Monday 22nd August 2011 – Dunsford to Abergavenny

Up early this morning to organise things for the trip.

Richard drove me in to Exeter this morning to pick up the hire car.  We had ordered a Vauxhall Insignia (or similar size car - what we would call mid-size in Australia).  Big enough for a bit of luggage and 4 passengers.  When we got there the man said how would you like a Mercedes.  So we ended up with a Mercedes B class.  Quite an impressive package – plenty of room for people and luggage – not a lot of power though.

One 'dead' Mercedes

Packed the car and off we went up the M5.  Got about 30 miles north of Exeter and the car became quite sluggish, then warning messages began flashing up on the dash – SRS Failure, ABS Failure – Power steering failure (and it did) and then a big red battery sign.  Pulled into the service centre at Bridgewater and turned the car off.  Turned it back on – nothing.  The car was dead.  Phoned Mercedes breakdown service and they sent a service vehicle out (took 1.5 hours for him to get there).  Fortunately, there was a Costa Coffee shop at the Service Centre.  The problem was the battery was flat and because everything on the car is electronic (including the power steering) it all failed.  The repairman changed the battery and did some tests and discovered that the alternator was defective.  We rang Alamo at Weston-Super- Mare a little up the road to arrange a swap vehicle and the kind Mercedes repair man escorted us all the way in case we were to run out of electrics again.

The Beach at Weston-Super-Mare

The swap was no problem, they said.  They had a Vauxhall there we could take.  The only problem was when it was driven out it was only an Astra (smaller car).  There was no way we were going to get the four of us and our luggage in there and besides, we had paid for a larger car.  When this was explained to them there was quite a bit of umming and erring.  The only larger car they had in the shop was a Mercedes Station Wagon and that’s what we ended up with.  A very nice car to drive but quite a bit bigger than the B series.  Hopefully, there are not too many narrow roads in Wales.  It's got gadgets all over the place and as in all hire cars they don't leave you with the vehicle handbook.  I'm sure we will still be trying to operate some things when we hand the car back in 5 days.

By this time it was about 3 o’clock and we were getting rather peckish.  We drove down to the waterfront at Weston-Super-Mare and had lunch sitting in the sun – it’s another lovely spot.  We went for a walk along the boulevard.  The tide was out (huge tides here - something like the second biggest in the world at 15 feet) and there were lots of people on the beach (obviously a very popular holiday destination) – and donkey rides – and draft horse cart rides etc etc.  Weston-Super-Mare also has an amazing pier (Grand Pier), stretching several hundred meters out to sea.

The Grand Pier

There was some sort of emergency happening while we were there – fire engines, ambulances, police cars and lots of activity further down the beach.  Not sure what it was all about but it was being taken seriously.

Obviously, our plans to visit Glastonbury were out the window by now so it was straight up the motorway and across the Severn River (bridge toll £5.70) into Wales and on to Abergavenny where we are staying at Mulberry House (a Youth Hostel) – individual bedrooms but bathroom down the hall - quite adequate for one night.  Walked into town for some dinner and then back to Mulberry House.

Our 'second' Mercedes at Mulberry House

It’s been an eventful day.

Tuesday 23rd August 2011 – Abergavenny to Corris

Up and showered ready for breakfast at 8am (only available 8 ‘till 8:30).  Very comprehensive breakfast:  - cereals, yoghurt etc and a cooked breakfast of bacon, sausage, scrambled egg, baked beans and mushrooms.  No, we didn’t have everything!!

From Abergavenny, we drove into Brecon Beacons National Park to the National Parks Centre at Libanus.  Spoke to the man at the desk about a walk that would take 1 – 2 hours and he sent us on a walk from the centre to Twyn y Gear, a 1 ½ hour walk to a hilltop with 360-degree views of the Beacons and countryside around.  The Beacons are very bare (ie no trees) but quite green.  Pen y Fenn is the highest peak at 886m. It was interesting that in last night’s accommodation all the rooms had a different name and our room was called Pen y Fenn.

The Brecon Beacons

The walk was across a common which was moor country so was a pretty easy walk.  Lots of sheep everywhere.  The hill had the remains of an Iron Age Fort - all quite interesting and the views were amazing.

Guardians of the Mount

While driving along we contemplated the fact that New South Wales was named after South Wales and there should be some similarities.  Certainly, there were times when we could have been on the south coast of NSW or for that matter, on the road between Bangalow and Lismore.  Those thoughts soon disappear when you get to a town.

Our next stop was Hay-on-Wye which gets a write up as one of the 20 must-see places in the  United Kingdom.  It’s famous as a centre for second hand (and collector and antique) books – over 30 bookshops.  Each one you walk into has books from floor to ceiling - quite amazing.
Jill went into one shop to see if she could get a copy of ‘Milly Molly Mandy’.  They bought out an early edition – only £24.  Perhaps not today.

Downtown Hay-on-Wye

Had lunch in a pub and a walk around town and later a coffee and almond and cherry gluten-free slice at the Granary (gets a mention in Lonely Planet).  Also managed a sorbet/ice-cream.  Jill was impressed with her Elderflower sorbet.

In the car about 3:30 for the drive to Machynlleth.  Up over the Cambrian Mountains - beautiful scenery including spectacular views across Llyn Clywedog Reservoir.

Clywedog Reservoir

Accommodation tonight is in a Youth Hostel at Corris (just north of Machynlleth).  Very basic (a four bed dorm) but cosy.  Has an open fire to keep us company in the living area.

Dinner spot at Tal y llyn Lake

Earlier in the evening, we drove about 3 miles (very narrow road for a change.)  Most roads in Wales so far have been reasonably wide) to Pen-y-Bont Hotel which is in an idyllic spot overlooking Tal y llyn lake.  It’s certainly one of those picture perfect postcard scenes.

You can see why Wales is so popular.  The scenery is gorgeous.

Wednesday 24th August 2011 – Corris to Bethesda (Snowdonia Mountain Lodge)

Had a leisurely breakfast this morning as we were off to the Centre for Alternative Technology (just up the road) and they didn’t open until 10am.  Breakfast was left out for us.  Juice, cereal, fruit and a couple of boiled eggs – quite satisfactory.

Center for Alternative Technology

The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is advertised as Europe’s leading Eco Centre.  It was started in the early seventies in the disused Llwyngwern slate quarry and our visit there was quite an amazing experience.  All things from electricity production from sun, wind and water to appropriate building designs and sustainable living.  One building had 20kw of panel on its roof.  That’s what we need at home!  There were lots of models demonstrating different processes; wave action producing electricity; the power of a windmill which could lift up a person and so on.

CAT also offers postgraduate degrees as well as shorter residential courses; and publishes information on renewable energy, sustainable architecture, organic farming, gardening, and ecologically friendly living. The centre also runs education programmes for schools and sells sustainable products through shops, restaurants and a mail order department.

Just getting into the place was an experience.  From the bottom of the valley, you travel up a very steep slope to the site in a water balance railway.  Two cars operate, one going up and the other down.  Water is pumped into a tank in the top car (a computer decides how much water is needed) until it is heavier than the bottom car.  It then descends (gravity) pulling the bottom car up the hill.  At the bottom, the water is released and it starts all over again.

We finished our time there with lunch.  We’d had a bit of rain while there.  Fortunately, there were enough undercover areas for us to dash from one spot to another without too much difficulty.

After lunch, it was on the road to Portmeirion a quirky little town built by a very eccentric Clough Williams-Ellis, started in 1925 and finished in the mid-seventies.  His idea was to develop the site without spoiling its natural beauty.  He has borrowed from all cultures and used bright colours and different styles to produce something quite unique.  Some of the buildings are set up as shops and displays, others are used for accommodating tourists (from £155 per room per night).  The village is used a lot for movies and TV series (an instant set) and the 1960s TV series ‘The Prisoner’ was filmed here.

Portmerion

Accommodation for the night was at Snowdonia Mountain Lodge at Bethesda (near Bangor) so from Portmeirion, it was a drive up through the mountains in Snowdonia National Park – some spectacularly beautiful scenery.

Snowdonia National Park

The Mountain Lodge is a step up in accommodation from the last couple of nights – a double bed and an ensuite!!  It’s also used as a Yoga Retreat so quite a lot of people here with that in mind.  We joined them for a very delicious vegetarian buffet for dinner.  Met a woman there, originally from Manilla (near Tamworth), who ventures out here regularly just for the yoga involvement.

Thursday 25th August 2011 – Snowdonia

We had quite a big day today.  We were on the road at 7:45 and didn’t get back to Snowdonia Mountain Lodge until 9:45pm.

The lodge was kind enough to give us a tray of breakfast things seeing we were away before the usual breakfast time of 8:00.

The first stop was the Snowdon Mountain Railway at Llanberis.  We took a little windy road up over the mountain into the next valley to Llanberis.  Fortunately, at that hour of the morning, there was not too much traffic coming the other way.  I’m enjoying driving the Mercedes.  It is a beautiful car.

Arrived in Llanberis around 8:30 in time to pick up our pre-booked tickets for the 9am trip.  The railway goes up Mt Snowdon to the summit (1085m) – the highest mountain in Wales.  While that doesn’t sound very high by international (or even Australian) standards, when the rise is from not too far above sea level it is quite a climb.  The railway uses diesel and steam engines.  We had a diesel pushing our carriage.  The railway works on a rack and pinion system.  A third toothed rail interacts with a toothed cog in the engine enabling the train to negotiate steep slopes – and steep it was.  It took about an hour to reach the summit, occasionally having to sit for a few minutes in a siding to let a train come down.

Close to the top, we entered the clouds so it looked like we were going to miss out on the view.  The train stopped at the summit for 30 minutes which provided enough time to walk the few metres from the station to the actual summit and to have a cup of coffee.

Snowdon Mountain Railway

On top of Mount Snowdon

In our case, after we were called to the train for the trip down, we were informed that there was a 10-minute hold up while we waited for a steam train to get to the top.  Apparently, it had to stop to build up steam for the final assault.  It was blamed on poor quality coal.  It certainly looked like poor quality coal when we were down the bottom.  The engines were belching out masses of dirty brown smoke.  Anyhow, this holdup was a ‘blessing in disguise" because while we were waiting the cloud lifted and the sun came out.  The view was amazing – right through to the Irish Sea and Anglesea.  Going down was quite spectacular.

After the train trip, we had a bit of a walk around Llanberis and then lunch.  From there we drove to Betws-y-Coed for a quick look around.  The difference in the landscape as you drive along is amazing.  The Llanberis valley is very barren.  Lots of slate and very little vegetation.  Only a few miles later you are at Betws.  Here the village is nestled among forested hills - no wonder it is such a popular holiday destination - such a very pretty spot.  We checked out the 1815 Thomas Telford Waterloo Bridge and did a little shopping.  I bought a couple of T shirts.

Betws-y-Coed

We then took the B road towards Conwy so that we could call into Trefriw to check out the Woollen Mill.  Using water from the nearby Crafnant and Geitonydd lakes to generate power, the mill has been producing traditional Welsh bedspreads and tweeds for over 150 years.  We actually had one of their bedspreads on our bed at Snowdonia Mountain Lodge. The mill is working all the time and you can see bedspreads being woven on the loom as well as observe the hydroelectric turbines in action.

On to Conwy where we spent some time at the castle.  Conwy Castle was built for English King Edward I between 1283 and 1289 during his second campaign in North Wales.  

Conwy Castle

In 1295 Edward was besieged here during the rebellion of Madog ap Llywelyn. The siege lasted for several months and supplies ran low. However, the castle and town were not captured.  You can see why.  Even today it is an impressive structure.  Well fortified and the wall which stretches right around the town is impressive.  It didn’t always work out like this though.  In 1403 Welsh forces led by Rhys ap Tudur and his brother Gwilym captured the castle and its English garrison. The fortress and the soldiers were later ransomed back to Henry IV.

On to Llandudno for dinner.  This is an amazing old Victorian resort town.  

Llandudno

The fact that it was serviced by rail from 1858 ensured its success.  In 1864 it earned the label ‘Queen of the Welsh Resorts”.  It is still the largest seaside resort in Wales and the bay is completely lined with hotels – there must be at least a ‘million’ beds on offer each night (a slight embellishment perhaps!!).  We walked out along the very long jetty which has been restored by the council in recent years.  Lots of ‘holiday type’ amusement activities taking place (many pretty tacky).  From the jetty, you could see quite a lot of wind generators which had been constructed out to sea.  There were not a lot of people around at this time of day (about 6pm) but after we had walked around town and had dinner there were more people out and about on the promenade.  Lots of activities too – Morris Dancers, Community Hymn singing etc.  The whole place looked like it was lifted out of a previous time - but clean and tidy and obviously well cared for apart from a few buildings that needed much TLC.

The drive back to Snowdonia Mountain Lodge was quite spectacular.  Initially along a cliff edge road at Llandudno and then on the A55 expressway which included a number of tunnels, two through mountains and, one quite lengthy (the Twnnel Conwy Tunnel) under an inlet (under the sea I suppose).

Friday 26th August 2011 – Bethesda to Chester

After a very pleasant breakfast at Snowdonia Mountain Lodge, we went for a walk along the creek near a slate mine.  It’s amazing that they use slate for everything – walls, fences (including huge fence posts) and curbing on the road.  The lady in the office told us that this valley (and only this valley in this part of the world) was glacial in origin.  You can see that it is different.

Snowdonia

Just outside our room at the lodge was one of the 7 peace flame monuments established around the world in 1999 (there is also supposed to be one at Byron Bay although I'm not sure where?).  To quote Archbishop Desmond Tuto, “The symbolic flame is an expression of our shared humanity.  We are created to cooperate together for the common good to make this a world where caring and sharing matter more than things, where tolerance and understanding are fostered and justice brings hope and security to all.”  We lit candles before we headed off.

The Peace Flame at Snowdonia

Next stop – Bangor.  We couldn’t work out where/why the song “Day trip to Bangor” originated as we couldn’t find a lot of the ‘things’ mentioned in the song.  They do have a pier and that’s about it.  Googled it later and someone reckoned that the song was actually written about Rhyl a bit further along the coast but that Rhyl didn’t fit the song.

Bangor Pier

On to Penrhyn Castel (a national trust site).  It was very impressive both in what you could see (set up as it would have been in the 1890s) and the fact that every room had an attendant that was very informative and obviously loved their job.  The kitchen was particularly impressive with plastic meat, fruit, veges, cakes etc depicting how it would have been.

Penrhyn Castle

The dinner 'spread' at Penrhyn Castle

The castle was originally a medieval fortified manor house and was added onto several times in 1438 and in the 1780s.  The present building was created between 1820 and 1840 by Thomas Hopper who expanded and transformed the building into the ‘Norman Castle’ look alike we see today.  Hopper's client was George Hay Dawkins-Pennant, who had inherited the Penrhyn estate on the death of his second cousin, Richard Pennant, who had made his fortune from Jamaican sugar and local slate quarries. The eldest of George's two daughters, Juliana, married Grenadier Guard, Edward Gordon Douglas, who, on inheriting the estate on George's death in 1845, adopted the hyphenated surname of Douglas-Pennant.

From Penrhyn, it was quite a drive to Llangollen.  Had a nice late lunch and a nice coffee at Frouzie’s.  Went for a walk along the river and bought some fruit.  We then went searching for the Aqueduct.  Got to see it from the distance but couldn’t find a road that would take us close to it.  Perhaps you had to do it as a boat trip from Llangollen.

LLangollen

From there it was on the expressway to Chester where we stayed at the Premier Inn on the edge of the city.  Dinner at the pub next door.