Wale(s) Watching

The country I had been planning to visit in February 2023 was Wales, and I search and search for a place to stay that a could easily get to via train, had a hostel or cheap hotel to stay at, and had guided day trips to see the mountains and beaches. I found a day trip from a city on the England-Wales border called Chester, which looked like a good place to spend a weekend at, and decided to go for it.

The hotel I was staying at in Chester was literally across the street from the train station, where I was being picked up from at 9:30 AM. I made my way across the street and waiting to be picked up be BusyBus, the company I was taking the tour with. They picked me up at 9:30 sharp, and we were off to see Northern Wales.

While driving through Chester, our tour guide told us about the different parts of the city. How the Romans used to live there and how King Henry IIIV built the cathedral there. Soon, we were on the motorway and heading towards Llandudno.

Llandudno is a resort town, with a sand and stone beach that faces the Irish Sea. I walked along the a pier, which had carnival games and ice cream shops along it to look out over the sea. Far in the distance, you could see a wind turbine farm. Afterwards, I went to the beach, where people had brought their dogs out to play, and collected some Welsh rocks before heading into town.

There are seven Alice in Wonderland themed statues in Llandudno. I saw the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts before stopping at a couple of thrift shops and a candy store to pick up some Welsh candies for my family. Soon, it was time to head back to the van to go to our next destination.

Next up, we went to Conwy. Conwy has an old wall built around the city to protect the castle inside. I walked along the top of the whole wall, which offered a great view of the town, the castle, and the marina. It was around lunch time by the time I headed back into town, so I stopped at a small Turkish cafe for some coffee and a sandwich before walking down to the marina.

The marina was bustling. I saw some cool boats, dogs playing with the local pigeons, and the Smallest House in Great Britain. Until the 1950's, a man lived in a tiny red house, where each story was about 5 feet tall. The man was over 6 feet, and slept in a chair every night. Now, it's a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, it was closed to tourists, so I only got to see the outside.

I walked back up towards the town, stopped in a shop to get a couple of postcards, and headed to the van so we could go to our next stop.

We began heading towards Betws-Y-Coed, but passed through Snowdonia National Park. The mountains in Snowdonia National Park used to be in the same mountain range as the Scottish Highlands - and you can tell. I really enjoyed my time in the Highlands, so I was happy to see similar looking mountains again.

We took a quick hike through Snowdonia National Park, and I met a woman on the tour from Australia to hike with. Our guide told us stories of how the first man to climb Mount Everest trained on the mountains in Snowdonia National Park. It was a bit misty outside, but it was nice weather for a walk. The beautiful view definitely helped.

After our stop in Snowdonia National Park, we headed towards the hiking town of Betws-Y-Coed, where we say beautiful stone buildings and a flowing river. During the summertime, kids jumped the 20 feet from the bridge to the river below to cool off. Our guide told us that Betws-Y-Coed was popular with hikers, because it was nestled in between mountains.

We only stayed in Betws-Y-Coed for a brief time before we made our way to our final stop of the Pontcysyllte Canal Aqueduct by taking back roads. Apparently the roads we took were once apart of a race track, and racers would go up to 200 mph on narrow, bumpy, one-way streets. We were going about 6 mph and it was very stressful, so I couldn't imagine going 200.

Soon, we arrived at the Pontcysyllte Canal Aqueduct. It was closed for visitors to walk on, but you could take a steep set of stairs to the bottom for pictures - which I did. The walk back up the stairs was brutal, but I think the view was worth it.

Afterwards, we headed back to Chester. All in all, it was a great trip and was absolutely worth the money paid. I enjoyed the rest of my weekend in Chester, which you can read about in my other blog, The Romans, Me, and King Henry VIII.

In order: Houses in Betws-Y-Coed; Hiking in Snowdonia National Park; The Smallest House in Great Britain; Conwy City Walls; Llandudno Beach Houses; Llandudno Beach