Winter or Summer in Wales

From all the lovely areas of the United Kingdom, I really wanted to visit the rugged, remote Snowdonia region of Wales. My friend Haydn recommended it and I do enjoy the great outdoors!

[divider class="" ]How?

From London to Snowdonia, there is actually a decent train and bus system. While it would take 4-5 hours, it would also take 4-5 by driving as well. Based on my research, there are several good buses leading to the various trails and one wouldn’t have to deal with parking. However, we drove since we didn’t really know what we wanted to do…

For our hotel, I researched on TripAdvisor for the best BnB. I found one of the best ones in the sleepy village of Betws-y-Coed called Tyn Y Fron run by the sweetest English couple, Nigel and Barbara.

Fixed Costs:

• B&B: 180
• Gas: 40
• Jackets: 100
• Winter: Is Coming...

[divider class="" ]Fun Fridays

Since we technically had the Friday off, we decided to sleep in and only work the morning. We had to catch up on some emails and little bits. To beat the Friday rush hour, we would still leave at a decent time to make it to Wales! In addition, the U.K. has had 50+ days without rain! It is a national record! We thought everyone would be traveling to the one place where it rains most of the year.

Road Trip!

From MK, the drive projected to be three hours excluding terrible traffic. Most of it would be on the easy motorway until we reached Wales where it was more slow on the country roads. We packed our water, snacks, and lunch and headed out on the open road!

The epic Welsh road trip wandered through sleepy English villages and then through funny Welsh villages. The names are hilariously long and incredibly difficult to pronounce! Regardless of the nationality, the views were amazing. The tiny villages are fantastic and really highlight the quaint countryside charm. One of my favorite side stops was an ancient Roman aqueduct! These “little” wonders of history remind me how ancient this little island nation is!

Once we arrived in Betws-y-Coed, it took us a total of two seconds to drive through the village. Our bed and breakfast, Tyn-y-Fron, is on the outskirts of the little village, which is similar to saying it is in the backyard! The BnB is located through a windy narrow driveway and tucked away from the main road.

Countryside Evenings

After checking into our lovely little room overlooking the carpark and a hidden mountain, we explored the few restaurants in the village. Unfortunately, everyone likely decided sunny Wales was a better option than rainy Wales and there were no rooms in the places. Jokes on them (and us!) It started lightly raining!

Thankfully, our lovely hosts, Nigel and Barbara, informed us that the village is a short seven minute walk from the BnB. On our walk, we walked through a pasture, across a suspension bridge, through the train station, and finally arrived in the main street! Our seven minute walk was full of adventure all in the misty rain!

We just chose a cozy little pub that was quite lively! Everyone was in their hiking and trekking gear and it made me quite envious. Being full English, we opted to have a craft brew and the classic fish and chips! For us, it was the perfect countryside evening!

[divider class="" ]Castles on Castles

Wales, especially the Snowdonia region, hosts ancient and spectacular castles. Due to the sudden change in weather, we were uncertain if we could hike today so we planned to visit the local castles as a fall back plan.

Windy Wales Strikes Again

When we woke up, we could “feel” the wind and rain from the room! We instantly knew we had grossly under packed as the forecast was sunny (similar to the previous 50+ days)! Thankfully, there are several outdoor stores in the village. With this in mind, we knew where our first stop would be this morning!

Similar to our previous BnB experiences, our hosts provided a lovely traditional English breakfast! Mary Frances enjoyed this one as we could select or unselect choices and she could have avoided the mushrooms and tomatoes. While MF had a traditional English breakfast, I had the untraditional eggs benedict. Overall, our start of the day was excellent!

Exploring Snowdonia

After we picked our fancy new jackets, we went exploring Snowdonia! As I mentioned, without good weather, our plan B was in force, but we had time to kill before our castle tours. Our first stop was to something I never expected in the middle of the mountains - surf school!

Officially called Surf Snowdonia, the complex is a football field length man-made surf. We waited and waited, but finally, we learned it was closed so we just took pictures of it! Our hosts said it is a huge hit and they never expected people to come for it but it is awfully scenic to say you have surfed in the middle of the Welsh mountains.

While waiting for the surf, I researched into our next stop at the brocheure counter. In every new place, even though they can be tacky, brocheures often give great advice on areas to see! After all, this is why tourists pay them to take them there! I found a few hidden gems including a locally sourced cheese, meat, and Welsh wine shop. Knowing Mary Frances best, I immediately knew this would be our lunch spot.

Welsh Wine..?

Now, I know what everyone is thinking as we had the same thoughts when we arrived at the wine store... We had no idea that Wales even produced wine. Originally, we were happy to sample tasty cheese and meat. The store had such a lovely variety of cheeses and meat so we purchased a few of everything for a nice little picnic lunch later. Thankfully, the nice store owner offered us an impromptu wine tasting!

Initially, since we had no idea what type of wine was available, the owner poured two whites - one was an Argentinan and the other was Welsh. Surprisingly, both were a little tart, full of fruity flavours, but the Welsh wasn’t as sweet! It was really strange. Next, he poured us a lovely Welsh red. I wasn’t sure what it would taste like, but again, very similar to a Malbec.

After our initial confusion and enjoyment of these wines, he explained the origin of the grape. Per our source, the grape arrived in Wales via France in the medieval ages. However, most of the wine production in the British Isles has significantly reduced due to the often unpredictable and harsh climate. Thus, during the colonisation period, Welsh settlers brought the grape to Argentina. Nowadays, Argentina has one of the largest Welsh communities! There are still strong ties and links between this community in the Patagonia region and Wales. The road signs are in Spanish and Welsh so I’m thankful I’m not driving there!

Conwy Castle

Enroute to the castle, we decided to park outside these cool walls. Thank goodness as Conwy is a very small seaside village therefore traffic was insane! This did not stop loads of vacationers and tourists and locals from exploring the area. The castle wall surround the little city and I am still very surprised they are still here!

In the 1200s, to combat the wild Welsh, the English built Conwy castle in only four years! In those ancient times, that is quick construction! While there are scaffolds and remodeling, the castle still is in remarkable shape. Throughout the ages, the Welsh continued to fight for their land and they were only successful in the 1400s.

Roaming the halls of the castle, we had our little picnic of Welsh meats and cheeses in the ancient courtyard. While we are not royalty, we certainly feasted! We then explored the remaining ruins. In typical Mary Frances fashion, we had to examine all the old rooms! Surprisingly, the king only used the castle three times! By far, the best views were from his quarters and then the towers.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

After our castle visit, the best part of our trip laid ahead. We were finally visiting the longest named village in the world! Granted, it is shorten for all motorway signs to Llanfair PG. Safe to say, it has been on the bucket list and now I could finally check it off!

It is a short drive from Conwy and lies right off the motorway. The village is similar to others where if you blink, you will miss it. However, I knew all the secrets and headed straight towards the train station. Our glorious visit lasted five whole minutes in front of two very long signs. As we were leaving, I am happy to say we weren’t the only tourists there!

Beautiful Beaumaris

As Llanfair PG was a quick pitstop on the way to Beaumaris, we were quite excited to see this sleepy village. Similar to Conwy, it lies on the sea, but much more quaint! We had the perfect timing as the sky opened up on us! We rushed into a cafe and did the most exciting thing - wedding planning.

Once it dried out, we googled castle close times and it appears we were a few minutes late! Oh well, we would explore the cute little town and perhaps walk on the beach! However, the storm had ‘severe’ after effects as the wind was ripping through the city and it was cold… So much for the 55th day of summer…

As we strolled around the city, we learned google maps was wrong and the castle closed at 6 rather than 5… Instead, we walked around the outside and took pictures! The castle is not as large as Conwy as it is a secondary fort along the coast. It is still extremely impressive to see buildings and forts from the medieval era!

Date Night

With the wedding fast approaching, our date nights have evolved around the countdown to the big day and then discussing the various details. Usually, my date night experience leaves me with a long to-do list! This does not stop me from researching a fun dinner spot. Our meal tonight was a cute little Italian restaurant on the second floor of a cute Italian bakery! It was on high street (meaning the main street). We shared

It’s the Drive

To conclude our lovely Welsh day, I took us through the scenic route on our final drive. The road led us through the heart of the mountains. We saw loads of hikers and many of the main trailheads. There was even a hostel in the middle of the valley! Not to mention, the sun was setting around 9pm so the sky was full of colors! It was an inspiring drive!

On a slightly funny, yet embarrassing note, we had a primetime date with a popular cheeky TV show at 9pm… Sadly, our UK friends have gotten us addicted to a (trashy) reality show called Love Island. Throughout the summer, the show plays every night so it is constant entertainment and an excellent way to turn your mind off after a long day! In fact, my pub company client admitted they were expecting a Love Island boost in sales! Mary Frances is going to hate that I mentioned we watch this daily...

[divider class="" ]We’re comin’ home

Nothing like Rainy English Sundays

Nothing better than waking up to rain! The soothing sound in the middle of Welsh countryside is fantastic and makes it extremely easy to sleep in and slowly wake up. As we laid in bed, we debated our activities. In the original plan, we wanted to stop at Warwick Castle on the way home. In fact, I think we even debated going on a hike! However, the funny weather of England played it’s cruel joke on us. On supposedly the 56th straight day of summer, the island was covered by a rain cloud…

Thus, in typical MF and AB travel fashion, we immediately slowed down our departure. We enjoyed another lovely breakfast with our BnB hosts. After promising to return, we headed back to the English border. Of course, it was rainy. And raining. Mary Frances was not optimistic about our chances at Warwick Castle so we googled the various activities there. Unfortunately, most activities, such as catapult, eagle demonstrations, and jousting are sunny activities only! We decided to leave it for another day and head home.

[divider class="" ]The UnChartered 13 Summary

Snowdonia is a beautiful area of the U.K. The tranquil mountains and countryside make for an outstanding retreat from the demands of life! Our stay at the B&B was perfect as it is in the middle of all hiking and outdoor activities and one can easily visit the castles! Although, I would prefer it to be summer in Wales!

• Tyn Y Fron is a great stay as it is in the middle of all hiking and outdoor activities.
• Castles are incredibly fun!
• By seeing all the trails, I definitely am motivated to do the legendary Three Peaks Challenge.