The day started with a 2 hour wait on the ship to get to shore on a tender boat, but we were still able to join our tour group. The first hour we drove past the beautiful meadows and hills filled with different colors of sheep. They explained to us the sheep are emblazoned with different colors to mark them as belonging to different owners. There are more sheep in Wales than people.
We arrived at a picturesque little village called Betw-y-Coed located near Swallow Falls, a very popular place for hikers. We stopped at a craft store and was thrilled to find a Christmas ornament for our souvenir tree, it was marked in Welsh saying Merry Christmas with the signature red draon on it. The area is lovely with all the local and award winning food and drink in the diverse range of cafés, bistros, restaurants and pubs. You can browse the independent shops retailing in crafts, clothing, gifts, and local homemade produce. You can visit the collection of outdoor gear shops and art galleries displaying talented Welsh artists.
Breathe the fresh air; enjoy walking one of the many trails around the village, bike on a huge range or mountain biking trails, take in the history and culture of one of North Wales’ many castles and take on the challenge hiking in the mountains and seeing the splendor of Snowdonia’s natural beauty. There is something for everyone in this stunning area.
We were hungry so we had some Welsh ice cream and it was simply devine!! This magical setting has a distinctly Alpine feel enhanced by the dense Gwydyr Forest surrounding Betws-y-Coed. We wished we had a night or two here and might in the future.
After spending a couple of hours here we then headed to Conwy Castle, it is a fortification in Conwy, located in North Wales. It was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales, between 1283 and 1287. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conwy, the combined defences cost around £15,000, a massive sum for the period. It was quite Royal and enough to take the breath away. Especially when you consider that King Edward I and his architect Master James of St George built both castle and walls in a barely believable four years between 1283 and 1287.
Conwy takes its place alongside Edward’s other great castles at Beaumaris, Harlech and Caernarfon as a World Heritage Site.This famous fortress is exceptionally well preserved. It contains the most intact set of medieval royal apartments in Wales. The high curtain wall and eight lofty towers rise almost as impressively as when they were built more than 700 years ago.
We weren’t able to climb those staircases, if you can, do it, for the full Conwy experience. There isn’t a better place in Britain to stand on the battlements and dream. There are eight in all, commanding breath-taking views across the estuary of the River Conwy and down into Conwy itself, huddled like a toy-town in the shadow of the fortress. The spiral staircases have been restored in the castle’s towers, and it is now possible to walk a circuit of the castle’s walls. In addition, the once royal apartments are amongst the best-preserved examples in any medieval castle in England and Wales.
On the way back to ship we drove thru a town called Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, it’s certainly a mouthful and I have no idea how to say it but our tour guide did in her local dialect. She said if you are interested there is a u-tube video on the correct pronunciation.
Another great day, but by the time we got back to the ship we were very tired and had another very long wait to board the tender.
