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Welcome to beautiful Wales, my name is Malcolm, a Yorkshireman who loves his county, but who fell in love with the people and the hills and valleys of the beautiful country of Wales
I hope you will too................

We begin our journey at the holiday resort of Prestatyn.

The town was once the site of a castle held by the Prince of Powys.

Following three major victories as they repelled invasion attempts by Henry II. in the 12th century, Welsh leaders missed a unique chance to unite against the English.

Today the English and all other visitors to Prestatyn are sure of a welcome, and although it is a place not heard of as often as some resorts, the town is uniquely sited within a shield of hills and mountains, which leads to a distinct climate of its own, and despite its westerly position, it is a very sunny place with a lower than average annual rainfall total, due to the fact that most Atlantic depression dump the bulk of their rainfall on the western and southern slopes of the Snowdon mountain range before they arrive here.

Further down the coastline we arrive at the resort of Rhyl, the first site that catches your eye is the hugh amusement park, dominated by its roller-coaster and the "Crazy Octopus" . With six miles of golden sands stretching between the resorts of Rhyl and Prestatyn children have the freedom to build sandcastles, play ball or take a donkeyride whilst lifeguards, using the most modern equipment, patrol the shoreline to safeguard the families at play.

Rhyl Arena

The Sun Centre at the eastern end of the promenade
provides holidaymakers with an indoor beach resort that combines under one roof a swimming pool, surfing pool, monorail, sunbeds, a 200 foot (60-metre) water slide and Tropical Bar

On Rhyl's golden sands

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Our next visit takes us inland to Bodelwyddan Castle near St. Asaph,
set against the magnificent background of the Clwydian Hills,
this imposing Victorian mansion has been authentically restored and houses

Bodelwyddan Castle

A major collection of nineteenth-century portraits
and photography on loan from the National Portrait Gallery.
The portraits are complemented by furniture from the Victoria and
Albert Museum and sculptures from the Royal Academy.

Outdoors, the gardens have also been restored to their former glory
and provide a colourful array of flowering plants and shrubs throughout
the year. Within the gardens , a maze and aviary have been
created and there is an interpreted woodland walk through acres of
decidous woodland. For children, there is an action-packed adventure
woodland and play areas which inforporate games and activities.

Returning from the Castle we visit St. Asaph

We now reach the coastline and the town of Colwyn Bay, which was just a
village in 1940's. Today the 4-mile (6-km) stretch between Llandrillo yn Rhos,
Rhos-on-Sea and Old Colwyn has become a continuous built
up area liberally sprinkled with guesthouses. Overlooking the bay is the
Welsh Mountain Zoo best known for its birds of prey displays.
The semi-circle of hills to the south and west
of the town protect if from rain and wind.
Local people claim that Colwyn Bay has its own "local climate"-
one reason, perhaps, why this resort continues to be so popular,
even in winter.

Colwyn Bay.

Further along the coast brings us to the beautiful town of Llandudno,
Wales's largest resort situated between the Great and Little Ormes
(the Great Orme is a towering 679 foot limestone headland and
Country Park) reached by either the longest cable operated tramway
in Britain, which is a tribute to its original Victorian
engineering, or by Cable Car. For moe than 100 years it
has been the jewel in the north Wales crown.
On a sunny day, the Victorian houses lining the North Shore
bay are a picture of gleaming white symmetry. Llandudno can
indeed lay strong claims to be the most beautifully situated
resort in the whole of the British Isles.
The ancient Celtic church of St Tudno's, from whom the town takes its name.
St Tudno Llandudno's earliest visitor who made Great Orme his home
in the 6th century.

The North Shore offers just about everything the seaside has ever dreamedup. It's pier, all 2,296 feet (700 metres) of it , was said by Sir John Betjeman to be one of the finest examples of a Victorian pier in Britain.

On the West Shoreis a memorial, portraying Lewis Carroll's White Rabbit, unveiled by Lloyd George in 1933.

During frequent stays in Llandudno, the author would walk with Alice Liddell, the little daughter of his friend Dean Liddell.

She is said to have been the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland.

Conwy, our next visit, owes much to successful engineering. In 1824 Thomas Telford displayed architectural good manners when he started work on the elegant suspension bridge (now pedestrianised) across the Conwy Estuary.

Its towers match those of Conwy Castle, itself a fine piece
of medieval engineering, so that the two structures not only blend together but even enhance each other. Local residents hope that this century's contribution - the road tunnel under the Conwy Estuary - will prove just as beneficial to the town.

The much celebrated Conwy Castle, begun in 1283, is another link in the nextwork of fortifications erected by Edward I. Conwy's town walls, nearly a mile long and with 22 towers and three original gateways, are among the most complete anywhere in Europe.

Conwy Castle.

The town itself, however, was for a long time less important than the strategic defences: records from the late 16th century show that there were just 60 houses here.

Conwy has retained much evidence of its past. One of the 60 Elizabethan residences is Plas Mawr, built between 1577 and 1580 and now restored as the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art. Remains of the Cistercian abbey of Aberconwy, built between 1172 and 1187, have been incorportated in St Mary's Church nearby. Edward I. moved the Cistercian monks of Conwy into the Vale of Conwy at Maenan, north of Llanwrst, in 1283, where they remained until Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in 1536.

Penmaenmawr beach

Photograph used with the kind permission of North Wales Attractions co uk

Penmaenmawr is a village on the North Wales Coast. It is situated in a beautiful spot which overlooks the Menai Strait to Puffin Island and Anglesey, with the whole of the Snowdonia National Park to the rear - it's where the mountains reach the sea! The villages has much to offer the visitor and resident alike. Nearby places include- Bangor, Llanfairfechan, Conwy, Llandudno and Colwyn Bay.

Bangor, a city of learning and an ancient religious centre has a serious atmosphere that won't greatly appeal to those solely in search of seaside entertainment.

Bangor, showing Menai Straits .

The word Bangor has its origins in a word meaning great circle or wattle enclosure - a reference perhaps to the wattle fence which surrounded the monastic community founded here in the 6th century by St Deiniol.

Bangor is best known for its University; but it's not the kind of ancient institution found in England, Scotland or Ireland. Even though the idea of a Welsh University was one of Owain Glyndwr's dreams in the Middle Ages - letters in which he wrote about this are preserved in archives in Paris - it wasn't until five centuries later that it finally became a reality. Bangor College was established in 1883 - although at that time, along with colleges at Aberystwyth and Cardiff, it was not allowed to confer degrees. In 1893 all three colleges were incorporated as the University of Wales, and were later joined by colleges in Swansea and Lampeter.

Leaving Bangor and crossing over to the Isle of Anglesey we use the magnificent Menai Suspension Bridge built by Thomas Telford in 1826. Work commenced in 1819 and took 7 years to complete, with a main span of 580 feet and a height of 100 feet above high water. The area is dominated by the Menai Strait, a narrow stretch of seawater which links Liverpool Bay to the West with the Irish Sea to the East, giving the impression of a strongly running flood or ebb tide, of a river flowing to the west or east.

Menai Bridge.

On reaching the Isle of Anglesey we arrive at Porthaethwy or Menai Bridge the name given to the village which sits on the Anglesey said of the Bridge. And a few miles further on the town of Beaumaris greets us. With the magnificent Castle built by Edward 1. as one of his last fortifications .

Beaumaris Castle.

Anglesey's undulating low hills make this island seem extremely un-Welsh. Beaumaris , (Beau Marais 'beautiful town') was named after a nearby marsh that was drained by the castle's moats. Today is is pronounced Bew-maris, and is regarded by the real Welshman as an English town, growing up around the castle, which, though declared defensible in 1298, was never finished. These days it is a yachting resort and the short main thoroughfare of Castle Street is a tidy line of pastel-coloured Regency and Victorian houses which give the street an upmarket look.

The town boasts much older buildings, Tudor Rose, one of the oldest houses in Britain, is said to have been built around 1400. The George and Dragon Hotel dating from 1410, the Court House built in 1614 and unchanged since the 18th century and the town jail, a 19th century building which provides insights into past punishments.

Once you have wandered around Beaumaris, keep wandering. Your reward will be to stumble across quiet coves like Red Wharf Bay or Benlech which are especially fine at low tide. Amlwch, near the island's northern coast, excercised its own attraction in the 18th century, but not through any scenic virtues. While the Romans had worked copper mines near here, it wasn't until 1768 that some especially rich veins of copper ore were tapped. Amlch became the most populated part of the island and a port was built here in 1793. The source of the ore, Parys Mountain, was eventually exhausted and its scarred remains overlook this small community.

Further along the northern coast at Cemaes Bay, secrecy was an ingredient for success for smugglers who used its secluded beaches. The secrets today take the form of Wylfa nuclear power station which, in a desire to keep its public releations sweet, invites the public on educational tours of the plant. Camaes Bay itself, Wales's most northerly village, is a picturesque little port with an attractive sandy beach.

For visitors to Wales, Holyhead is the end of the road; for those bound for Ireland, it is just the beginning. There are records of passenger boats between Anglesey and Ireland as far back as 1573. In 1801, Holyhead became the official crossing point and the opening of the road bridge (1826) and the railway bridge (1850) at Menai ensured the London-to-Ireland route's future.

South Stack Lighthouse, Holyhead.

In summer visitors who aren't just passing through make their way up Holyhead Mountain, which at more than 700 feet (210 metres) can provide fine views of Snowdonia, Ireland and even the Isle of Man. The signposts to the Irishmen's Huts refer to the remains of a large Celtic settlement that thrived between the 2nd and 4th .

Today, Holyhead, Anglesey's largest town with a population of just over 12,000 is a popular destination for golf and many other sports and activities with beautifully clean award winning beaches.

Breakwater, Holyhead.

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An interesting remnant of the past is the parish church of St.Cybi

St Cybi Church, Holyhead.

The churchyard takes the form of rectangular walls which are part of a Roman fort built in the third or fourth century. In the sixth century St Cybi set up his oratory within the protection offered by these Roman walls. Today's church dates from between the 15th and 17th centuries.

Heading back to the Menai Bridge from Holyhead we go inland to visit Llangefni, near the middle of the island, it has a small Museum of Anglesey, Oriel Ynys Mon. It offers an animated history show and displays the meticulous work of the noted bird painter Charles Tunnicliffe

Returning over the bridge to the mainland of Wales our travels take us to Caernarfon. Few who visit Wales for any length of time miss out Caernarfon. The Romans certainly didn't . The name Caer-yn-Arfon is ancient; there has been a castle on this spot for centuries.

The castle and town walls built by Edward I between 1285 and 1322 were successors to a strategic Roman fortification built in the vicinity more than 1,000 years earlier. Taking its name from the River Seiont, Segontium was garrisoned by the 20th Augustan Legion. Its foundations can still be seen.

Caernarfon Castle.

The fortification that stands today is part of the most ambitious military construction project of the Middle Ages - spawned by two 13th-century conflicts with Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, prince of the ancient kingdom of Gwynedd. Caernarfon is part of a network of fortifications that includes Conwy, Rhuddlan, Denbigh, Flint, Ruthin, Hope, Harlech, Aberystwyth and Builth. The investiture of the present Prince of Wales, Charles was held here in Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

Caernafon has kept its simple grid pattern of medieval streets and it is this feeling of compactness and enclosure that gives the old part of the town its character.

From Caernarfon we go down the Lleyn Peninsula where it is said that its local inhabitants "live in happy ignorance of this modern world" Centuries earlier, Gerald of Wales, while on his celebrated tour of 1188, also succumbed to the peninsula's sense of mystery. He wrote of Bardsey Island; "Either because of its pure air, which comes across the sea from Ireland, or through some miracle occasioned by the merits of the holy men who live there, the island has this pecularity, that no one dies there except in extreme old age, for disease is almost unheard of. In fact no one dies there at all, unless he is very old indeed."

Boasting of being the Land's End of Wales the Peninsula is 16 miles (25km) long and 3-10 miles (5-16km) broad the Llyn Peninsula still trades on its sense of being "different" to the rest of Wales.

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Malcolm
stickerman2@gmail.com
Date Last Modified: 18/07/09