I possibly did not pick the best time to go to North Wales. Early November is not known for it's balmy weather and so it proved, but that's not to say that my short break in the wilds of Wales was not enjoyable, because it was.
One of the things that North Wales is known for is its castles and that was the primary motivation for going. I had long wanted to see Conwy Castle and I was not disappointed. For a modest entrance fee I went inside Conwy Castle, a structure that dominates the walled town of Conwy. Sitting as it does right on the coast (an inlet really), it is very beautifully located and views of the surrounding area are just as impressive from inside the castle.
Ruined as it is, you are not well protected from the elements at Conwy Castle. However, my time there coincided with the only spell of sunshine in my trip. That said, the wind was not far away and upon climbing to the top of one of the towers, I was nearly blown off the castle altogether. I hung on and was rewarded with breath-taking views.
The trip to Conwy Castle was the highlight, but I did also see Caernarfon Castle too on my trip and there are many more along this stretch of coastline too, which are all well worth a visit.
I was eager to see other parts of North Wales too and this included a trip across the bridge into Angelsey. The worst of the weather struck while I was there, so I perhaps did not see it at its very best, but I still liked what I did see. South Stack Lighthouse was my first stop and a blustery walk along the coast. I also stopped at many of the beautiful beaches along the west coast too.
My trip was sompleted by a visit to the Welsh Mountain Zoo, a very picturesque little animal park that boasts some impressive wildlife, including tiger, brown bear and performing seal lions and penguins.
North Wales and Anglesey has much to recommend it and I hope to visit again, although hopefully with better weather next time!
My mission was to see puffins, and a colleague of mine suggested that the Farne Isles was the place to go. So, off I went and as it turned out, my colleague was right!
The best place to embark from when it comes to boat trips to the Farne Isles is Seahouses. I took two boat trips from there. The first included a landing on Staple Island, where I was treated to a barrage of noise (and smells) thanks to the many nesting sea birds that inhabit the island. Stars of the show are the Puffins, but Shags, Guillemots, Razorbills, Fulmars abound too. I noticed very few Gannets there, but my stop off at Bempton Cliffs on the way had more than filled my Gannet quota - it was Gannet Central there! Staple Island was Puffin Central and a more adorable sight in the bird world is hard to find.
My second trip involved no island landing and the main purpose of the trip was to spot seals, something that was not difficult to do!
There is far more to Northumberland than the coastline and I also enjoyed some of the many castles there too, most notably Alnwick Castle, with it's Harry Potter theme (one of the films was shot there) and it's beautiful gardens.
If you get the chance, do visit Northumberland - the Farne Isles are one of Britain's real jewels in the Spring and Hadrians Wall is not far away either (although I missed out as the weather closed in).
The first thing to understand about my short break in Mid Wales is that I wasn't supposed to be there! Where should I have been? The Galapagos Islands! In that regard, its hard to be too bouyant about a trip to Waes, but actually it was my salvation. Let me explain.
My twin brother and I had booked our "dream holiday" to the Galapagod Islands the previous September. I'd had all my holiday jabs and packed my bags. I'd even got as far as Miami and then it all went wrong. Apparently there are volcanoes in Ecuador - I now know this. Apparently, one had erupted shortly before we were due to fly from Miami to Quito. Other airlines flew anyway, citing the risk as marginal, but American Airlines were not willing to take the risk and so our flight was postponed for 18 hours (not cancelled you notice, postponed). As a result, we missed our flight from Quito to the Galapagos Islands, missed the boat and the whole holiday was ruined! Its fair to say there are few things in this world that have broken my heart more - I feel sad just writing this!
We could have made a holiday in Miami or gone onto Ecuador late and tried to do something there, but there was the small matter of money. A holiday to the Galapagos Islands is not cheap and I could not afford to do something else on the spur of the moment unless I knew the insurance company would reimburse me for the ruined holiday. As it turned out, they didn't, so our decision to return to the UK was a wise, if heartbreaking one.
Back in the UK, I felt pretty low. Our parents were very sympathetic, but my father's sympathy quickly turned to pragmatism - what are you going to do instead? I explained my financial position and Dad offered to pay for a holiday for me. Bless him and his generosity. I didn't take him up on the offer, but I did agree with him and so I booked a hotel in Wales and packed up the car and off I went.
No sooner had I made the booking than I started to feel better. As luck would have it, this period coincided with some of the best and hottest weather of the summer, so I was in for beautiful scenery and beautiful weather.
I went to Gwbert, just outside Cardigan. If you ever get the chance do go there, because its a lovely spot. The view from my hotel was of the sea and there lots to see and do nearby. I went to Strumble Head and saw it's lovely lighthouse, not to mention the seals lazing about of the rocks below. The walk along the coastline there is part of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, a National Trail, and was littered with butterflies during what I understand has been a much needed bumper year for British butterflies.
I took a boat trip from Gwbert, the aim of which was to see dolphins. No such luck on the dolphin front (and I couldn't help but feel that my luck just wasn't in!), but they are wild animals and there is not guarantee you will see them. I did get good views of seals, however, and we ventured into some sea caves too, which was fun.
Views of Carigan Island and the Animal Farm nearby were also very enjoyable, as was my afternoon on the beach at Mwnt.
All in all, it was a lovely trip. Although not what I had been expecting to see, I took my Dad's advice and made the best of a bad situation and there's always another year to see the Galapagos Islands.
