Northern Wales: Part One
A few weeks ago in March a friend and I had the pleasure of spending a weekend discovering the beautiful coastline of North Wales. We ended up staying in the gorgeous coastal village of Conwy for three days and we loved every minute! During our time we explored the town and its bay-side charm. We even spent a day venturing over to Caernarfon and the edge of Snowdonia National Park, but more on that adventure later. Part one of our trip to Conwy starts with an early morning visit to historic Conwy Castle.
We left our accommodation and wandered around the quiet streets just taking our time to explore and work out where every thing was situated. Following the many walking paths we ended up down by the waterside of the castle facing towards the hills, see if you can spot the swans nesting in the image below. A lovely tranquil moment before the rest of our busy day.
Conwy Castle was built around the 12 century by Edward I and has withstood centuries of history within its walls and throughout the surrounding land. The entire town has some of the best preserved city walls in the world, and amazingly enough you can just about walk on top of all of them, getting panoramic views of the entire surrounding landscape from many vantage points. Within the castle itself you can buy admission and take as little or as long as you like to explore the remains. Most of the castle towers are still accessible using their original staircases and you can walk right to the top, taking in the views and history. The site is UNESCO world heritage listed due to its excellent preservation of architecture from the 12 and 13 century.
The Castle has seen centuries of various occupation and forms part of a complex and long history between the Welsh and the English. You can read more about the occupation and historical events here. This visit was the first time I had ever seen a castle in person, I loved wandering throughout and taking in all of the history. It’s one thing to spend your school years taking history classes and another to actually see it in person, whether it be landscapes or architectural feats.
After a few hours at the Castle, we decided that it was time to wander into town for some lunch. Being a little seaside town, we knew we needed to have fish and chips at some point during our visit! We stumbled across a little hole-in-the-wall fish and chip shop called ‘Fishermans Quayside Take Away’. We walked through and ordered from a window and waited whilst it was cooked to order. It definitely didn’t disappoint, although we nearly ended up sharing our meals with the seagulls that joined us by the water where we ate. I have to make a note of the seagulls here in the UK, compared to home they are around double the size! (It does mean that it’s slightly intimidating whilst you’re trying to eat.) The sign certainly didn’t lie, given that it was the only fish and chips we ate in North Wales, they probably were the best fish and chips around!
We decided after lunch to walk off the fish and chips and explore other areas surrounding the town centre. We got to see the smallest house in Great Britain. I had read about it being in Conwy and had actually forgotten all about it right up until we accidentally found it. A nice surprise to stumble upon. We ended up walking along the bay area until we decided to detour through Bodlondeb Woods, where we hiked to the top and explored the natural elements of the town. It’s well worth the visit, at the top you can hear the leaves rustling and at times the ocean in the distance, you might even run into a few locals walking their dogs.
Once we walked out of the woods, we were on the opposite side of our starting point, so we continued onward making a full loop of the town. When we got back to the main streets we visited some of the shops, exploring the many locally produced items they had on offer. After stopping for ice cream (yes, even in the cold winter!) and a visit to the local tourist centre we made a detour towards the town walls on the opposite side of the castle to see more of the amazing vantage points.
There you have it – a recap of our first day spent in the lovely town of Conwy! We really enjoyed how different it felt to anywhere else we had been before and definitely felt an appreciation for the history of the area. I loved that the town has a beautiful mixture of ocean and mountain landscapes, which was something I hadn’t really experienced back home, particularly seeing the snowcapped mountains in the distance! Additionally we thought it was so unique to see how the area has been shaped by the castle and its history, as much of the town is literally built and connected to original 12 century architecture. This was part one of our trip, so keep an eye out for part two coming soon!
Kathleen Freeman is a graphic designer and freelance writer; she is currently undertaking a Media and Communications degree. In her spare time she continues the search to find the book/coffee shop combination store throughout the globe.
All images, unless otherwise stated, are copyright of Kathleen Freeman, and may not be reproduced without express written permission of the author.