Featured Photo: Trefriw, Snowdonia National Park

It’s that time of year again, the time when city living loses its allure and I begin to long for the great outdoors. This photo was taken near Fairy Glen in Trefriw, Snowdonia National Park two years ago. Snowdonia National Park is an area of incredible beauty, tucked away in the north-west corner of Wales. With hills and valleys, waterfalls and gorgeous, forests and wide open plains, Snowdonia is a perfect destinations for fans of walking, hiking, climbing and canoeing.

Thankfully I won’t have to wait too long before my next encounter with nature. We’re heading off to Polperro in Cornwall on Saturday morning. I’m eternally hopeful that we’ll have good weather although I learned from our previous June trips to Wales and Cumbria that it is best to expect rain and chilly weather. Is it any wonder that we are obsessed with the weather on this tiny island?

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A Guide to Road Tripping in Britain

A short while ago, I wrote about rail travel in Britain and how travelling by train is my favourite mode of travel.  I guess I made it seem like travelling by car is less than ideal but there are two important aspects of car travel that absolutely trump rail travel: time and freedom. 

When you go on road trips, you have the time to lie in bed a little bit late one morning and there is no reason why you can’t spend that little while longer in a coffee shop or museum.  You have the freedom to choose the scenic route, you can stop to admire breathtaking scenery and you have significantly less chance of being thrown out of a moving carriage for singing at the top of your voice.

Road trips are about much more than just traveling between two points, they are about the journey, and road trips are as much fun to plan as they are to experience.  Many of the recent trips we’ve taken have been to specific destinations for example, Snowdonia in Wales and Windermere in Cumbria but I’d like to tell you about some of the best road trips I’ve undertaken in Britain and one that I have begun to plan.

England’s Ancient Heritage

London – Stonehenge – Bristol – Bath – Oxford – London

Our first road trip took us through thousands of years of English history from the ancient standing stones of Stonehenge to the remains of the Roman baths in Bath and finally on to Oxford.  This road trip took us two nights / three days but it would be really easy to add on another day or two if you wanted to extend your trip further west.

Our first stop was Stonehenge.  Unless you’re there for the summer or winter solstice celebrations, there isn’t much point in hanging about more than an hour or so and so we headed off to spend the night in Bristol.

-> Detour: At this point it would be really easy to head north to Gloucestershire where you could spend the next day exploring the Forest of Dean and old town Gloucester. Alternatively, you could head further west and spend a day in Cardiff.

Early the next morning, we drove to Bath where we spent the day exploring the old town and the fabulous Roman Baths.  After Bath, we drove on to Oxford and spent the next day on a walking tour of the old colleges before returning home again that evening.

Northern History and Intrigue

London – Warwick – Liverpool – Manchester – York – St Albans - London

On our second English road trip, we stuck to our historic theme but this time delved into the more modern histories of Liverpool and Manchester, contrasted with the medieval histories of Warwick and York.  This road trip was slightly longer at four nights / five days. 

Leaving from London, we spent our first day in Warwick exploring the fabulous exhibits at Warwick Castle.  We then drove up to Liverpool, where we spent the night, and we spent the next day exploring the Pier Head, Albert Dock and tracing the Beatles’ footsteps. 

-> Detour: If you’d like to add an extra day into your itinerary, it would be a good idea at this point to head off to the fabulous walled city of Chester or you can also spent a day in Blackpool, a seaside resort town which I love but which most people say is a bit gaudy.

Our next destination was Manchester, the home of Manchester United, where we spent the night.  We spent the next day and night taking advantage of Manchester’s great shopping opportunities and fabulous pubs, with a quick visit to Old Trafford. 

Bright and early the next morning, we headed off to York where we discovered York Minster, the Shambles, Clifford’s Tower and the York Castle Museum.  The next morning we headed home to London but made sure we stopped off at the Roman Ruins in St Albans on the way.

Breathtaking Vistas in the Scotland Lowlands

Edinburgh – Crieff – Aberfeldy – Pitlochry – Perth - Edinburgh

We spent a week in the Scottish Lowlands in 2010 and took several day trips from our base in Loch Monzievaird.  I was absolutely enchanted by Scotland and was especially taken with the buildings in their creepy, Scottish Baronial style.

This trip wouldn’t have been possible without a car though, so I am going to suggest a four night / five day road trip of the area (with a bonus photo!)

On the first day, arrive in Edinburgh and spend the day exploring Edinburgh Castle, the Old Town and Princes Street Gardens.  From Edinburgh, drive to the market town of Crieff and spend the next morning exploring the old town, Drummond Castle and Gardens and The Famous Grouse Experience.

Drive up to Aberfeldy where you’ll spend your second night.  The next morning, you can explore the old town, visit the Watermill bookshop and check to see how the rebuilding works are going at the Art Deco cinema The Birks. 

After lunch, you’ll then head off to Pitlochry, the home of Heathergems and Pitlochry Festival Theatre, where you’ll spend your third night.  Pitlochry is especially popular among walkers and hikers so do keep that in mind if you arrive in season. It might be worth spending an extra night in Pithlochry if that interests you.

The next morning, you’ll drive down to Perth where you’ll visit Lochleven Castle and The Scottish Deer Centre.  You’ll spend your final evening in Perth before returning to Edinburgh the next morning.

A Short Tour of East Anglia

London – Bury St Edmunds – Norwich – Cambridge – London

Once again, we spent a week in Swilland Mill when we took our tour of East Anglia last December, but our adventures wouldn’t have been possible without a car.  I’m going to suggest a short three day / two night road trip.

From London, drive up to Bury St Edmunds where you’ll spend the day exploring the ruins of the Abbey of St Edmund and the present day St Edmundsbury Cathedral.  Spend the night in town, or perhaps drive through to one of the seaside towns of Aldeburgh, Southwold or Lowestoft. 

Spend your second day in Norwich and be sure to check out Norwich Castle, the Royal Arcade, the market and the Church of St Peter Mancroft.  Norwich really comes alive at night, so I’d definitely recommend you spend your second night in or near to the city.

You’ll return to London the next morning but do be sure to stop by the ancient university town of Cambridge on your way back.  Take a long stroll around the colleges and down the canals and perhaps even indulge in a boat ride if weather permits. 

From Train Windows to Reality

London – Lincoln – Whitby – Newcastle – York – Nottingham – London

I’m pretty good at turning road trip plans into reality but there is one road trip I’ve been planning since 2010 which is still but a dream.  The problem is that there is so much to see and so far to travel and while I’d like to think this is possible in five days / four nights, that might prove to be too tiring.  This is a rough idea of the next road trip that I am planning:

On the first day, travel up to Lincoln where you can admire Lincoln Cathedral and also explore some of the abbeys and monasteries lying in ruin since the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Travel up to Whitby the next day where you can explore one of the most famous ruins of all, Whitby Abbey.  Be sure to stop off in town for some famous fish and chips too or indulge in some Gothic or Bram Stoker-themed adventures.

The third day would be spent in Newcastle, a town I have wanted to visit ever since passing through there on a train.  The fourth day would be spent in York, exploring some of the Viking activities that we missed during our first visit and the last day would be spent following in Robin Hood’s footsteps in Nottingham.

What do you think? Too ambitious?

I hope that you find these road trips useful in planning your own around Britain. Personally, I can’t get enough of the history, architecture and countryside on this island.  Finally, I bring you some valuable tips if you are considering taking a road trip.

Five Tips for Road Tripping in Britain

Plan ahead but take it easy. Do plan your trips in advance to ensure that you make the most of your routes and don’t miss out on any attractions.  Conversely, don’t be afraid to stop off somewhere unexpected or to take it a little easier if you’re beginning to feel fatigued.

No room at the inn. Britain is not like the continent and you might run into trouble if you don’t book your rooms ahead.  Not only that, but you can lose out on some fantastic online or advance deals if you book ahead. We alternate between cosy country inns and the unbeatable £29 deal from Premier Inn.

Definitely learn the rules of the road. South Africans, New Zealanders and Australians can drive on their existing license for up to a year, whereupon they can exchange it for a British license.  The problem is that the rules of the road can be pretty different.  For example, speed limits are really clearly marked on all roads in South Africa but in the UK, you’re expected to remember what the standard speed limit is on a country road, a dual carriage way or the highway. Really, learn the rules of the road before you get behind the wheel!

You really don’t need to own a car. It is really easy to hire a car in the UK and it doesn’t have to be expensive either.  We’ve used Enterprise before when we’ve travelled to Liverpool and we also hire a van from them every time we move house. It is at least four of us on our road trips so the cost of car hire is far less expensive than individual train tickets for those journeys.

Satellite navigation is your best friend. I can’t stress this last point enough. In addition to the road trips listed above, we’ve visited Wales, Cumbria, Isle of Wight and even France, and we’ve also undertaken countless journeys to visit family in Liverpool and Manchester. We use a Tom Tom and we ensure that we update it before each journey and we also subscribe to live traffic updates. Beg, borrow or steal a SatNav if you have to, even use your smart phone or Google Maps, but don’t try navigate a journey in Britain without these modern conveniences!

Do you have any road trip ideas? Be sure to share them below so that other people can follow your routes.

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Castle-Hopping in Caernarfon, Wales

There is no denying that I’m a bad blogger.  Sometimes I let life get it the way of writing new posts and at other times I get distracted by new trips and neglect to finish blogging about old ones.

Every now and again, it is neither life nor distraction that prevents me from blogging, it is something else.  When we went to Caernarfon Castle in Wales last June, it was a cold, wet and gloomy day.  I was really disappointed by the weather, especially seeing that the sun is my Automatic Photographic Enhancer™.  So needless to say, I wasn’t too pleased at the time with how my photos came out.

During our trip to Windermere in June this year, I learned to appreciate dull weather, to embrace the clouds and gloominess.  You kind of have to when you’re vacationing in Britain during the ‘summer’.  I’m glad I did because it made me revisit the photos I had taken of Caernarfon Castle and I’d like to share some of my favourites.

Caernarfon Castle is one of the castles that Kind Edward I built in the north-west of Wales in his attempts to rule over the Welsh population.  Construction began in 1283 but like Beaumaris Castle on the Isle of Anglesey, the castle was never really completed.  Walls were built around the entire town of Caernarfon between 1283-1285 and I wrote about the town walls of Caernarfon previously.

It is pretty significant because here in the courtyard, on that circular plate, is where Queen Elizabeth II invested Prince Charles with the Prince of Wales coronet in 1969.  He was formally named the Prince of Wales in 1958 but his investiture was conducted when he was 21 years old.

I love exploring castles and my favourite part of the experience is walking along the narrow corridors inside the castle walls or climbing up the dark, steep stairs to walk on top of the walls. 

I like to lay my hands on the cold stone and imagine what those walls might have seen. It is a little bit more difficult with Edward I’s castles because so many of them were not finished and they weren’t actually lived in. Still, I like to let my mind wander just a little bit.

Caernarfon Castle is vast and it is perhaps the biggest castle I have visited in Britain.  It is a reflection of how strategically important Caernarfon had become and in his book The Medieval Castles of Wales, John Kenyon estimates that £12,000 was spent on the castle by 1292 (approximately £5 million today) and only the eastern part of it was built between 1283 and 1292!

I imagine that you could only get a complete photo of the castle from over the water but the views from the castle walls were breathtaking, even in the inclement weather.  The tower you can see to the left in the photo above is the Black Tower and that is the King’s Gate to the right.

These houses lie outside the boundaries of the Caernarfon town walls.  I adore their bright and colourful facades! 

Did I mention that it was wet and cold the day that we visited the castle?  I was beginning to wonder about the wisdom of my decision to climb nearly every tower in the complex but I was certainly rewarded I reached the top of the Chamberlain Tower.  You can see the North-East Tower, the Watchtower and the Queen’s Gate in the photo above.

In addition to the immensity of the castle complex, the castle also houses the fantastic Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum.  I would suggest that you put aside at least 2-3 hours for your castle visit.

Address: Caernarfon Castle, Caernarfon, LL55 2AY.
Entry fee: £5.25 (£4.85 concessions)
Open: every day except 24, 25, 26 December and 1 January.

Have you ever been to a castle before? If so, which is your favourite?

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Llyn Padarn, Llanberis, Snowdonia

Exploring castles is hard work and we had explored both Beaumaris and Caernarfon castles in one day!  We took the scenic route back from Caernarfon to Betws-y-Coed and decided to take a rest at the beautiful Llyn Padarn in Llanberis.  Llyn is the Welsh word for lake.

We found this area quite enchanting.  There were sheep seemingly roaming wild (although I have no doubt they belonged to one of the neighbouring farms) and there were beautiful swans in the water.

Llyn Padarn is a glacially formed lake and it is linked to Llyn Peris at its south-eastern point.  It is close to the town of Llanberis.

Llyn Padarn is located in Snowdonia, an area of incredible natural beauty in north west Wales which was designated to be a national park in 1951.  The landscapes and vistas were breathtaking at times and the area is popular with hikers, walkers and climbers.

There was one slight blemish on the landscape and that was the evidence of the heavy slate mining that took place for almost two centuries until the late 1960s.  Thankfully, the nearby Dinorwig Quarry closed in 1969 and all that remains of the local industry at Llyn Padarn is the National Slate Museum. 

We were fortunate to spot the Llanberis Lake Railway train making its way along the track on the northern bank of the lake.  Next time we visit Snowdonia (and I have no doubt that we will return) we’ll make sure we take a ride on the railway and visit the National Slate Museum and Padarn Country Park too.

If you click on the photo above, you will get a better view of the train.

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Caernarfon: Within These Town Walls

Caernarfon is an historical town located in north-east Wales. It is famous for the imposing and magnificent Caernarfon Castle, one of King Edward I’s famous castles, but its name derives from the time that it was a Roman fortification. Caernarfon was named Segontium in Roman times but it was an important strategic post against Ynys Môn (now known as the the Isle of Anglesey) and thus the current name derives from the Welsh name "y gaer yn Arfon" which means "the stronghold in the land over against Môn".

There is evidence that Caernarfon has been inhabited since pre-historic times by the Celtic tribe the Ordovices. The Ordovices were subjugated by the Romans and used in their battles against the druids living on Môn.

Môn was also known as the isle of Mona and historians might know that Roman governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus moved on from the absolute destruction and devastation of Mona to defeating Queen Boudica in the battle of Watling Street in 60 or 61AD. I would apologise for the impromptu history lesson but I am fascinated with anything to do with Boudica!

Caernarfon is a special treat for a castle lover like me because in addition to the magnificent castle, the town itself is surrounded by town walls that were built at the time the castle was built (1283-1285).  The photo at the top shows the view looking north, towards Anglesey.  You can see the famous Market Hall which was built in 1832.  If you click on the photo, you will be able to see the northern walls in the distance. 

The photo above shows the view of the East Gate, one of two original entrances to the town.  Caernarfon has extended beyond the boundaries of the town walls and that is the road you would take to access the new town.

Another view of the northern wall.  On the left, you can find the Black Boy Inn which was built circa 1522.  You can still stay at the inn, giving you the privilege of staying within the town walls, and you may or may not be happy to know that the price of a room no longer includes a free bottle of gin and the services of a young lady for the night.

On the inn’s website, they say that the archway through the wall was not part of the original design but was only added in the 19th century to aid the flow of traffic in and out of the old town.

This is the north-eastern tower of the town walls.  It is one of the eight towers and is in remarkable condition given that it was built over 725 years ago!  It is difficult to see, but the tower is still mostly intact and you can get a better idea of the intact state of the entire wall by checking out this aerial view on Bing maps.

This is the view to the west, showing the West or Water Gate.  In 1854, the The Royal Welsh Yacht Club took the West Gate as its clubhouse.

The old Market Hall is still in use today although I doubt that they still use this old lifting mechanism.  I love seeing old contraptions like this though.

Having explored north, east and west within the old town walls of Caernarfon, it was time to head south, towards the grand Caernarfon Castle.  I love the photo above with the narrow street, shops, pub and castle up ahead.  There is something unmistakeably Welsh about the scene, especially when you notice the bilingual signs everywhere.

The new town of Caernarfon seems almost plain in comparison to the charming old town that resides within the town walls.

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Beaumaris Castle: Cost, Inspiration and Residence

Hels from Art and Architecture, mainly asked some interesting questions about Beaumaris Castle and I promised to get some answers.  She wondered about the cost of the castles, whether they were built to protect against invaders or keep the locals in check, and whether King Edward I lived there.

Cost

In his wonderful book, The Medieval Castles of Wales, John Kenyon states that the total cost of the castle was £14,500 with over £6,000 spent in the first six months.  Kenyon calculates that these costs should be multiplied by 440 to get an estimate of the costs in the currency of today and thus, we are looking at a total current cost of £6,380,000.  As Ryan from Scotland Here and Now pointed out, Edward’s extravagances almost bankrupted the Crown.  Apparently large numbers of men were conscripted in from Shropshire and Staffordshire to complete the work.  I wonder if the use of the word “conscripted” implies that they were paid less than their standard wages in exchange for their upkeep?  I suspect so.

Inspiration

Following the Norman conquest of England beginning in 1066, the Anglo-Norman forces had begun a long, protracted subjugation of Wales that lasted for over two centuries.  This culminated with King Edward I and it was his intention to reclaim land that his father Henry III had lost and to quell further Welsh rebellions.  So he was not protecting against foreign invaders or those arriving by sea, and part of his conquest was his intention to introduce widespread English settlement in Wales.

The 1294-1295 uprising of Madog ap Llywelyn, the last native Prince of Wales, was suppressed in 1295 and construction of the castle began shortly thereafter. 

Residence

I don’t think that King Edward I would ever have lived in the castle, although he might have visited there.  According to Anglesey Today, it was only in 1298 that construction at Beaumaris was completed to the point where it could be defended and by that time, Edward was defeating William Wallace at the Battle of Falkirk.  There were grave concerns regarding the structure in 1306 and Edward died of dysentery in 1307.  By the time construction ceased in 1330, Beaumaris Castle was still not completed.

So there you have it, a couple of questions answered about this magnificent castle.  I am sure you all know by now, but William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, live on the Isle of Anglesey so be sure to visit the castle when you are out royal-spotting.  The next castle we’ll visit is Caernarfon. 

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Beaumaris Castle on the Isle of Anglesey

Once upon a time, there was an ambitious young prince called Edward. Edward lived in the most exciting and turbulent of times during 13th Century Britain. By the time he turned 30, Edward had fought, been captured and released during the civil war against Simon de Montfort’s Barons and he had taken part in the Eighth and Ninth Crusades to the Holy Land. Edward was just 33 when he became King Edward I of England on 16 November 1272.  After a nine-month leisurely tour of Italy and France, Edward I returned home to England and set about restoring some of the law, order and land that his father, King Henry III, had lost.

At first, that involved imposing English law on Welsh subjects and crushing rebellions, but over time, Edward I embarked on a plan of massive English settlement in Wales.  His castles are testament to that ambition and in total, he built eight castles in Wales.  Four of these castles were proclaimed a World Heritage Site in 1986 (Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech)and we were lucky enough to see Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Harlech castles on our visit. 

 The Gate Next to the Sea, Beaumaris Castle

Edward’s castles added two important features to British castles.  First, there is the arrow slits in the walls, an Eastern influence that was discovered during the Crusades.  The second was the building of concentric castles where the outer defences completely surround the inner ward.  If you click on the photo above to enlarge it, you can see the lower outer wall and the south gatehouse leading to the inner ward.

 Entrance to Beaumaris Castle, the Gate Next to the Sea

Beaumaris Castle was Edward’s final castle in Wales but it was never finished.  Incredibly, much of what we can still see today was built in one year (1294-1295) except for the curtain walls which were completed in the 1330s.

 Gunners Walk

Once we had entered the castle though the Gate Next to the Sea, we climbed up the stairs to the outer curtain wall and walked along Gunners Walk.  That is mainland Wales you can see in the distance of the photo above.

 Gunners Walk and the south eastern curtain wall

It was a cool, cloudy day but not as cold as it looks, thankfully.

 The Inner Ward looking towards the North Gatehouse

The inner ward of Beaumaris Castle might look bare today, but in medieval times it would have been full of little buildings housing the kitchens, stables, banqueting halls and, of course, the living quarters of those lucky enough to reside within the castle walls.

 The Haunted Chapel

The chapel at Beaumaris Castle is haunted. Of course, I have no evidence of this bar my own experiences but a simple Google search told me that I am not the only person to have a strange experience in the chapel. 

 The Chapel

At first, a dark shadow kept appearing in my photos and I was silly enough to delete them but then we saw the shadow on the LCD display of my step-mother’s camera and got quite a fright! Anyway, we have no proof but that chapel is haunted.

 Within These Castle Walls

For a reason that I cannot quite fathom, views such as the ones above and below really impress me.  Perhaps it is the proximity of the walls but I just felt that I really got a glimpse into how the castle might have looked 700 years ago.

 Within These Castle Walls

I love how grand and imposing castles are with their stones, archways, walkways and arrow slits.  I love how decorative the stone can look and how majestic they remain.

 Detail of the north gatehouse

That is my dad you can see in the bottom left of the photo. It gives an idea of how imposing these castle walls are.  They weren’t even that tall 700 years ago but perhaps they needed the height for the standards or spears.

 View of the south gatehouse

The south gatehouse was never finished (its three portcullises were never installed) and there is a barbican located between the south gatehouse and the Gate by the Sea to make it harder for attackers to gain access to the inner ward. 

 The Rear Curtain Walls

Beaumaris was once surrounded by its moat but these days it only runs about a third of the way around the castle.

 Views from Beaumaris

The views from Beaumaris were quite beautiful and this young seagull was very kind to pose for me.

 View of south gatehouse from curtain wall

The view of the inner ward from the curtain walls was quite exquisite and you could get an idea of the overall design and function of the castle. Unfortunately, the chilly weather began to take its toll and we started to head downstairs for some lunch.

 Spiral staircase

Ancient stone staircases are a little bit more fun when your toes aren't frozen solid.

 View of the north gatehouse

The north gatehouse was one of the most completed parts of the castle and you can get an idea of how tall the castle was intended to be.  It is possible that there was a great hall behind the five windows.

Beaumaris Castle is certainly one of the nicest castles I have visited.  I would love to visit there one day when the sun is shining the cloudy weather did add to the sense of history and importance. I’d certainly recommend a visit.

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Snapshots from Betws-y-Coed, Wales

Betws-y-Coed (pronounced “bettus-uh-coh-ed”) lies in the Snowdonia National Park in Conwy, north Wales.  I remember announcing in January that we were going to visit Betws-y-Coed this summer but I can tell you now, you have no idea how beautiful it is until you visit there. 

I thought Alan from Master Clock might appreciate the photo of the station clock above.

There is a railway station at Betws-y-Coed and I would definitely like to travel there by train one day.  It was a very long drive to get there and our car had a flat tyre too!

We spent many mornings relaxing in the numerous cafes around the railway station.

There was a film crew there the one morning, filming a special on the old horse drawn Royal Mail express in the area.  The horses did not think it was all that much fun to stand there and wait while the film crew organised themselves!  Still, I love that about the United Kingdom.  Wherever you might be, there is always a little bit of history or intrigue around the corner.

Betws-y-Coed is a great area if you are in to climbing, hiking, canoeing or other outdoor activities.  We did a lot of walking and a lot of appreciating the exercise other people were embarking on.

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