Since Kitty wasn't feeling up to her usual high level after missing out on needed sleep for two nights, the number of photos taken during our stay in Wales, April 21-23, 2002, are on the meager side. However, even with all the "moisture", the scenery was quite lovely. (See also Kitty's verbal description.) A map of north western Wales for reference.
Tom in Rhyl, on the northern coast, with the Irish Sea at low tide.
Kitty with a much needed cup of tea after we walked along the sea wall in Rhyl.
Our reservations were for the Snowden Ranger Hostel in Snowdonia National Park, outside the little village of Rhyd-Dhu in Gwynedd Wales, to be exact.
Our private room was on the top floor with only an openable skylight window.
The view from the window was quite spectacular, even if Kitty had to stand on her toes to enjoy it.
After a brief walk around the area we enjoyed a light supper in front of the fire in the hostel living room.
As Kitty was not feeling particularly well, we decided against doing any climbing of Mt. Snowden, the main immediate attraction. Instead, Kitty pulled herself together and we were off to see some of the surrounding villages, taking a loop route south, west, and then north to Caernarfon before returning to the hostel after the end of "lock out".
Sheep grazing - here outside village of Rhyd-Ddu - is as common a sight as in the Peak District of north central England.
We spent a couple hours walking around the picturesque village of Beddgelert, named, according to legend, for the grave of an ancient king's dog. In a fit of rage the master killed the dog thinking that the blood-covered animal had killed his young son who was missing. After it was then discovered that the dog had killed a wolf thereby keeping the child safe, he was overwhelmed with grief and guilt. Legend has it that he never smiled again.
Two rivers meet in Beddgelert and each has walking paths on both sides. Along one is an area filled with enormous rhododendrons which were only in their early budding stage.
For us the confluence of the two rivers in Beddgelgert creates a fascinating visualization of fluid dynamics in action. And for others it's just a really nice place to munch on lunch.
Kitty just couldn't resist preserving the sight of these well manicured row houses situated just a couple of hundred yards from the merging rivers in Beddgelert.
After leaving Beddgelert, we travelled south to Tremadog where we drove lazily northwest. About half-way enroute to Caernarfon we enjoyed a walk along the quiet country road.
Tom demonstrates the use of a stile which allows a person to enter the public walking paths that traverse fields typically housing grazing sheep. These are of a slightly different design than those we used in the Peak District southeast of Manchester.
Kitty was just a fraction of a second too late to catch the sheep on the right actually grazing from a kneeling position. She'd never seen this before and found it fascinating.
Along another road on the other side of the pasture, we walked for long distance beside a very tall wall that blocked all view beyond it. Spying a block missing, Tom took a look and reported "Just more trees".
Tom heads back to the stile as we return to the car (top visible over wall on far left) and on towards Caernarfon where we did a bit of grocery shopping for upcoming meals before returning to the hostel.
Thus ended the visually "recorded history" of our first full day in Wales. We managed to get to sleep a bit earlier that night since again we'd have to vacate the premises the next day.
 |
 |
This website is not copyright because its creators do not agree with government copyright laws. Readers are welcome to copy and distribute any text within the site as long as they do not modify the text and they provide a link to this website as its clear source.