I finally got the pictures attached to this post so here is the entry I wrote in July--We're home after a whirlwind vacation so I'll try to update on the last few weeks of our travels before we take off again. Our last jaunt in the UK was to Northern Wales, it was a beautiful area that was very different from many of the other areas we'd visited. It also felt much more foreign with many of the signs written in Welsh. Some things were obvious to figure out like bws and twnnel (bus and tunnel) but other words were much more difficult. Our first stop was at Conwy castle on the northern coast of Wales. It was pouring rain when we arrived but luckily let up after a while as the castle ruins don't provide much shelter from the elements. It was interesting to climb the towers and look out over the river and walled town that sets adjacent to the castle. This castle was built by King Edward I during the 13th century along with other castles in Northern Wales in order to establish a continued presence in the area during his campaign.
We then headed to Snowdonia National Park to check into the British military lodge we were staying at. If you look closely in the picture below you can see the gray lodge at the base of the mountains. It was located in a beautiful valley inside the park.
The next day we headed out in the occasional drizzle to hike to Idwal Cwm. A cwm is a glaciated valley. The 3 mile hike was beautiful along a river flowing down through pastures from the lake that was surrounded by beautiful mountains with waterfalls flowing down them. Whitney did an excellent job hiking the entire distance.
We then took the scenic route driving through Snowdonia National Park with it's amazing vistas up to Caernafon which is also on the northern coast. Caernarfon is another castle that was built by Edward I during his campaign. This is also the castle where Prince Charles was invested as the Prince of Wales in 1969.
We then enjoyed another beautiful drive through a different part of Snowdonia back to our lodging. The next morning brought pouring rain but that didn't deter us from another 3 mile hike to some beautiful waterfalls however we were soaked to the bone even with wearing rain gear by the time we returned to the car.
On our way back to the base that day we stopped at Ironbridge gorge which has the first iron bridge ever built and is credited with the birth of the Industrial Revolution.
The next day we headed out in the occasional drizzle to hike to Idwal Cwm. A cwm is a glaciated valley. The 3 mile hike was beautiful along a river flowing down through pastures from the lake that was surrounded by beautiful mountains with waterfalls flowing down them. Whitney did an excellent job hiking the entire distance.
We then took the scenic route driving through Snowdonia National Park with it's amazing vistas up to Caernafon which is also on the northern coast. Caernarfon is another castle that was built by Edward I during his campaign. This is also the castle where Prince Charles was invested as the Prince of Wales in 1969.
We then enjoyed another beautiful drive through a different part of Snowdonia back to our lodging. The next morning brought pouring rain but that didn't deter us from another 3 mile hike to some beautiful waterfalls however we were soaked to the bone even with wearing rain gear by the time we returned to the car.
On our way back to the base that day we stopped at Ironbridge gorge which has the first iron bridge ever built and is credited with the birth of the Industrial Revolution.
2 comments:
Awesome pictures!! I am glad to have you guys back though!
Thanks for the tour! Great pictures!
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