Travel Flashback – Wales 2005 (Part 1)

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I’ve already written about my 2005 trip to Liverpool, England. But that was only a very small part of our summer trip. The next two posts are about the rest of our trip, which focused on Wales.

The waterfront in Aberystwyth, Wales. We stayed in one of these buildings (and climbed the hill behind).

From Liverpool, we travelled by train all the way to the Welsh coastal resort town of Aberystwyth (see also the photo at the very top of this post). It felt somewhat frozen in time: kind of what we imagined a British seaside resort might have felt like a few decades before. We stayed in a B&B located right on the waterfront.

We ventured out of Aberystwyth into this small community

Aberystwyth itself has been somewhat anglicized, as it is a destination for both English tourists and English students (Aberystwyth University). However, you don’t have to go far out of town to find areas that are almost entirely Welsh-speaking.

Like many British seaside resorts, Aberystwyth has a pier with various amusements and rather unhealthy food. We didn’t partake in any of the attractions here, but we knew we’d get another chance soon! And we did climb a nearby hill for a great view of the entire town. Alas, the high winds and rain made my photographs less than brilliant.

The very cosy downtown of Caernarfon , Wales

From Aberyswyth, we took a bus to our next destination: the bustling town of Caernarfon. We were living on the edge a bit more then, and didn’t worry about booking any accommodation in advance. In this case, the gamble paid off: a newly reopened B&B had space and was offering reduced rates because it was so new. It was great! Not only did it look regal from the outside, the interior was just as impressive. It’s always nice to feel like you’re getting a good deal.

Our B&B in Caernarfon, Wales

Caernarfon has a very high proportion of Welsh speakers. Locals use it to communicate between themselves, even though almost everyone speaks English as well. Caernarfon sees a lot of tourists too, particularly as it is home to the massive Caernarfon Castle. The current castle dates back to the 13th century and we spent an enjoyable morning exploring it.

Inside Caernarfon Castle (Caernarfon, Wales)

We stayed in Caernarfon for several days and made it a base for our exploration of northwest Wales. One of our trips was on a picturesque narrow-gauge railroad from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog (long after our visit, the line was extended from Porthmadog to Caernarfon).

Tanybwlch Station, halfway between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog. The train stopped here so that a train going in the opposite direction could pass.

Blaenau Ffestiniog used to be a bustling slate mining town. However, with the decline in mining, the town’s population is barely one-third of what it used to be. As slate has been used extensively, the town is very grey (especially after the vibrant colours of Aberystwyth and Caernarfon). It also rains a lot! While tourism is emerging as a replacement for slate mining, the transition was far from complete in 2005. The vibe near the train station was a little rough and, as a result, we didn’t stay for long. I’m sure this has changed in the intervening two decades. It appears that Blaenau Ffestiniog is now becoming a centre for mountain biking and other adventure sports.

View of Blaenau Ffestiniog from the railway station.

Our Welsh adventures are far from over. Stay tuned for more, including our journey to the very highest point in Wales (and England, for that matter)!

2 thoughts on “Travel Flashback – Wales 2005 (Part 1)”

  1. I hitchhiked from London to Swansea, Wales on the M4 in 1973. Stayed overnight and then took a bus over the backhills to Fishguard, Wales for the ferry to Wexford, Ireland (those were the days before serial killers and you could still `put out your thumb’ as an economical means of travel)!

    1. You are a brave man! I never tried my hand (thumb) at hitchhiking. Didn’t make it to southern Wales either, but I did see some other places in the north. Details to come soon. And Swansea…home of that criminally underrated band Badfinger!

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