Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and a jaunt in the countryside.

 May 7th.  Morning heavy mist which lifted as sun rose.   Drove on motorway to Wrexham and a necessary laundrette then on to Trevor to the famous aqueduct.

Some discussion with Lady Satnav but she can read Welsh better than I and was therefore correct in remonstrating with us when we went to the Disabled Car Parking and we were not eligible!   Not being able to read Welsh a hindrance too at the Pay and Display machine which took only pound coins.  A fact we only learned by seeing the European tourists ahead of us unsuccessfully fight to insert 50p and 20p coins.   Fortunately I could supply the one pound coins needed for both of us and soon we were displayed and walking along the tow path to the cute little marina area.   

Narrow Boat parking is a highly skilled job.   Reversing into a mooring and not creating traffic jams seems more difficult than I’d thought.   

We took a “there and back” journey across the famous aqueduct with an excellent guide who gave lots of information.  307 metres long, 3.7 metres wide and 38 metres above the floor of the Dee Valley, the aqueduct was completed in 1805.  Built of stone from the local hills and cast iron it took 500 men ten years to build.  

Thomas Telford lived in this charming house during the period of construction.

Having Little Sister with me, I was brave enough to also walk across the tow path and back.  The cast iron posts on the railing are painted in a rotation prescribed  by British Waterways so some are painted one time and others at a different time.  Result is a slightly striped effect but I could see from the patronage today that it must be difficult to find a time for maintenance that doesn’t have too large an effect on the tourism.  The first post at each end of the aqueduct is notched at varying heights where the tow ropes used when horses pulled the narrow boats ground into the cast iron.   The horses were chosen/bred for their strength alone and one horse could tow a 30 ton boat.  Working life for a horse was between 20 and 25 years.   

Our guide was full of interesting facts and also showed us The Plug which British Waterways use when their periodic cleaning of the aqueduct trough requires the water to be removed.  According to her, it actually is a case of pull the plug.

Kayaks also cross - it seems that groups of them are preferred.   Some of the narrow boats are tourist ventures such as ours but there were others which are permanent homes for their owners.   Apparently it is possible by linking up with various other canals to actually travel from Trevor to London in three weeks on this amazing waterway system.

For the return journey Lady Satnav advised to follow the highlighted route and we did.  To our delight this route took us through the beautiful farmland and fat woolly Welsh sheep and abundant lambs.  The road rose into the hills between hedgerows and sometimes stone fences.   

I feel as if I have been misled all these years when told that the early English settlers brought gorse to NZ where it grew rampant and became a scourge on the land.   The impression was that back in the UK gorse was a pretty plant, tame and well under control.   The gorse we saw today looked identical to that at home  so where this fallacy has grown from I don’t know.

Then we turned and were onto a moor like area bounded at the beginning and end with a cattle grid.   Here the rain started and we learned where the windscreen wipers were on this rental car 😉

Later we came through a wooded forest area with abundant mossy banks, swathes of beautiful bluebells and woods that reminded me of the Narnia Books.  

I fully expected to see Mr Tumnus leaping out from the undergrowth.  Quaint little villages like Llanrwst were delightful.   I remember the name of that one as Little Sister spied a woollen yarn shop there but….it was closed.

Safely home to Conwy we drove up the steep drive to our wonderful B and B, Glen Heulog. 

 The owner tells us the original building is from the 1890’s but has been renovated multiple times over the intervening years.   

Ticking items off the list.

 May 6th.  Yikes!  A chilly morning and a grey sky.  But what a comfortable bed.  Had an excellent sleep last night.

Today was a Welsh Cooked Breakfast!   If this is normal then why are all Welsh people not morbidly obese?   Black pudding was an item crossed off my list this morning. Um…..a strange texture and taste but not unpalatable.

Next a visit to Conwy Castle.   We paid for our ticket at reception manned by an American named David - although the name was Welsh I was inwardly a little shocked not to have the expected Welsh lilting accent.  Dating from the 1300’s much of the castle structure remains preserved.   I now understand what is meant by castle town as from the ramparts I could see just how much of the current town would have been enclosed by the strong castle walls.   

High walls with marvellous views of the valleys one way and the sea the other.   But the stone steps winding up the towers were hazardous.  The high arch in the roof of the great hall is still intact.   I loved the views of the green fields and the woods so different from home.

Watched a truck come through this narrow gate and momentarily stop to readjust the cab’s wing mirrors.   My this is a narrow entry.   There’s at least three of these gates in the remaining castle walls.

Lady Satnav guided us to Llandudno and The Great Orme Tramway.   A car park merely a minutes walk away from the entrance.   Opened in 1902, it is a funicular  ascent of a mile at a nearly 10 degree incline up the limestone mass that is the Great Orme,   I was amazed to see some people walking down - we sensibly bought return tickets.   

Amazing to see so many people had brought their dogs.   The lady in the seat across from us had a giant bulldog which she lifted off and on the tramcar.   Our tram had five dogs as well as around 40 passengers!   Nobody but me seemed to think this a strange phenomenon.  Very cold at the summit so we went inside a visitor centre and watched a documentary video on the flora and fauna.  It was interesting to see strangely different colours of sheep and Kashmir Goats roaming around.   Also lambs!   A reminder that it is actually Spring here.  ( On our return home we saw Kashmir goats eating the shrubs in front of Llandudno Hospice so they must roam off the Orme at will).

Then it was time to walk briskly to Llandudno town centre and join the Victorian Extravaganza.   The town centre was shut to traffic and instead filled with a rich variety of carnival side shows, carousel, helter skelter, ghost train etc etc.  And an endless supply of candy floss, ice cream and other sweets.   A red double decker bus had been converted into a shop for The Great British Fudge Company.   At the centre of all this, right by the main stage was a display of traction engines - all operational and puffing steam.   

Our main aim was to listen to the Cor Meibion Maelgwn Male Voice Choir.    A delightful half hour of singing finished with the Welsh National Anthem and although I of course recognised the tune I couldn’t join in and felt very conspicuous standing there silent as the whole crowd joined in the rousing and spine tingling song.   What an experience.  We introduced ourselves to the kindly secretary-gentleman of the choir, who had emailed me with details of this performance and expressed our thanks for his invitation.   He was delightful and smiled broadly when teased by a friend that he was adding more ladies to his list!   

After the choir there was a performance by the George Formby Society and I joined in with many elderly singing a couple of the songs.   Mother gave me a CD of George Formby years ago in my Christmas Stocking so this too was familiar.

As we strolled along we found two of the statues forming the Alice in Wonderland Trail.   Apparently the Alice for whom the book is named spent her holidays in this beach resort town so we said hello to the White Rabbit and to the Mad Hatter but couldn’t find Alice herself.   There were little plaques in the pavement at various places with rabbit foot prints which were probably the trail itself.   We were too taken up with all the other distractions - oops attractions.

And then it was to the promenade and the pier where to my delight I found there was a traditional Punch and Judy.   

The gentleman operating it all told us that he was fifth generation and so the pressure was on to ensure it would continue.   Started in 1860 and has been on the Llandudno Pier ever since.   Of course we had to attend.   I shouted loudly with all the rest, “yes you did, no you didn’t” etc until I thought I’d lose my voice!   It was just like I’d read in books and another tick off my list.

A surprise on the pier was to finally understand that there could be some meaning to that tongue twister “She sells seashells on the seashore” because halfway along the pier there was shop doing just that!  

So tired but weary I said goodbye to my new (until tomorrow) favourite place, Llandudno

Welcome to Wales

 May 5th.   Daylight at 5am woke me and amazed that the skies were clear.   A pale blue compared to NZ but fluffy clouds and blue sky were welcome.   Breakfast at the closest McDonald’s and then a short journey round the corner to Belvidere Road Church.   Greeted at the door by three surprised gentlemen to whom we explained the connection, following which we explained to at least three more people until finally we were seated in the auditorium.   I am so pleased we came - and so, it seemed were they.   The lady seated to my right told me that the original church was just up the road and was now converted into up market accommodation but the outside is still as was.  She is a geography teacher and wanted to know what earthquakes felt like as she’d heard that NZ has many🙂

Lady Satnav guided us through busy central Liverpool, past the huge Anglican Cathedral, 

busy streets,  

and into the Queensway Tunnel (aka Birkenhead Tunnel) a £2.10 toll road under the Mersey.   Then on through part of The Wirral and on to The North Wales Expressway.   Being only an A road it was less frantic than yesterday’s M56.  Noticed signs warning of badgers at many places along the way.   Finally a sign reading Croeso i Cymru and thereafter signs in Welsh first and then English.   Seemingly impossible to guess at pronunciation, the words seem to stutter over double consonants and Ll is pronounced Cl?   

Lady Satnav unhappy when we turned off to the small village of Caerwys and found a pub to have Sunday Roast lunch of delicious Welsh Lamb Rump (it’s served pink is that Ok? we were asked)  Also stwnsh pronounced like stunch - at least to my ear is actually a delicious carrot and swede mash. 

One thing I have noticed is how many gardens and even fields are full of dandelions. I wonder if there is a use for them?  Surely they are not grown for flowers here?

Back on the A55 and with an army of wind turbines visible out to sea we finally arrived in Conwy where to surprise and delight a castle was the first thing I saw.   

Narrow windy streets, small quaint houses and shops.  

Parked by part of the castle wall and wandered through the centre of town to the  promenade.   Bank holiday weekend so many people out.  Found The Smallest House in England - 72 inches wide and two stories high.  A one up one down it is an essential photo spot.

We will stay for three nights at the B and B accommodation which is perfectly suitable.   

Quaint room, elaborate  mantle, sash windows, rosy cheeked hostess and a splendid view over a delightful flower garden.