A VISIT TO PENMAEMAWR, WALES
A Trip Across the Country…
By Glynn Burrows
ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Glynn Burrows, owner of Norfolk Tours, shares his adventures in Penmaemawr, Wales. Watch here in the YouTube player or download the podcast on Acast.
This year, we decided to travel all the way across our country for our Summer holiday and, for us, that meant a five-hour drive……..
We live near to the East coast of the United Kingdom and our holiday destination was a small town in Wales, called Penmaenmawr, which is just a few miles from the West coast. That does help to illustrate just how easy it is to travel around Great Britain, as nowhere is over a day away.
We had never been to Wales before and, as there are so many Castles in Wales and the scenery is spectacular, we decided that a trip out that way was a good idea. It would also give me a chance to get some great photographs to share with you all.
Our accommodation was a first-floor apartment in a lovely little Victorian house, overlooking the sea and out across to Anglesea and Puffin Island, so waking up every morning to have breakfast watching the tides and the birds was something special.
Anglesea is an island just off the North coast of Wales and it is connected to the mainland by two bridges. We went over and explored an amazing mansion called Pas Newydd, built overlooking the Menai Straights. The story of the house is quite sad, but there are some unique pieces in the collection and the gardens are gorgeous.
We also visited the Eastern Point Lighthouse and Puffin Island, which we could see from our window and the close-up views over to Puffin Island were breathtaking. The ruins of Penmon Priory, founded in the 6th century, and the Dovecote, built around 1600, are definitely sites that shouldn’t be missed.
Beautiful colours at Plas Newydd
Returning to the mainland, we stopped off at Bangor, to walk out on the pier to get some different views over the Straight and the local ice cream just had to be sampled.
Our next visit was a place that jogged our memories of our childhood as we both remember the present King when he was invested as Prince of Wales in 1969 in Caernarfon Castle. It was one of those things that just sticks in our memory and, for us to visit the place this piece of history actually happened was quite special. The Dias used for the investiture is still in place and can be seen in some of my pictures.
The Castle itself is amazing, but, if you ever visit, do remember that there are a lot of steps and most of them are made of stone and are spiral going to the top of the various towers. There are several towers and each one has its own spiral staircase, so it is up and down, up and down, and up and down! Mind you, the views are worth it.
Caernarfon Castle was constructed by King Edward I and he had the Castle, the town fortifications, and the quay all built within just 47 years.
On one of our free afternoons, as the weather was glorious, we took a little drive into the mountains of Snowdonia. Snowdon or Yr Wyddfa is the highest mountain in Wales, at 1,085 meters above sea level. It is the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands.
The next place we visited was Conwy Castle that is another amazing Medieval building, overlooking the mouth of the river Conway. This was yet another project of King Edward I and this was even more amazing that Caernarfon as the Castle and the fortifications were all constructed in just four years, between 1283 and 1287. The fact that the town walls and the Castle were all completed in that space of time, using just manpower, is a feat that is quite unbelievable, and the sad thing is that the King only stayed in the Castle once. He was trapped by a Welsh rebellion of 1294 and spent a miserable Christmas with just one barrel of wine in the castle cellar for comfort.
I don’t know how big the barrel was!
Glynn provides customized, private tours and also helps his clients trace their English family history. Past guests have visited and experienced stately houses and gardens, castles and churches, ruins and villages, birding and wildlife, World War II airfields, and general area taster tours too. Accommodations can be in all types of establishment, from character buildings such as windmills, thatched cottages and castles, self-catering or five star luxury – just say what you want and it can be arranged. Nothing is too much trouble for Glynn! Visit www.Norfolk-Tours.co.uk
