 

Newborough Forest, Anglesey

 

 

 

Penrhyn Castle

 

 

Walled Garden

 

 

Guess Who?

 

On Wednesday it was The Great Orme and Bodnant Gardens, We had visited the Great Orme before but had taken the tram car to the top. This time we drove to the top and walked down then up again circling round to the bottom again. We started in rain but it soon cleared up and we finished in sunshine. The highlights were the views of Llandudno and the Little Orme, a long descent to Millionaires Row and finding Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in the Botanic Gardens. We also spotted some wild goats on the way.

 

 

Llandudno from The Great Orme

 

 

Tramcar

 

 

Descent to Millionaires Row

 

 

Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum

 

Bodnant Gardens is one of my favourites and never disappoints

 

 

Bodnant Hall

 

 

Terrace Gardens & Pin Mill

 

 

The Water Mill

 

Our last walk on Thursday was described as “Challenging”. It started at Nantmor and ascended steeply through Aberglaslyn Forest followed by a long descent to Beddgelert. It was completed by a path along the Glaslyn River which was very rocky and quite narrow. It was challenging but the most enjoyable walk of the week. We finished with a visit to Plas Brondanw the house and garden of Clough Williams-Ellis the architect of Portmeirion.

 

 

Ascent through Aberglaslyn Forest

 

 

Beginning of the Descent

 

 

Beddgelert

 

 

Tricky River Walk

In summary a great week with good company and excellent scenery with some exacting walks and reasonable weather – for Wales! We had actually forgotten what rain looks like and Over was completely dry on our return.

Finally, this is the view from our bedroom window in Trefriw.

 

 

Regards

 

 

 

Mike & Kate