Wales Part One

Well, after a swell few days in Liverpool, actually a couple more than my wallet could really handle, I was back on the train heading West. Under the River Mersey and around the River Dee via Chester, onward to where I was to start pedaling in Abergele & Pensarn, Wales.

Why to Abergele? Well for a few reasons, I was trying to limit the amount of long distances I would have to cover at this point of the trip due to my IT bands causing me a great deal of pain. The ride from Birkenhead into Wales was not really worth the extra effort, so I skipped a bit, getting nearest to the first place of interest on my itinerary, Gwrych Castle.

So the first day I did not push myself too much, I took my time, being sure to take in the sights and sounds of Gwrych Castle, Castle Conwy, the tiny Chapel of St. Trillo(pictured above) which is thought to be the smallest church in the British Isles seating just six people. It was a lovely sunny day, perfect for riding along the shores of the Irish Sea to my first camp in Llanfairfechan. A little old farmstead converted into a campsite awaited me. I payed my 10 quid, set up camp and went for a little walk around the grounds which turned out to be the setting of Watership Down! There were a million rabbits munching on grass and scurrying around.

The first two days could not have been anymore quintessentially Welsh, for every turn provided another view feeding into my supposition about what I was to expect in Wales. Small roads through tall hedgerows dipping up and down hills, dark and wet looking stone buildings and barns, mountains, and castles and foliage that was a whole new depth of green I had never experienced. This was the ride to Bangor in a nutshell. Once in Bangor I did what I would do in most big towns in Britain, immediately hit up the local M&S and Coop grocery store and raid the 50% off food, I would eat my fill of old sandwiches or cold pasta or Pad Thai in the town square and take pictures of buildings and scenes of note. Bangor is a cute city, wedged between the Menai Straight and the rocky hills surrounding. It is a college town, so heaps of young folks but it has in the past served as a small port mostly for military purposes and to support the slate mining industry in Snowdonia to the south.

From Bangor I turned south-east to start my ride upward and inward to Snowdonia Nation Park. I jumped on the short bit of what is the National Cycle Route 82. This was a mix of gravel rail trail and traffic free local roads which wind there way through valleys and along slate mines into the clouds, quite literally. This day riding into Snowdonia was a bit overcast and once in the park the cloud ceiling was quite low. Also not a surprise, as these are the highest peaks in Wales.

I had a fantastic time cycling through the upper end of the park and meandered my way down to a small town in a valley named Betws-y-Coed(No, I do not know how to pronounce any of the names, Ha!). I made tracks up a closed mountain road and found a quiet little spot in the woods suitable for my first night of many spent Wild Camping on my trip. Overall these two days were a total of 108km to give you an idea. Enjoy!

Check out Part 2 now!