I wish I had saved some of the email and text exchanges I had with Kathleen during the final stages of planning this trip. I had narrowed down BnB options and was running them by her so she could have the final say, but most of her replies consisted of: “Wales? Why?”
She wasn’t being a jerk, she just genuinely didn’t know what Wales had to offer. And truthfully, when I started researching this trip, I didn’t know either. I had us going through Wales because… It was there. And it seemed like a waste to not even try to see a country that was easily accessible to us.
But the more I looked into it, the more excited I got. And I found myself getting defensive every time Kathleen questioned me about it. “Why Wales? Why NOT Wales?!” If she’d had more free time during those last couple of weeks of planning, I would’ve given her a list of reasons why she should be excited, but my replies boiled down to: “Just trust me on this.”
The questions continued right up through driving to Wales, but they were totally valid questions. Keep in mind that we’d had a rough few days previously, and it had us all on edge as we waited for something else to go wrong. But despite the questions and doubts, they both trusted me even as we embarked on one of the most terrifying drives of my life — and I’ve driven through tropical storms.
We went from pretty narrow, two-laned roads lined with walls to this picture above, a one-laned road meant for two-way traffic. It went zig-zagging up a mountain and past privately-owned farms for about five miles, with occasional spots to pull over and let oncoming cars pass by.
This is when the questions really started rolling in, and I couldn’t really blame them. It felt like we were getting lost (even though the Audi was sure we were on the right track) and the drive was stressful.
But it was all worth it when we walked up to this.
It’s called Pistyll Rhaeadr, and it’s even more beautiful in person. There’s an old-worldly magic surrounding it, like fairies used to live there, and it’s so off the beaten path that tourists don’t seem to know about it. In fact, we came across only two others while we were there.
Everything was so lush and green! It was peaceful and again, totally worth the terrifying drive. Just goes to prove that most things worth seeing are off the beaten path.
On the way back down, we were flagged down by some tourists who were concerned about a baby sheep that had gotten stuck on the wrong side of the fence. They asked us to continue down the hill and stop at the next house to let the owners know, so we continued about a quarter of a mile and then Kathleen hopped out and knocked on the door of the farmhouse.
The woman who answered was cheerful and laughed when Kathleen explained about the sheep, saying “They get a bit naughty up around the sign, they escape, and do you know why? Because the grass is greener on the other side!”
Our BnB was in the Snowdonia National Forest, and it wasn’t a long drive on the way back up. This farmhouse would be the first place we had all to ourselves, and it was an adventure to find it. We went from a paved road to a gravel road to a dirt road, which went past a very old Welsh man and his sheep dog, “Good Girl,” who tried to herd our car away from her property.
But the sign at the front door of the main house was promising.
And the welcome committee was unparalleled.
FOUR. CHOCOLATE. LABRADORS. Aren’t they adorable?!
We settled into our farmhouse and then made a quick trip to Tesco, then came home and cooked dinner for the first time since Iceland.
We grabbed some chicken breasts and one of the pre-packaged vegetable mixes for stir-fry, then I got to work. In addition to being the driver, I was also the cook! But I love cooking, and the only thing I love more than cooking is cooking on a gas range. Helllooooo, dream kitchen!
The other two were occupied with important business.
Those were the last two bottles from the stash they’d purchased in the duty-free store in Iceland. Pretty sure they were volcanic in nature.
We look bemused because half of these selfies were taken right after one of us informed her “you’re not in selfie mode.”
I loved the big picture window at the sink that looked out into the pasture, and the cute L-shaped staircase that went upstairs. If you’re ever looking for accommodation in Wales, I can’t recommend this place enough! It was well-stocked with dishes, coffee and tea, linens, cleaning products, board games, books, cable TV, coal and kindling for fires, and best of all, a table piled with brochures and maps for local attractions.
We had problems closing the front door on our first night, so our host called in her husband to come fix it, which is how we ended up chatting with them for about an hour. They were full of information about Welsh culture and history and were more than happy to recommend places for us to see while we were there. I was glad for that, because while I really wanted to stay in this area of Wales, I didn’t exactly have a list of must-sees.
I was also in charge of fire-building, which is good because I like doing that too. And it really was chilly enough for a fire those first two nights. I bet this cabin is amazingly cozy and comfortable in the winter! (You can see some of the board games and books that were available, but we ended up being lucky enough to have amazing weather, so we didn’t have a lot of downtime at the cabin.)
We were up bright and early the next morning, ready to explore the Isle of Anglesey on the recommendation of our hosts.
This is the boardwalk at Newborough Warren, where there are several options for hiking trails depending on how intense you’re willing to go.
We were wearing jeans and light jackets, and we felt a little ridiculous and incredibly Floridian when we stepped onto the beach and saw several locals wearing shorts and light shirts, and some who were even in swimsuits! The Welsh are hardcore, y’all.
This is the view to the southeast from the water’s edge. I love seeing a beach with mountains in the background.
Further down the beach were thousands of these piles that looked like spaghetti. I looked them up later when I had wifi, and it turned out they were lugworm casts.
At the end of the beach is Ynys Llanddwyn, a peninsula which turns into an island at high tide.
This is the view from the top of the first hill on the island, and you can see where the tide would come in and cut off this part of the island from the main land. There are precautions posted everywhere warning hikers to watch the tides in order to avoid getting stranded.
My favorite part about Wales is how dog friendly they are as a country; people have their dogs everywhere, and they’re all so well-behaved! But the paths on Ynys Llanddwyn get a little treacherous, and I think the whole area is protected anyway, so pups have to stick to the beach.
We also appreciated that Wales does Welsh and English translations on all of their signs — road signs, grocery store aisles, even the painted warnings on roads that say “SLOW” are preceded by “ARAF,” the Welsh translation. And yes, the Welsh is always listed first, just like the sign pictured above.
The island was gorgeous, and we all ended up separating as we took in the views.
The ruins of the church to St. Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of love, are still there, so the cross in the foreground is the iconic image from this island. The lighthouse in the background is decommissioned and inaccessible.
All three of us would highly recommend this amazing little slice of solitude.
After a morning spent exploring the island, we headed to Conwy, where an Edwardian-era castle still stands.
That’s the Welsh flag flying on it, and have I mentioned how amazing it is that their flag has a dragon on it?!
You’re able to walk the castle walls for free, but the castle itself charges admission, so we skipped it in order to explore a bit of Conwy instead.
I’m really not sure how well Justin would do in some of these places. I didn’t even get on my tiptoes for this.
We were dragging a bit by then, so we decided to get some refreshments… with a view!
I became a big fan of the flat white, and Mum became a big fan of the scones.
This was the view from the tower. If that doesn’t sell you on Wales, nothing will.
We headed back to the cabin for another home-cooked meal and a night by the fire watching rugby.
The next day was spent doing a lot of driving and non-picture-taking sightseeing.
Our first stop was this, again on the Isle of Anglesey, because we’d forgotten to see this on the previous day. It’s the longest place-name in Europe!
We also drove through Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed, but we spent the majority of the day in Llanberis, which is located between two gorgeous lakes.
This is Llyn Padarn, and we hiked around a good portion of this lake and ate lunch at the water’s edge.
Our last morning was bittersweet. We loved our stay in Wales, and we especially loved our cozy cabin — it felt like a calm oasis after the rocky beginning to our big trip.
But it was time to move on to the Pennines and Bronte country.
You, Me, and Ollie! 