10 February, 2024

We end up leaving our accommodation half an hour earlier than planned which means we are at LeShuttle check-in 2 hours before our scheduled departure of 11:18 am. Nevertheless, we are offered an earlier train of 10:18 am which we accept and promptly proceed to the French, then UK, border controls then line up in the short queue to board the train.

Perhaps the Danish border guards linked our passports on the ‘system’ as since Lynn’s run-in with them in Copenhagen in July last year we’ve not had an issue with her exceeding the Schengen’s limitation while she has been travelling with me in Europe. Result!

Soon we are waved onto the train and park and before we know it, we are rolling – even though the time is only 09:48 am!

35 minutes later we are rolling off the train at Folkestone and half an hour later, after driving through a misty and muddy landscape, we arrive at the Burns’s at Anvil Green.

After a quick repack we give Alex our cast-offs that are destined for the charity shop and drive 5 minutes in the family’s Daimler to the Compasses Inn, their ‘local’ for lunch with Alex.

When we arrive we have the place to ourselves and quickly commandeer a table by the open fire as it is really chilly outside.

To say their main courses are ‘generous’ is an understatement!

Fond farewells to Alex then we hit the road at 2:45 pm for the 2.5 hour drive to Wokingham in mizzle to stay with Barbaran and Stuart for the next few days.

Although it’s been 15 months since we last saw them in Spain, it’s just like it was yesterday as we sit down to catch up. After watching the 6 Nations rugby match “on the telly” between England and Wales (16-14), we sit down to a delicious homemade meal and have an early night.

11 February, 2024

It’s still grey, raining and miserable so we opt for a lazy day in. After a late breakfast we continue chatting until the next 6 Nations rugby match on TV – Ireland v Italy (36-0) – a masterful display and lesson in how to play the game and much to Barbaran’s delight- given she is Irish.

For dinner we are driven half an hour away to Reading where we are booked into the London Street Brasserie, a former 18th-century toll house by the River Kennet for great food and wine.

On our way home Barbaran insists we call into the local casino to try our luck at roulette. Needless to say we lose our meager bets quickly but I am instrumental in getting Barbaran to place a bet on black and win her some money back.

12 February, 2024

A nice sunny day greets us this morning but we have some chores to get done before we get out and enjoy the countryside today.

First job is to head down to the local pharmacy to get ourselves a flu shot since we can’t get a Covid booster thanks to the inefficiencies of the UK NHS system. It has been well over a year since our last Covid booster so the next best thing is to get a flu shot.

Lynn is eligible for a free shot but mine costs me GBP14.00. I would have been glad to pay for a Covid jab but that was way too hard to organise. Makes you appreciate the Australian health system despite it having a small cost vs the NHS free system. At least we can access the health system when we need it in Australia!

Our second task today is to have three new tyres fitted to the Insignia. I was planning to have the tyres last until we sold the car in May but they are already worn down to the legal limit and we still have a month travelling around soggy Wales before our 2-month driving tour of Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy and our week with the Leggieries back in the Champagne region.

The third compulsory task today is to visit the car wash that Stuart and their eldest son, Alexander, own to have the Insignia cleaned inside and out. The car is still sporting Spanish dust from our 9 days in Montblanc and the mud from Kent.

Once the shots and the new tyres have been done I leave the car at the car wash and we all go for a drive in the countryside.

Initially we were going to walk around a lake near Sunbury-on-Thames and have a spot of lunch at the local pub but, alas, the path is flooded, the pub is closed and the area is about to be over-run by a film crew.

Plan B is to drive 45 minutes in the opposite direction to Hurley Lock which is between Henley-on-Thames and Marlow. We park in the charming village of Hurley and take the path to the Lock. Although the canal and the Thames are flooded, at least we don’t need to abort our walk.

Several dog walkers are out and about but it will be several months before the tea shop is open again.

Walking back into the village we check out the St Mary the Virgin Church. The first church was probably built c.700 AD when St. Birinus passed up the Thames. During the next 200 years the Danes may have sacked Hurley during their occupation of Reading and the battle of Danesfield. Next mention is in 894 when the Danes are reported to have “Traversed Herlei” during their march from Essex to Gloucester.

The village grew around the small Saxon church and the lands came under the control of Esgar (Asgar), the Chief Staller and Master of the Horse to Edward the Confessor in the middle of the 11th Century.

After the Conquest, William I confiscated all the lands at Hurley and gave them to his trusted supporter, Geoffrey de Mandeville, for services rendered. In 1086, at the request of Geoffrey de Mandeville’s second wife Leceline, Bishop Osmund of Old Sarum dedicated the rebuilt church at Hurley as a Benedictine Priory, a cell to Westminster Abbey.

The Domesday Book, compiled during this time, states that the village of Hurley consisted of a church together with a mill, 2 fisheries, 25 villagers, 12 cottagers and 10 slaves.

1536 saw the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII and Hurley Priory did not escape. The entire eastern end of the church and the transepts were demolished until only approximately the present day building was left.

In 1545 the estates passed to John Lovelace and much of the materials from the Old Priory were used to build the first Ladye Place Mansion. At the turn of the 17th century, Richard, 1st Baron Lovelace of Hurley, installed the bell turret and the largest bell. A major restoration took place in 1852.

From there we walk to the Olde Bell – today a stylish coaching inn with a restaurant and rooms that dates from 1135 – for a spot of lunch. Now this pub serves lunch from noon-5:00 pm – how civilised!

When we return to the house Stuart and I drive down to the car wash to collect the Insignia.

It has been a while since we had the inside of the windows cleaned and as I’m running out of ceramic car polish I also have a coating of it applied. The car now looks immaculate. I take some photos of the car so that when we come to sell it in May I have the photos ready just in case the weather is not conducive when we need it to be.

I also had the engine bay cleaned just to help the sales process. It’s also come up a treat.

Barbaran cooks us a delish chilli con carne which we have while we watch a movie on TV, then hit the sack.

13 February, 2024

It’s 9 Deg. C. and mizzling when we say farewell at 11:45 am for our 197 km drive to Cwmdu, Wales, via Tesco’s first for fuel and provisions as the weather forecast for the next few days is – rain.

Mizzle soon turns to rain and while crossing the Prince of Wales Bridge from England to Wales over the River Severn, it’s bucketing down.

We arrive around 3:00 pm and settle into our “Scenic Welsh Cottage in the Brecon Beacons”.

Not too sure about scenic as we can’t see the surrounding countryside thanks to the mist but it is definitely a cozy, 3-BR farmhouse cottage, lovingly looked after by the family since the 1950s, complete with family heirlooms.

During our drive here we noticed that there isn’t a supermarket or a pub that is open for the next two nights within a 20 minute drive so after we unpack we have to head out to look for a supermarket. My GPS says that there is a Tescos 13 km away. Little did I realise that 13km meant “as the crow flies” and due to the hills, valleys and lack of main roads the drive is 25km and takes over half an hour. Driving back to the cottage in the dark and wet is a major headache and one of the reasons that we would never live in a remote country region of the UK. Nice place to visit but WHO THE HELL WOULD LIVE HERE?.

14 February, 2024

A grey start to the day but we get glimpses of the surrounding hillsides as rain shower after rain shower pass by.

We spend the day catching up the blog and doing several loads of washing and ironing. We even have a visit from a guy from a broadband company who’s come to extend the WiFi coverage at one end of the cottage. Lynn asks him if he wants a cup of tea to which he replies in a magnificent Welsh accent: “Thanks, but can I have a glass of the Council’s pop, please.” Turns out he wanted a glass of water!

Before we know it, it’s dusk. Time for another meal in and a movie on TV. Hopefully the local pub is open tomorrow night as I have no intention of trying to drive these narrow lanes in the dark and wet again.

15 February, 2024

It’s cold and raining again today so we take the opportunity to go through our “stuff” to jettison anything that is unnecessary. I also backup our photos of the past couple of months and make a few alternative plans for when we are back in the UK in late May for selling the car.

It doesn’t help that we slept in until after 11:00 am and didn’t have breakfast until midday. It’s nice to be able to just hibernate occasionally when the weather outside is cold and wet and the countryside is absolutely quiet. Not even a bird or sheep to break the silence.

Tonight we plan to go to the local pub for dinner but when we arrive at the hotel car park there are no lights on. The publican comes out to meet us in the car park to apologise that they planned to be open but are having electrical issues, the electrician has not been able to rectify the problems so they won’t be opening tonight. She assures us that they will be open tomorrow night.

The next closest pub is the Bear Hotel in Crickhowell which is about 7 km away. I hate driving in these wet conditions when the narrow roads are busy with local traffic but we have no choice.

Luckily the food is excellent and there is good parking and a lively atmosphere in the pub. Hopefully our local is open tomorrow night.

16 February, 2024

We are out of bed slightly earlier than we were yesterday but it’s still raining outside. It looks like we will have another lazy day inside and do the little things that we have neglected these past few months.

It’s now 2:30 pm and there is a break in the weather and for the first time in Wales we can see patches of blue sky. It’s not forecast to be dry very long so I map out a driving route through the Brecon Beacons National Park for our relocation to Llanelli tomorrow. Since the ground is absolutely saturated we decide to minimise our driving on local roads and try to at least stay on A roads. Even taking a zig-zag route through the Park it’s still only a couple of hours’ drive from here to Llanelli.

Tonight we try to have dinner at the pub just down the road but again we are told that they are not serving food tonight. How hard is it to open the kitchen on a Friday night? We have to drive down to the neighbouring village. This time we stop at the Nantyffin (try to pronounce that!) Cider Mill Inn which is a few kilometres closer than the Bear Hotel. The food is not quite as good as the Bear’s but it will do on this very wet and windy night. At least we have a table by the fire.

17 February, 2024

We are out of bed early (or at least early for us) this morning as we have to check out by 10:00 am. How uncivilised on a winter’s morning! The weather is no better this morning so our drive around the National Park is in heavy rain and regular fog patches. Just getting to an A road is an effort as our GPS takes us up and over the hills behind the cottage. Luckily there are very few cars or tractors on the lanes this morning.

The country lanes even take us over a number of cattle grids and we come across a closed gate on the main road between villages. Talk about back of beyond.

As we climb higher into the National Park we find ourselves driving in thick fog. The plan was to stop at a few lookouts to get some views of the National Park. All we see are views of low cloud.

It’s Saturday morning and at every lay-by in the National Park there is barely a parking space available. These crazy Welshpeople are all out either hiking, jogging or cycling in this crazy weather that is almost too poor to even drive through.

At the highest point on the drive through the Park the sun is almost shining through the clouds. The edge of the road is an absolute bog so passing cars in the opposite direction means we have to come to a complete stop without leaving the bitumen. We even come across a small car on its roof and it appears that they drifted on to the muddy verge and slid into the ditch and rolled over.

By 2:00 pm we arrive in Llanelli and stop in at the local Tesco for supplies. We are camped in a 1970s house on a housing estate for the next 4 nights. Another AirBnB equivalent that should not be on Booking.com. Still, with this weather forecast for the next few days at least it is warm and dry inside. The original plan was to visit the local beaches and drive around the Gower Peninsula Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty but not if this weather persists. Maybe another four-day rest may be in order. At least we can watch the rugby on TV.

18 February, 2024

After breakfast there is a hint of blue sky so we take the opportunity to take a 25-minute walk each way back to Tesco to buy a few items that we missed yesterday. At least we get some exercise and fresh air.

On our return to the house Lynn finds a tea towel in a kitchen drawer featuring the Welsh alphabet. Even with this, the language makes absolutely no sense what so ever. Chinese is easier!

This afternoon we spend time putting together an itinerary for our trip back to the Champagne region in May, ready for our Skype call with our Philly friends, Becky and Jerry, on Tuesday to finalise.

19 February, 2024

Sunshine! Time to hit the road to check out the Gower Peninsula and its Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. When we were in Ireland early last year staying at the Golf Resort we met a Welshman there and he said: “If ever you get to Wales make sure you visit the Gower Peninsula. It is incredible!” So, we’ll see …

Exiting Llanelli all we see is litter along the A484 roadside and all things rugby – rugby fields, impressive rugby stadium (Parc y Scarlets) and even rugby goal posts on a roundabout. These rugby posts were used in Llanelli’s famous 9-3 victory over the touring New Zealand All Blacks in 1972. The posts, 9.6m tall and set 5.5m apart, faced an uncertain future after Llanelli’s Stradey Park, where they stood for decades, was replaced by Parc y Scarlets. Now they are the gateway to the town.

We drive over the bridge which straddles the RIver Loughor and take the B4295 along the coast through Penclawdd to Oldwalls then a small road past the Britannia Inn, onto Frog Lane.

This takes us through Llanmadoc trying to get a view of the beach. We come to a dead end. Typical of Wales, we are stopped by a caravan park that has prime real estate overlooking the beach so we backtrack to St Madoc’s Church.

St Madoc is reputed to have founded a church here in the 6th century, and the present building is 13th century.

Set in one windowsill is a lettered stone dating from the 6th century which was discovered in 1861 in the walls of the old parsonage house, and commemorates ‘Advenctus son of Guanus’. In the west wall is a crude pillar cross and a boundary marker dating from the 7th to 9th centuries, whilst the font is probably Norman.

During the 12th century the parish was controlled by the Knights Templar, before passing to the Knights Hospitaller of St John of Jerusalem, though no visible evidence now remains of this. The Revd J D Davies, a skilled woodcarver, was Rector here from 1860 to 1911. He carved the oak altar frontal and led the major restoration begun in 1865.

From here we return to Oldwalls then drive through Burry to join up with the A4118 to Port Eynon.

According to the visitswanseabay.com: “Port Eynon Bay is safe, sandy and award winning, with both a Blue Flag and a Seaside Award.” Porkies??!!

Returning along the A4118 we turn off onto Kittle Hill Lane, drive down the hill to the junction with the A4067 then turn right to drive to the Victorian seaside town of Mumbles – Mwmblwls to a Welshman!

We stop for a coffee at Verdi’s Restaurant at Knab Rock then drive past the Mumbles Pier and Ferris Wheel before we turn around and drive to the intersection with the A4216. We were planning on booking accommodation here but I’m glad we didn’t. Today’s a Monday. The place is heaving; there’s not much parking available and half the town is under scaffolding.

The A4216 takes us north up to the top of the Peninsular to rejoin the A484 to Llanelli. Our conclusion: the Gower Peninsula is not a patch on the Ring of Kerry or even the Beara Peninsula in SW Ireland.

En route we stop at the Tesco shopping centre. Yesterday, we noticed a Trespass store there with an end of season sale so we call in to see if we can find an outdoor hiking jacket for Lynn to replace her bright blue Helly Hansen sailing jacket we bought in Ireland in 2014. As luck would have it we find a navy blue replacement for Eur133 so, sadly, her HH jacket will be consigned to Vinnies.

Now, we have 2 bottles of champagne that we need to enjoy so we crack 1 of them to celebrate Lynn’s new jacket – and its participation in many more new adventures. So, any old excuse, really!

20 February, 2024

Yet another cold, dark and damp day in 1970’s Llanelli. Between rain showers we decide to walk the 25 minutes to the shopping mall to pick up a few items for dinner and see if Timpsons have a replacement watch band for Lynn’s dive watch.

The rain holds off for the entire trip so not only do we get a replacement watch band but Lynn also has her shoulder bag restitched. It cost more to repair it than it did to buy it at the market in Cordoba, Spain over a year ago but the bag works for Lynn and we are unlikely to find another at the price for a long time.

A few more stores visited and we have everything done that needed repairing or replacing. We even manage to return to the house before the rain starts again.

Tomorrow we are heading to Fishguard on the West Coast of Wales which is a short ferry ride to Ireland from the Goodwick Harbour.

Since Fishguard is only about 1.5 hours’ drive away we will take the coast roads but still try to avoid B roads due to the likely risk of local flooding.

21 February, 2024

We leave Llanelli around 11:00 am. It’s 12 Deg. C. and raining and drive a rambling route that takes us by Carmarthen, St Clears, Tenby, Pembroke, over the Daugleddau River, Newgale, Solva, Saint David’s, Trevine, Mathry, Goodwick and into Fishguard.

Travelling around we are constantly reminded we are in Wales, with the bi-lingual road signs and other reminders like Ambulance/Ambiwlans. Some Welsh words are totally unrecognisable, but some are similar to English – like when a deaf person speaks and they don’t quite get the enunciation right. And, if the pronunciation of Ll is Fl as in Llandudno, then is Ff pronounced Lf as in ffrani (frenzy)??

By 12:10 pm we arrive at the popular Victorian seaside town of Tenby with its cobbled streets, pastel-coloured houses, Tudor Merchant’s House and Museum, and harbour.

Apparently Tenby has not 1, but 4, sandy beaches and, in summer, there are daily boat trips to Skomer, Skokholm and Caldey Islands, the latter home to Cistercian monks who hand make chocolates and perfume. Today we can hardly see the harbour thanks to the rain obliterating the view. Of what we see, Tenby looks like a place worth a visit in the sunshine.

Regardless of our attempts to avoid local flooding we can’t avoid it on the A4139 between Penally and Lydstep, the other side of Tenby. Funnily enough, we drive past a sign that says: “Pond Field Glamping”!

Finally, after 2 hours of constant rain, it stops and the sun comes out. By this time we are cresting the hill overlooking the beach south of Newgale and St Brides Bay.

More local flooding is evident here at Newgale where a small lake has formed on low-lying land adjacent to the A487.

15 minutes’ later we are driving through picturesque St David’s via the pretty hamlet of Solva. St David’s is Britain’s smallest city with the largest cathedral dating back to the 12th century. It’s documented that 2 pilgrimages to St David’s equaled 1 pilgrimage to Rome.

Shortly after we are driving through Mathry, twinned with Champagne-Vigny, France – closer to Cognac than Epernay.

Here we get a glimpse of the countryside towards the coast.

The A487 takes us to Goodwick at the opposite end of the harbour to Fishguard. Here the Stena Line ferry is sailing for Rosslare, Ireland, reminding us of this harbour’s history as more than a century ago, in the midst of the race for ever-faster transatlantic travel, Fishguard achieved global fame when the Mauretania sailed in from New York.

The Cunard Steamship Company had chosen Fishguard as its first port-of-call for its Atlantic liners. In its inaugural crossing from New York to Fishguard, the Cunard ship Mauretania gained the much-coveted Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic passage time of 4 days and 14 hours.

The Daily Mail described scenes of excitement as it was first sighted on the headland on 30 August 1909: ‘her four great red funnels with their black tops were sighted round Strumble Head. Every point of vantage from the cliffs on the Goodwick side to the ruined fort on the old Fishguard side was lined with people, whose cheers crossed the dancing blue waves, borne on the brisk southerly breeze to greet the Cunarder.’

Ten local women in Welsh costume presented sprigs of white and purple heather to the passengers as they landed, flags hung from every house, local lifeboats danced on the waves and the Territorial Artillery fired a salute [Ports Past & Present].

Quite a contrast to today where there is hardly a soul about the harbour and the town thanks to the freezing cold wind.

At last we arrive at our accommodation, an 18th century stone cottage owned by an artist who is also using the cottage as a gallery of her artwork. Needless to say it has a colourful and characterful interior design, a nice change from some of the more unimaginative self-catering places we have stayed in.

However, as I find out, it’s more functional as an art gallery than as a house. But the cottage’s location is excellent, just a 5-minute walk to the local Co-op supermarket and, better still, just a 2-minute walk to what turns out to be the excellent Royal Oak pub, which becomes our ‘local’.

Now, this local pub is not your ordinary local. 227 years ago tomorrow, on 22 February 1797, four French warships sailed into Fishguard Bay with a force of 1400 soldiers led by Colonel Tate, an Irish/American veteran of the American War of Independence. They hoped to set up a base in Fishguard and recruit a revolutionary army to march on England.

However, Fishguard was well defended by a fort, the ruins of which can still be seen on the cliffs overlooking Lower Town, and when it fired its cannon (with blanks!) at the small fleet as it entered Fishguard bay, they beat a hasty retreat landing instead at Carreg Wastad near Llanwnda, a few miles down the coast from Goodwick.

Three days later the army surrendered in the Royal Oak pub on Fishguard Square and the Battle of Fishguard was over.

After some delicious pub grub we return to the cottage to watch a couple of Netflix movies, after sorting out a hitch with the heating.

22 February, 2024

It rained hard all last night but we both get a good night’s sleep. It’s freezing cold and windy outside so we plan to spend the day inside and catch up on the blog and do some laundry. I have spent most of the morning fighting with the pathetic internet. Typical of an 18th century cottage – the internet can’t penetrate the thick stone walls and the power points aren’t in accessible locations. It doesn’t help that the owner is an artist and uses the cottage as an art gallery. It’s a better art gallery layout than a functional cottage.

In desperation I move the laptop closer to the router but there is no comfortable table or desk so I try to use the couch and an unsuitable occasional table for the laptop. My back is going to be very painful by tonight.

We’re booked into the excellent Royal Oak for dinner again this evening, followed by more Netflix movies tonight.

23 February, 2024

After breakfast we head to our local – for their excellent coffee – then venture over the road to the Town Hall to view the Last Invasion Tapestry.

The story of the Battle of Fishguard in 1797 is told in an embroidered tapestry which was designed and sewn by 73 local women and at least 3 men. It’s in a similar format and shape as the Bayeux tapestry and like the Bayeux tapestry is 100 foot long. The tapestry was commissioned as a permanent legacy of the Invasion Bicentenary commemorations in 1997. It took four years to complete and is on permanent exhibition in a purpose-built gallery attached to the Library in Fishguard Town Hall.

Opposite the Town Hall is St Mary’s Church where a headstone was erected in 1897 in memory of Jemima Nicholas (1750-1832), a Welsh heroine during the 1797 Battle of Fishguard.

According to folk legend, armed with a pitchfork, Nicholas led a group of women and rounded up 12 French soldiers who had been drinking, and held them captive inside a locked church overnight. The French soldiers may have mistaken local women wearing their traditional tall black hats and long red cloaks for Grenadier Guards, and surrendered before they realised their mistake. The French surrendered shortly afterwards at the Royal Oak. She was awarded a lifetime pension for her efforts.

Although rain looks imminent, we walk down the A487 to Lower Town/Fishguard (Abergwaun) en route to the Fishguard Fort. We cross the bridge over the River Gwaun then take a left to walk up the hill. During this time there are several rain showers which test Lynn’s new jacket.

We pass by the Ship Inn made famous by the filming of Under Milkwood in 1971 as the cast and crew, notably Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole, regularly frequented this pub.

After scaling the hill we take a pathway off the main road where we get a view of the fort ruins on the point directly on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path Trail.

Fishguard Fort is an 18th-century fortification on the rocky promontory of Castle Point. In 1779 an American privateer named the Black Prince captured a local ship and demanded a ransom of £1000 from the Fishguard townsfolk. The Black Prince sailing under a French flag, and its captain Stephen Manhant, a Boston native, were commissioned by the US government to attack British targets as part of their efforts to gain independence from Britain. The Black Prince was very successful as a privateer, destroying more than 30 British ships over the course of three months.

The townsfolk of Fishguard rejected Manhant’s ransom demands who responded by bombarding the town, damaging St Mary’s Church and several houses. A local ship fired back, followed by cannon fire from the shore. Manhant decided it wasn’t worth the trouble, and the Black Prince sailed away.

To prevent similar attacks in the future, an artillery fort was built on Castle Point, at the eastern approach to the harbour. Fishguard Fort was completed in 1781, just two years after the attack.

The fort was armed with eight 9-pounder cannons. It was manned by three invalided gunners from Woolwich, London. The fort later became the headquarters for the local militia, known as the ‘Fishguard Fencibles’.

The Last Invasion was the only action that the fort ever faced. The fort continued to be manned until the early 19th century, but was then allowed to decay. However, it came back into use during WWII when searchlights and Lewis machine guns defended Fishguard Port against German seaplanes.

We retrace our steps and have a good view of the entry of the River Gwaun into the harbour, Lower Fishguard and its Quay Street where parts of Under Milkwood were filmed in 1971.

Not that we are creatures of habit or anything, but we are looking forward to more delicious tucker at our ‘local’ tonight.

24 February, 2024

As usual it is a cold, wet and windy day so the plan today is to watch the 6 Nations Rugby on TV at the pub. We were told to be at the pub by about 1:00 pm to get a good seat. However when we arrive the place is heaving and seating is impossible so we head back home to watch the game on our TV.

After a half hour of trying to access live TV (based on the instructions provided by the cottage owner) we have to phone the owner to come and sort the TV.

After a lot of trial and mostly error we manage to get the game live on the Welsh BBC channel which means that the commentary is in Welsh. At least we can watch the game.

First up is Wales vs Ireland which Ireland wins quite easily 31-7. Perhaps just as well we didn’t go to the pub – no doubt lots of glum faces. We change to the UK BBC channel to watch England vs Scotland for the second game of the afternoon – 30-21 to England.

25 February, 2024

It will take us just over 2 hours to arrive at our next accommodation at Llawryglyn so we decide to make a couple of stops along the way.

We leave at 10:15 am and a chilly 8 Deg. C. 20 minutes’ drive away is our first stop, the archaeological site known as Pentre Ifan – a Neolithic burial chamber. Today it is a dolmen, the bare bones of a burial chamber that would originally have been covered with an earthen mound. The giant 5m ‘capstone’ appears to be precariously balanced on three ‘uprights’, though it has remained in place for over 5,000 years.

Pentre Ifan’s outline neatly frames the Preseli Hills towering above, the source of the famous Pembrokeshire ‘bluestones’ that went into the making of Stonehenge as well as Pentre Ifan itself.

To rejoin the A487 the GPS takes us on an exit road, only to be confronted by a ford. Given the amount of rain that has fallen recently, thank goodness the water is less than a foot deep.

Our next stop are the Aberystwyth Castle ruins. The castle was built in response to the First Welsh War in the late 13th century, replacing an earlier fortress located a mile to the south. During a national uprising by Owain Glyndŵr, the Welsh captured the castle in 1404, but it was recaptured by the English four years later. In 1637 it became a Royal mint by Charles I, and produced silver shillings. The castle was slighted by Oliver Cromwell in 1649.

The inner ward was built in a diamond-shaped concentric castle, with a twin D-shaped gatehouse keep and mural towers at each corner. The outer ward is described as consisting of a “twin D-shaped gatehouse, a barbican, a rock-cut ditch and a large curtain wall with towers”.

After shopping for supplies at Morrisons we take the A44 across country through a pretty river valley with pine forest-clad hills rising either side.

After we join the A470 it takes us to Llanidloes where we take the B4569 to Trefeglwys. Turning left at the centre of the village on the road to Llawryglyn we drive another 5 minutes and arrive at the cottage at about 2:30 pm. We are surrounded by sheep-dotted steep, green hills that drop into a stream.

Fortunately the cottage is nice and warm. It seems to be a former family cottage that was turned into a holiday rental some 15 years ago without alteration or de-cluttering.

Original furniture and furnishings and typical of old, rural cottages, cobwebs, dust, low doorways and ceilings and narrow stairs!

26 February, 2024

Thanks to a skylight in the bedroom we are woken by brilliant sunshine. Venturing outside the cottage we are greeted by freezing cold air and all we can hear is the breeze in the trees and the sound of fast, flowing water from the Afon (River) Trannon below.

Our cottage garden has loads of spring flowers coming into bloom: cherry blossom trees, daffodils, jonquils, crocuses, snow drops and primulas.

To make the most of the sunshine we take the B4569 through Caersws to Newtown which turns out to be a disappointing sprawling town with few charming Victorian buildings.

As we approach the cottage on our return we decide to continue on this road to the hamlet of Llawryglyn then on back roads to the B4518 for a view of the Clywedog Reservoir.

Turning north then east on more back roads we rejoin the road back to our cottage.

Our local pub, The Red Lion, in Trefeglwys won’t be open for dinner until Wednesday evening, so we’ll dine in again tonight. Probably just as well as it’s forecast to be -1 Deg C tonight.

27 February, 2024

As today’s forecast is for 9 Deg. C. and 36% chance of rain we decide to go for a bit of a drive so we drive south for 45 minutes to the Victorian spa town of Llandrindod Wells, or ‘Landod’ or ‘Dod’ as it’s known to locals.

The ‘healing qualities’ of the local spring waters, first enjoyed by the Romans, attracted visitors to the area in large numbers during the mid 18th century.

As a result, the town enjoyed an economic boom and a number of hotels were built.

During the ‘season’ between May and mid-September, visitors to Llandrindod would take the waters at the pump rooms at the Rock Park and Pump House Hotel entertained by orchestras, and in its heyday the resort enjoyed a vast array of activities ranging from golf to horse racing.

Most of the town’s architecture dates from the boom periods of the Victorian and Edwardian eras when ornate hotels and shops were built, including the Metropole and the Glen Usk hotels and the Albert Hall theatre.

The town attractions include an 18 hole golf course, (originally 9 holes built in 1893), 3 international standard outdoor bowling greens dating from 1912 which regularly host national and international events and is a regular venue for the start/finish of many annual National Car, Bike and Cycle rallies. [Visit Mid Wales]

However, on this cold (now 7 Deg. C.), dull and drizzling day it’s not a patch on Buxton, another Victorian spa town, in Derbyshire.

On our route back to the cottage we drive via the Elan Valley, 70 sq. miles of hills, woodlands and lakes within the rugged Cambrian mountains.

The Elan Valley Reservoirs are a chain of man-made lakes created from damming the Elan and Claerwen rivers within the Elan Valley. The dams, reservoirs and 73-mile aqueduct were built a hundred years ago to supply desperately needed clean water to Birmingham. It was an epic feat of civil engineering set within an area of outstanding scenic beauty.

There are four dams on the river Elan; from the lowest Caban Coch, to Garreg Dju, Peny Garreg and the highest, Craig Goch.

Caban Coch Dam is the simplest and most functional in appearance of all the dams, resembling a natural waterfall when the reservoir is full.

It’s such an impressive sight, driving to the top of the wall, as illustrated by its statistics. Height: 37m. Length: 186m. Area: 220ha. Volume: 35,530 megalitres (ML – 1 million litres).

Continuing along the winding road, the next dam is Garreg Ddu which serves a dual role. It is a low, completely submerged dam which plays a vital role in maintaining a constant supply of water to Birmingham.

It also supports masonry pillars carrying the access roadway to the neighbouring valley of the River Claerwen.

Pen y Garreg is the third dam up the Elan Valley, often referred to as the ‘middle dam.’ Height: 37m. Length: 161m. Area: 50ha. Volume: 6,055ML.

Finally, Craig Goch Dam, the highest upstream of the series of dams and is often referred to as the ‘top dam.’ As with all the dams, work started with the arrival of the railway line at the site. With this dam the line had the furthest to go and a rocky outcrop had to be blasted and dug through on the route to the site, now known as ‘Devil’s Gulch.’

Work on excavating the foundations for a secure base for the structure started in July 1897, some three years after the start of work on the lowest dam at Caban Coch.

Craig Goch is seen by many as the most attractive of the dams, with an elegantly curved retaining wall and a series of arches carrying a narrow roadway across the top of the dam.

It has a domed valve tower and the structure is typical of the ‘Birmingham Baroque’ style of much of the waterworks scheme. Height: 36m. Length: 156m. Area: 88ha. Volume: 9200ML. [Cwm Eden Valley].

The GPS then takes us to the village of Rhayader on the A470 via the mountain road.

It’s only as we approach the cottage around 4:00 pm that the rain, that has been falling since we left, actually stops – 36% probability my foot!

28 February, 2024

Another cold and wet day – perfect for catching up the blog and getting organised for our departure tomorrow.

This evening our “local”, the Red Lion, is serving food from 5:00 pm. En route I drop Lynn off at the road junction in Trefeglwys village for a photo of the village church while I park the car at the pub.

Sitting in the middle of the village and looking out over the surrounding countryside is St Michael’s church, a local landmark. It was originally founded by Bledrws in the 12th century, and the building has been adapted and refurbished over the years since then. The present building dates only from the 1863-5 refurbishment. Its unusual square, timbered bell turret consists of four louvred apertures and houses its 15th century bell.

The pub is empty when we arrive just after 5:00 pm, only the 3 staff and the chef, who we share a joke with, but soon the local men drift in to sit at the bar with their pints and to have a natter.

By the time we leave an hour later all the bar seats are taken. Apparently the pub is under new management and there are signs that it will do well – good food and heavy, local patronage. After all, the locals would have to drive 10 minutes in either direction for a pint if this pub shut down.

29 February, 2024

As we need to check out by 10:00 am and can’t check in until 3:30 pm we have some 5 hours to kill so I plan another circuitous route. It’s 8 Deg. C. when we depart and for once – no rain!

When we get to nearby Caersws we take the A470 NW to meet the A489 then SW, driving through the town of Machynlleth with its distinctive clock tower which was built by the town’s residents to celebrate the coming of age of the eldest son of the Fifth Marquess of Londonderry – Charles Stewart Vane-Tempest (Viscount Castlereagh) – in 1873.

A competition to design the clock tower attracted 30 to 40 entries. The winner was architect Henry Kennedy, of Bangor. His design was built by Edward Edwards, a local builder. It was made mostly of stone from Tremadog, near Porthmadog, complemented by red sandstone from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The tower stands 24 metres high, to the base of the weathervane.

The clock tower became a meeting point for temperance (anti-drunkenness) campaigners. Hundreds of people gathered here in 1907 to greet General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, who paused for five minutes while on his way to Aberystwyth. [historypoints.org].

Here we turn north to take the A493 SW to the coast but find that the road is – CLOSED! With no diversion signs we continue north until we can turn left on to the B4405 past the lake, Llyn Mwyngil, on a parallel route to the coast.

Just as we make the turn we are startled by the sight of a large, military cargo plane heading straight for us at low altitude before it continues its lumbering way up a nearby valley.

This route takes us down the pretty valley of Afon Dysmynni with its astonishingly green pastures – greener than Irish green!

We join our intended A493 on the coast and follow it up past Fairbourne until we join the A470 near Llanelltyd then the A487 to Portmadog. Here we drive through a town with 16 letters in its name – Penrhyndeudraeth – that’s over half the letters in the (English) alphabet!

Originally we were going to visit the picturesque village of Portmeirion, which is near Porthmadog, but it would have cost us GBP20 for the privilege.

As Lynn had already spent a week living in the village one Christmas including dining at the Hotel Portmeirion for Christmas lunch, I declined the suggestion to visit for myself.

To enter Porthmadog we drive across The Cob sea wall, the building of which was the idea of William Alexander Madocks (1773-1828). Madocks built the town of Porthmadog (Port Madoc originally). Before The Cob people had to employ experienced guides to cross the sands safely, and a boat had to be used at high tide. Work began in 1805 and it was opened officially in 1811. [People’s Collection Wales].

After stocking up on supplies and fuel at Tesco we drive past Criccieth and its castle to the Promenade and beach at Pwllheli.

We still have 2 hours to kill so we drive across the peninsula and cross the Menai Suspension Bridge to the pretty town of Beaumaris on the island of Anglesey.

Our intention is to spend some time visiting Beaumaris Castle but with nearby parking costing GBP6 on top of the castle entrance fee of GBP18, I stay with the car while Lynn jumps out and takes some photos.

The Castle was built as part of Edward I’s campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Work began in 1295 following the Madog ap Llywelyn uprising. Edward’s invasion of Scotland soon diverted funding from the project and work stopped, recommencing after an invasion scare in 1306. When work finally ceased around 1330 a total of £15,000 had been spent, a huge sum for the period, but the castle remained incomplete.

In 1403 the Castle was taken by Welsh forces during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr, but recaptured by royal forces in 1405. In March 1592, the Welsh Roman Catholic priest and martyr William Davies was imprisoned here and was eventually hanged, drawn and quartered a year later.

Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1646 when it surrendered to the Parliamentary armies. Despite forming part of a local royalist rebellion in 1648, the castle escaped slighting and was garrisoned by Parliament, but fell into ruin around 1660, eventually forming part of a stately home and park in the 19th century. In the 21st century, the ruined castle is still a tourist attraction.

UNESCO considers Beaumaris to be one of “the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe”. The fortification is built of local stone, with a moated outer ward guarded by 12 towers and 2 gatehouses, overlooked by an inner ward with 2 large, D-shaped gatehouses and 6 massive towers. The south gate could be reached by ship, allowing the castle to be directly supplied by sea. Today, this access is blocked by houses and a large car park.

Time to head to our accommodation so we cross the impressive Menai Suspension Bridge once again, which is undergoing repairs.

In 1819, civil engineer Thomas Telford began working on ambitious improvements to the journey between London and the port of Holyhead for vessels to Ireland. Recognising the danger to travelers that crossing the Menai Straits involved, Telford designed a groundbreaking piece of civil engineering – the Menai Bridge.

Completed on 30 January 1826, the Menai Bridge was the biggest suspension bridge in the world at the time. Sixteen huge chains held up 579 feet of deck, allowing 100 feet of clear space beneath. This allowed tall sailing ships navigating the seaway to pass underneath, whilst spanning the Straits at its narrowest point.

The Menai Bridge not only made Telford’s reputation as a civil engineer, together with his road improvements, it also dramatically reduced the time and danger it took to travel from London to Holyhead – the journey time was cut 36 hours to 27. [Menai Heritage].

By 3:30 pm we arrive at Graianog Farm, a working sheep farm, which is off the A487 between Llanllyfni and Pant Glas – and it is freezing. Apparently the farm is really busy this time of year thanks to lambing. That makes for hardy lambs and hardy farmers. Our host greets us wearing what can only be described as foul weather gear that trawler men wear – the antidote to Welsh wind and rain he tells us.

We move into the stone farmhouse conversion next to the main farm house and settle in for the evening.

1 March, 2024

4 Deg. C. is the forecast maximum today with an overnight of -1. And, as predicted, around 10:00 am it starts to sleet with flurries of snow for an hour or so.

We’re booked into The Goat Inn – Tafarn Yr Afr – at Glandwyfach, about 6 minutes’ drive away for dinner. The sun is starting to break through around 4:00 pm so by 5:15 pm we decide to head to the pub early for a pre-dinner drink and to ensure we drive at least one way on the narrow lane in the daylight.

It’s lucky that we leave early as the road (more like a driveway) is not registered on our GPS. The lane is narrow and potholed but not much worse than the longer alternative. It’s a very chilly 3 Deg. C. outside and there is snow on all the hill tops either side of the valley.

The Goat Inn car park is nearly full as we arrive at around 5:30 pm. For a country pub this one seems more like a 4 star restaurant. It is warm and cozy inside and since they have a gin specialty Lynn orders a Hendricks and I order a Morretti Berra while we interrogate the menu. The food is quite reasonable quality and similarly priced. It must be the best pub in the area as it is booked out tonight including a party in the adjoining room.

Our drive back to the cottage is slow and careful in the very cold and dark night. No street lamps on this route!

2 March, 2024

The cold weather is very conducive to a late sleep-in and since we plan to have a quiet day in we don’t finish breakfast until nearly midday. Lynn books us on GuruWalks for Heidelberg, Turin, Tallinn, Riga, Kaunas and Vilnius.

At least there are patches of blue sky today but I’m starting to be very over the cold and wet of not-so-sunny Wales.

Ha! Just read that Wales has had its warmest February since records began in 1884. Hate to be here for its coldest!!

3 March, 2024

A sunny but chilly catch-up day where Lynn finalises arrangements for our week in London between meeting up with some more of her friends and finishing off our ancestry research.

4 March, 2024

Check-out time is 10:00 am, so after a farewell chat with our host, Guto, we take the A487/A55/A470 to LLandudno.

We are about 3 km from Llandudno when the highway comes to a complete stop. There is no indication of the problem and no escape off the highway. We sat for about 20 minutes in the line of traffic before it started to move again. Along the way there were no signs of what caused the delay. Just another road closure without any proper traffic management. Typical of European thoughtlessness.

Llandudno is the largest seaside resort in Wales located in Conwy County Borough. The town’s name means “Church of Saint Tudno”.

The town developed from Stone, Bronze and Iron Age settlements over many hundreds of years on the slopes of the limestone headland, known to seafarers as the Great Orme (207m) and to landsmen as the Creuddyn Peninsula which juts into the Irish Sea. Its origins in recorded history are with the Manor of Gogarth conveyed by King Edward I to Annan, Bishop of Bangor in 1284.

Mostly owned by Mostyn Estates, the Great Orme is home to several large herds of wild Kashmiri goats originally descended from a pair presented by the Shah of Persia to Queen Victoria and subsequently given to Lord Mostyn.

In 1848, Owen Williams, an architect and surveyor from Liverpool, presented Lord Mostyn with plans to develop the marshlands behind Llandudno Bay as a holiday resort. These were enthusiastically pursued by Lord Mostyn.

The waterfront buildings have changed very little since the Victorian Era.

The influence of the Mostyn Estate and its agents over the years was paramount in the development of Llandudno, especially after the appointment of George Felton as surveyor and architect in 1857 with much of central Llandudno developed under Felton’s supervision between 1857 and 1877.

The Llandudno Pier is on the North Shore. Built in 1877, it’s a Grade II listed building.

The pier was extended in 1884 in a landward direction along the side of what was the Baths Hotel where the Grand Hotel now stands.

The West Shore is a quiet beach on the estuary of the River Conwy. It was here at Pen Morfa that Alice Liddell (of Alice in Wonderland fame) spent the long summer holidays of her childhood.

That explains the number of Alice in Wonderland character sculptures that dot the town.

For most of the length of Llandudno’s North Shore there is a wide curving Victorian promenade.

The road, collectively known as The Parade, has a different name for each block and it is on these parades and crescents that many of Llandudno’s hotels are built.

Elisabeth of Wied, the Queen Consort of Romania and also known as writer Carmen Sylva, stayed in Llandudno for five weeks in 1890.

On leaving, she described Wales as “a beautiful haven of peace”. Translated into Welsh as “hardd, hafan, hedd”, it became the town’s official motto.

Running behind the promenade is Mostyn Street leading to Mostyn Broadway and Mostyn Avenue.

These are the main shopping streets of Llandudno with Mostyn Street lined with high street shops with pavement verandahs, major banks and building societies, two churches, amusement arcades and the town’s public library.

A little known fact is that Australia’s 7th Prime Minister, Billy Hughes, attended school in Llandudno.

After a stop a Llandudno Junction’s Tesco for provisions and fuel we go to join the A55 for a short distance to get on to the A470 south only to find that it is – CLOSED! Fortunately the A547 does the same thing so soon we are on the right road and arrive at the town of Llanrwst and our accommodation, The Coach House, about 20 minutes later.

While unpacking our very pleasant hosts arrive (their office is in the stone cottage next door) to introduce themselves and to check that we have everything.

5 March, 2024

Today’s forecast is for 10 Deg. C. and 10% chance of rain so we decide to get out the door for one of the scenic drives we had planned on taking during this stay. 2 seconds out the gate it starts to rain.

As we are driving through the charming village of Bets-y-Coed, gateway to Snowdonia National Park, we stop at a Trespass outdoor shop and buy Lynn a new pair of winter trousers for half price as her other pair are beginning to disintegrate after constant wash and wear since their purchase in December 2022.

From here we take the A5 to Capel Curig then the A4086 past Llynau Mymbyr lake which has a smattering of snow on the opposite hilltop.

Further on we take the A498 fork which passes by Llyn Gwynant.

We stop at a view point above Llyn Gwynant at which time it starts to rain heavily. I think we’ve passed the 10% chance of rain point.

The road continues past the next lake, Llyn Dinas, until we arrive at the village of Beddgelert.

By now it’s 12:30 pm and still raining so we find a cafe for a hot beverage. Unfortunately, it seems to be the ‘only cafe in the village’ so it attracts a number of rain-bedraggled walkers who choose to bring their pooches indoors, too. It’s like dining in a kennel with snarling, barking, whining, drooling, sneezing and shedding dogs!

Let’s hope that Australia doesn’t fall into the trap of allowing dogs into eating establishments.

Needless to say we make a quick exit after there are 4 dogs occupying the confined space and retrace our route to Llanwrst.

By the time we return to the viewpoint overlooking Llyn Gwynant once again it has stopped raining. In front of us is a clearer view of the opposite side of the valley at the top end of the lake.

In the opposite direction to the lake there is now a clear view of drifting cloud in front of a snow-capped peak.

Tonight we have a Skype call with our Philly friends, Becky and Jerry, to finalise our trip to the Champagne region with them in May.

6 March, 2024

Sunshine and the promise of 11 Deg. C. and a 5% chance of rain convinces us to scoot out the door and drive the 32 minutes to the Llanberis Lake Railway depot at Gilfach Ddu in order to get a good view of Mt Snowdon.

To a certain extent we retrace our route from yesterday along the A5 to Capel Curig.

But then we take the A4086 through the Llanberis Pass.

Then onto Nant Peris, past Llyn Peris, the 13th century Dolbadarn Castle, skirt Llanberis, cross the Afon y Bala to arrive in the car park that serves both the Railway depot and the National Slate Museum at around 11:50 am.

The small steam engine will take us on a 5-mile, 1 hour, return journey alongside Lake Padarn, in the heart of Snowdonia, hauled by one of Railway’s restored vintage steam engines rescued from the nearby Dinorwic slate quarries.

The train departs at 12:15 pm but first drives to the nearby station at Llanberis to deposit and collect passengers, then the small engine skips to the front again to take us on our journey.

From Llanberis the train runs non-stop through the Padarn Country Park passing the former Dinorwic slate quarries and workshops at Gilfach Ddu station.

It joins the 1845 slate railway route to run along the shores of Lake Padarn to Penllyn.

Along the lake and at Penllyn we have great views of Snowdon, the highest peak in England and Wales.

There’s a short stop at Cei Llydan on the return journey and we alight at Gilfach Ddu where we visit the National Slate Museum.

At its peak in the 19th century, Dinorwig was the second-largest slate quarry in the world. In the mornings, thousands of men in flat caps hiked up the zig-zag path to the quarry huts which perch high on Elidir’s mountainside, their clogs clacking on slate waste. Once, slate carved from the quarries here in North Wales was sent all around the world, literally roofing the Industrial Revolution.

Located in the Victorian workshops that were built in the shadow of Elidir mountain on the site of the vast Dinorwig quarry is now the Museum.

Its workshops and buildings are designed as though quarrymen and engineers have just put down their tools and left the courtyard for home.

The Dinorwig Workshops were built in 1870 and serviced all the needs of the quarry. Over 100 men were employed here with skills to make the operation self-sufficient.

Wood from local trees was lifted in by crane to make trucks, sleepers and engines for slate tansport. In the smithy and foundry, men built and repaired machinery.

Pattern makers crafted hugh wooden pattern templates for cast metal machine parts.

The giant water wheel provided power. Today it’s the largest working waterwheel on mainland Britain – 15.4m in diameter, 1.5m wide and built around a 0.3m axle it was constructed in 1870 by De Winton of Caernarfon.

The original was replaced in 1925 by a Pelton turbine, still in use, but remarkably the water wheel was not scrapped. Restored to full working order in 1982 it’s powered by water from the opposite side of the valley, carried by a 0.6m diameter cast iron pipeline. Water is gravity fed onto the wheel without the need for pumping.

At its height, Dinorwig Quarry employed 3,000 men. By this time the landowner (Assheton) had built Port Dinorwig at the nearest coast, he’d built a steam railway to transport the slate there, and he’d also built a grand workshop and state-of-the-art quarry hospital.

As we exit the Museum around 3:00 pm the air is getting chilly. We stop in at the Snowdon Mountain steam railway office but are advised that the train up Mount Snowdon won’t be running until 23 March.

Driving back along Lake Llyn Peris we can see the extent of the Dinorwig Quarries on the opposite side where the mountain’s slate bones are exposed in a series of square-cut quarried galleries that reach almost to its summit. Names like Australia, Tasmania, The Mills, Serengeti, Wellington, Hefod Owen and even Mordor!

Alarmingly, for every ton of slate produced, 20 tons of waste material was dumped.

Back home we treat ourselves to a warming cuppa and a slice of buttered bara brith.

7 March, 2024

Today’s forecast is for 8 Deg. C. and rain so we opt for a day in to catch up. Late afternoon we walk around Betws-y-coed and have dinner at The Stables – another dog-loving restaurant!

As tomorrow’s forecast is for 9% rain and 9 Deg. C. we plan to drive the northern coast of Wales through Colwyn Bay to Rhyl.

8 March, 2024

At 11:50 am it’s cloudy and 8 Deg. C. when we hit the A548 and drive to the Point of Ayr which is at the NE tip of Wales.

Past Abergele at Towyn where the A548 runs parallel to the beach we see depressing caravan park after caravan park lining the road. What a tawdry part of Wales.

Who in their right mind would want to holiday here? It would be exchanging one housing estate for another!

We stop on West Parade at Rhyl to check out the views. Firstly straight out to sea where the river mouth empties into the Irish Sea.

And a view of the beach front looking NE up West Parade.

Driving through Rhyl we come across 2 features: its Skytower and …

… its town clock.

At the Clock Tower roundabout West Parade becomes East Parade and finally Marine Parade. The beach view is pretty much the same – boring mud flats (with a hint of sand) and dirty miniture waves.

When we get to the Point of Ayr there is nil view of the beach from the levy path as it’s obscured by a vast swathe of grassland. Our advice: give this part of Wales a miss. That’s 3 hours of our life we’ll never get back!

Around 4:00 pm we drive into Betws-y-coed for dinner. I manage to find an eatery that doesn’t cater to bloody dogs – the Hangin’ Pizzeria – which is near the railway station.

The Pizzeria is a delight: serving food Midday til 8 pm, quirky industrial decor, well organised and laid out, clean, varied drinks and pizza menu at reasonable prices, excellent service by a young staff and delicious 12″ pizzas.

Why can’t all UK eateries be this good??

9 March, 2024

It’s dull and raining when we emerge this morning and rain is also forecast for all day tomorrow. We were contemplating circumnavigating Anglesey today but thanks to poor visibility there is no point. During the afternoon I stumble across the thrilling England v Ireland (23-22) 6 Nations Rugby match on TV which England wins by 1 point thanks to a quick field goal in the dying seconds of the game. Unfortunately we miss the earlier game between Italy v Scotland which Italy surprisingly wins 31-29.

10 March, 2024

Today we’ll do a final load of laundry, tie up some loose ends with our future bookings and watch the Wales v France rugby match. Although holding their own in the first half, Wales fades and France wins 45-24. We also have a catch up Skype call this evening with our friends Larry and Joan who now live on Vancouver Island.

11 March, 2024

Another dull and damp day which we’ll spend packing up and getting organised for our trip to Ludlow, Shropshire, tomorrow.

We have four days in Ludlow and four more days in the Cotswolds before spending a week in London catching up with some of Lynn’s friends and finalising the last of our Ancestry research. Then it is back across the Channel to complete our last couple of months traveling around the parts of France, Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland that will complete our bucket list locations.