WALES - A surprise round every corner.

Ever since Steve and I were here back in 2001 we have wanted to return. This time we decided to head to the north, more specifically the region of Snowdonia. After the failed attempt at mountain climbing in Scotland I first headed off to the outdoor shops and bought myself a pair of decent shoes. After scrambling over some of the slate on Snowdon it was a purchase worth every pound!!

We decided to take the train from London to Chester and then hire a car and drive ourselves for the few days. Unfortunately, I lost my wallet and am now minus a license so Steve was my chauffeur. Our first surprise was the compact car that we had hired was upgraded to a black Saab convertible (with no price increase). Steve enjoyed testing the car around the country roads.

Saturday was Steve's birthday and we had fabulous weather so decided to give climbing the highest peak of England and Wales a go - Mt Snowdon. This is one of the main drawcards of the area and there are at least 6 different paths up to the 1085m summit. We decided to use the Miners Track which runs alongside two lakes (Llyn Llydaw and Llyn Glaslyn) before starting the proper ascent. The area is a major source of the world's slate and it is everywhere on the mountain. Our particular path was originally used by workers of the Copper mine and there are quite a few remnants of stone buildings.

Lyn Llydaw with one of the buildings on the other side.
Just after we passed the lakes and were thinking "are we going to start climbing soon," the ascent really started. Some of the slate looked as if it had been organised into a path, but certainly not an easy one to walk along. The views became more spectacular the higher we climbed and we were amazed at the number of people also climbing. Our track joined another about half-way up and the frequent stops to allow people down were needed just to catch our breath.

At the summit we rested and ate some good old aussie Starburst lollies, while the true trekkers next to us made a some tea on their little gas burner!!! I wouldn't have carried anything extra up and we had done one of the easier paths!

View over the lakes from the summit

Proof that we did make it!

The way down was quicker but not really any easier then going up. Steve took a few near tumbles but lucky for me stayed upright and didn't drop the camera. I also thought it was a little strange that he kept refusing to let me carry the bag, but it made sense soon after.

So here is the moment that you have all been waiting for. This is the spot where Steve proposed, alongside Llyn Glaslyn. The lake has incredibly clear fresh water that looks blue from above. The colour comes from the effect of copper mining. He couldn't have selected a nicer spot.

Llyn Glaslyn

The next question that everyone has asked is - was there a ring? Yes. The ring was chosen in Australia by Steve all on his own, and is gorgeous. It sparkles just right and is much more than I ever expected. The second question - we haven't set a date yet. The remainder of the walk back was fairly relaxed. I was distracted frequently as the diamonds kept catching my eye.

The rest of the weekend was a bit rainy so no more outdoor walking for us. The area is a walkers and campers paradise. Another on the list to revist at some point. Instead, we explored the seaside resort town of Llandudno and it feels a bit like Brighton although it has sand on the beaches not just rocks. We happened to walk into a bit of a time warp as the annual Victorian Historic Weekend was in progress. The average age would have been over 70 so we felt a little out of place.

One thing I did have to see was the White Rabbit Statue. This was where the little girl Alice, that Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland for lived. I was very disappointed to see that dispite the bars, rabbit was missing an ear and an arm.
Wales is famous for its castles and there are heaps of them. We chose to visit Conwy Castle which was billed as one of the best preserved castles and town walls of Briton. All that is left of the castle is a stone shell, which was interesting but given that it is not inhabited it is not quite the same as Leeds Castle. We're not quite sure that our entry fee was being used to look after the castle. One positive was that you can climb into nearly all the towers and the views from the top are pretty spectacular.

Overview of the castle from one of the 5 battle towers.

Claire and Steve at the top of a tower.

Some of the other notable and quirky attractions that Wales has to offer were:

Britain's smallest house which was once inhabited by a 6 foot plus fisherman. The house was full when we were there so we only have the photo. You could actually see the queue from the top of the castle.

Britain's smallest house

The town with the longest name in Britain. In Welsh it is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

In English it means St Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near the rapid whirlpool of St Tysilio close to the red cave. Sorry, but we haven't found out the pronounciation for this yet.

Whilst driving around the Snowdonia National Park Steve had to do some evasive driving to miss some of the locals. We can confirm that the sheep made it back to the right side of the fence.
This last photo is random scenic shot taken on our last day. The only thing missing were the sheep.