North Wales 2015

August 2015 - a few days in North Wales

Friday 21st August to Wednesday 26th August

Please click on photos to see a larger one

Llandudno Bangor Caernarfon Porthdinllaen Aberdaron Pwllheli Llanbedrog Cricieth Porthmadog Harlech Barmouth Swallow Falls Conwy

Friday 21st August

We eventually got away by 1100 hours

Bad traffic until we got to the M56, to add insult to injury it was raining now

Our first stop was at Chester Services on the M56 where we bought and ate a few sandwiches.

We pressed on to Llandudno.

After unable to get on the front we parked in the multistory car park. It had been raining on and off so we took our umbrellas, which we were to need from time to time

The pier. We ambled round, running the gauntlet of seaside stalls, and started to walk down the pier.

Little Orme from the pier

A young person enjoying himself while Mum and Dad look on. This brought back memories of when we took Jaja to Fleetwood and lied about his age so that he could have a drive.

Michael hurried on to the end of the pier

Where's Michael got too?

Never mind. Should I get four? Why not.

Oh, there you are.

Michael said let's drive round Great Orme so we walked back to the car.

A third of the way round, stopped for a photo.

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We drove on through Conwy on our way to see Bangor Pier which Bill and Joan said we must walk down. Bangor. Conwy is where Michael spent a few summer holidays with Mum and Dad when he was a teenager and also with Auntie Nora and Grandma Deacon. In 2003 Sue drove down to Conwy Marina and sailed down to Caernarfon - today's destination.

We reached Bangor Pier but Sue was too tired to make the long walk. You can just see her in the second photo, a shadow of her forme self.

Looking along the pier and to the south east, roughly, from the pier.

Looking north you can just make out Beaumaris. We paused there in 2003 waiting for the tide to be right to pass through the Straits, that was when Sue was with us. I've been past the end of the pier several times the latest being 2004. This is fast becoming a nostalgia journey.

Looking down the Straits to the Telford Suspension Bridge

Carrying on round to look back to shore.

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We set off again only to get stuck in a long traffic queue! The day was passing and the clouds were closing in, it's been a bad day for photographs so far

We reached Caernarfon and managed to sort out a place to park the car. This was our hotel for the night.

sue letting everyone know we'd arrived safely. It was also her first full day with the frosted lens. Behind is the restaurant where we would eat dinner and breakfast.

We were early for dinner, we couldn't get in before 2015 hours and we didn't feel like traipsing round looking for another place, so we wander round the dock and waterside.

Sue had sailed to Caernarfon in 2003 and we spent a couple of nights in the dock. Michael's came a year later as well and in the late 1980's moored up alongside the castle quay.

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Saturday 22nd August

We had breakfast, usual plus some English breakfast, showered, dressed and motored down to the castle quay. They wanted a further £5 to park so we didn't bother and set off for Morfa Nefyn.

We reached Morfa Nevyn and drove through to Pothdinllaen

Michael wanted to see Porthdinllaen from the land because he'd sailed there in 2004 and spent the night on a mooring. We drove down to the beach but couldn't park so we turned round and found a National Trust car park on top of the cliff.

We ate our sandwiches, purchased from ASDA at Caernarfon, in the car

These photos are taken from the top. there appeared to be a path going down to the beach. Sue elected to stay in the car but Michael explored. The path did indeed go down to the beach and it turned out to be where we had driven down to.

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It rained from time to time but it didn't stop us going on this time to Aberdaron, a place which Peter said we must go to. We found a National Trust car park again.

We found the cafe Peter had told us about and Sue had a slice of Barra Brith with her tea.

We found the beach, wandered back and bought a few postcards then went into the National Trust visitors centre - Porth y Swnt which is an "exciting new interpretation centre showcases the special qualities which make the Llŷn Peninsula so unique in terms of history, culture and environment. " It was brilliant and we spent an interesting time there.

We were very tired by now so we drove on to Pwllheli to the Crown Hotel

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Sunday 23rd August

After Breakfast, after purchasing our sandwiches for tea at ASDA at the back of the hotel, we drove to Llanbedrog in the pouring rain.

We parked in the National Trust car park and the rain stopped for a few minutes so we wandered down to the beach but it started to rain again so we went into the cafe for lunch.

We finished a nice lunch but it was still raining!

The bathing huts that Sue remembered. When we used to come in the early seventies these were an unreachable luxury. The TV series Witnesses has start sequence of bathing huts which always makes Sue think of Llanbedrog. We spent a little time collecting seashells for Alex. On the horizon there were sailing yachts which were probably racing.

We moved on to Abersoch but it was raining and we couldn't park near the harbour so we decided to go back to the hotel.

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After eating our sandwiches, the rain was holding off so we decided to have a walk round Pwllheli.

After a struggle and help from a local woman we found the harbour

Yes it had started to rain again. We found our way to the town centre but as it was raining we decided it was too far to the beaches so we returned to the hotel.

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Monday 24th August

It appeared to be a lovely day so we set out for Cricieth as planned.

We followed the signs for Castell and we found a good free car park just under the castle.

My first thought was photograph the rare blue sky!

These are taken from the car park, the castle is on the left.

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A little tired from climbing around the castle we set off towards Porthmadog

It was lunchtime so we found a nice little cafe on the harbourside with a free car park

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We moved on to Harlech Castle. We struggled parking. The castle car park is full of builders' equipment and materials. Major changes are taking place converting an old house into a visitors centre. We eventually got parked on the narrow old main road.

Sue didn't feel like climbing up the steps so Michael carried on exploring

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We moved on and found our lodgings at Morwedon House quite easily following the owner's simple instructions.

Tuesday 25th August

Llanaber request stop

Our first view of Barmouth leaving the station. After a frosty welcome by the Information Bureau staff we went to the adjacent Coop to buy our lunch, sandwiches.

The clock in the photo chimed 12-o-clock as we were walking over the bridge, it was a lovely sound

This is the last photo of our walk. At the end of the bridge we struck off along the river side, the tide was out. The disused railway track didn't materialise. We came upon a set of cottages, Mawddach Crescent. Her we should have turned right but we wandered on becoming increasingly confused until we came across two women who assured us we were on the wrong path.

We should have turned right at the crescent.

There was a path at rightangles to where we were heading and by consensus and looking at the women's map we followed it.

We struggled along it until we eventually came across the railway track. We were very tired now, Michael in particular, so we turned right and walked back along the track until we came to a cap park and picnic area. we sat and ate our sandwiches.

We were at Morfa Mawddach Station so we carried on back across the bridge into Barmouth. It was umbrella time again but quite windy. Walking back along the bridge we seemed to be swamped by bicycles, at least twenty, must have been a group. the wind was increasing and holding the umbrella was difficult trying to avoid the cyclists and walkers.

We were early for our next train back so we had a cup of tea and a cake to pass the time away.
We managed to see the driver and tell him we needed to get off at the next stop, a request stop, Llanaber.

The train duly stops at Llanaber and here it is continuing on to Pwllheli and we are walking back to Morwedon House, our hotel.

We arrived back but Michael couldn't rest so he sat on the terrace at the table under his umbrella, the rain had started again.

The sea was stirring up and quite impressive.

The next train from Pwllheli went past

Michael nipped out during dinner to take these photographs.

Wednesday 26th August

Our last day.

Michael went for a walk before breakfast to get his system working,

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We started our journey home motoring along the Mawddach Estuary, which we didn't see much of and turning inland through Snowdonia National Park to Betws-y-Coed and the Swallow Falls.

It was lunch time so we had lunch in the Tavern

Texting someone

Taking photos

It was a long hard slog back to the top

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Now on to Conwy

We drove up the Conwy Valley and followed the signs for the long stay car park and here we are walking to the castle.

The sign said enter the castle by the town walls so we climbed up on to the wall. The third photo shows the hill we used to climb from the other side as teenagers when we camped at Conwy Morfa in the fifties. Now we couldn't enter the castle from the wall, we had to climb down again!

Inside the castle at last

We've climbed up on to the ramparts , now for a tower

The Thomas Telford suspension bridge and the Robert Stevenson railway bridge

Back down on the ramparts again

Down to earth again

Michael wanted to walk over the old bridge which he's been driven over many times. It closed in 1958. The river under the new road bridge from the old one