Category Archives: wales

Travel: Barmouth, Wales

Yesterday I took you to Corris, Wales to the King Arthur’s Labyrinth. After our memorable day there we headed into the coastal town of Barmouth for dinner. Our lovely hosts at the Penycoed Hall Guest House recommended we try The Mermaid for their infamous fish & chips. My sister Zoë had arrived a few days later than the group and had yet to eat this British delicacy on this trip back…and was craving it! I have had some delicious fish & chips and some i-regret-ordering-this-meal fish & chips during my time living in the UK. I can definitely say that our experience at the Mermaid was wonderful, the service was fast, and the food was eaten before we knew it. We were able to snag a two tables for our party inside, but it ended up getting quite the que of people waiting to make their orders. It must be a very popular spot in Barmouth.

Afterwards we walked around the town, found a grocery store to stock up our kitchen back at the B&B, and took a stroll along the beach. The beach photographs to follow soon as I recap our lovely 10th Anniversary adventure in Wales. It was a lovely evening and a perfect end to another beautiful day leading up to our Vow Renewal.

Q: What are some of your favourite aspects or memories from visiting seaside and coastal towns?

King Arthur’s Labyrinth – Corris, Wales

41 Replies

Our third day in Wales we decided to take everyone to one of the visitor attractions in the area that would interest both the kids and adults a like. Since there is a lot of Arthur legend found in Wales, we opted to visit the King Arthur’s Labyrinth in Corris. We arrived with the typical UK weather of not knowing if it would rain or not. Luckily spending a day at King Arthur’s Labyrinth means there are plenty of places to duck in side if does start to pour. Luckily for us we did not have to deal with the rain during our stay. We started off by going to the cafe for lunch to feed our group. They have a nice picnic area outside where you can sit and the kids can later play on the playground equipment in an enclosed area. We then ventured around the nine different craft shops that boasted local goods like the wooden Welsh love spoons, candles, and leather goods.

When our group was ready we went on the Cave tour which involved donning a hard hat and following our hooded tour guide of very few words. What followed was a dramatized boat ride into the old abandoned slate caverns where we followed on foot underground in the dark and winding labyrinth. Every so often we would stop to hear more of the legends. The atmosphere down there is quite interesting as it is very cold (so remember to bundle up), quite dark, and many low ceilings where even tall children would have to duck their heads. When we finished we let the children play at the park again until we were ready to leave for the day. Overall it was a very nice visitor attraction for families and groups. There was also a tour of the abandoned mines where you can see the remains of the miners that sounded really interesting. Due to the iffy weather it was not available to us but something for a sequential visit for sure.

Q: What do you think of King Arthur’s Labyrinth? Would you go into the caves?

My Favourite Things to do in Wales

21 Replies

I have been having so much fun recapping our time in Wales and going through all the photographs that were taken from our trip. It has made me realize all the things, big and small, that I have loved about being in Wales.

People have asked me why we decided on renewing our vows in Wales and if the place held any personal significance for us. To be honest upon planning our trip, my husband and kids had never been to Wales before. We had a list of dream locations to renew our vows that included: Italy where I had grown up as girl; on a mountain top in Austria, a place that held a lot memories with my dad; and in France, where we had friends that lived. When it came down to finally choosing a place we knew we needed to stay within the UK, but wanted to choose a place we had never been to before. Ryan had heard about renting cabins in Wales and we had started looking at places last Christmas with my mum. It looked doable for us as well as providing a fantastic new location to explore. That is how it all began.

We did not have a schedule written in stone before drove up to Wales. Partly because one of our friends coming was 8 months pregnant and Ryan and I like to be more spontaneous. We had a list of ideas and went ahead knowing we would just have to return to do the things we did not get ticked off our list. While I can foresee going to Wales many more times during our time in England, there were so many that became my favourite things to do in Wales.

My Favourite Things
T O D O I N W A L E S

√ Drive Around the Countryside. When choosing which way to get to Dolgellau from Bath, England we knew it had to be the scenic route with rolling green hills of sheep, quaint little villages to drive through, and passing by a castle or two would not hurt either. Aside from a few cases of getting car sick, driving through Wales was definitely one of the highlights.

√ Seeing the Castles. I love seeing castles in the UK and they are a favourite destination for my family. We had attempted to renew our vows at a castle nearby. We parked and got ready to go in when we realised the walk from the car to the entrance was not going to be feasible in my gown and for my friend who was expecting. So while we did not go to a castle this trip, seeing them at least was still a perk!

√ Being Outside in all Types of Weather. When we told friends and acquaintances in England that we chose Wales for our 10th Wedding Anniversary we were imminently met with a response about the weather. Wales is known for having a lot of rain. While we had a heat wave this summer, it ended the week we went to Wales. Go Figure. However it did not stop us from being outside. We had lovely sunny days, perfectly overcast days for photos, and even enjoyed walks and a train ride in the rain showers.

√ Reading the Road Signs. Or should I say trying to pronounce the road signs. Or anything that had the Welsh language on it. Almost every signage found would have the words written in both English and Welsh. Since we do not speak Welsh, trying to figure out how to say things was really fun. The town we stayed in, Dolgellau, has a double L sound which is pronounced by putting your tongue as if you are going to say L and then blowing. Dolgellau being pronounced like dol-gell-eye. Course I also heard it pronounced like dol-gethl-eye by locals, so I just tried my best to smile in my attempts.

√ Seeing the Sheep. To be fair I love doing this in England too. Although what I have noticed about the sheep in England is that they tend to stay together in groups. In Wales they are just all over the place and usually in groups no larger than three or four. It was a common sight to see a mountain side literally dotted across it in white dots that were sheep grazing. Some seemed pretty brave on a steep mountain side, along side the road, or on top of mountain peaks.

√ Going to the Beach. After our trip we have decided we could easily come up every year just to spend time at the beach. We got to go twice during our week in Wales and it was perfection for my ocean loving family. We have almost always lived along the coast wherever in the world we lived and always feel so content with being close to the sea. The sand is lovely, the views are picturesque, and my sons never seem to mind that the water is quite the chill factor.

√ Riding on the Train. On a rainy day we decided it would be a good idea to take a train ride. I had not realised there would be so many to choose from when we were looking over all the pamphlets we had taken from the local grocery store. While the one we went on did not have all that in the way of amazing views, it was more of the experience that caught my fancy. I loved passing the other steam engines, hearing the whistle blow, and reading the signs along the way. We even enjoyed tea and snacks which was great, until I spilled tea all down my new white dress. So maybe next time I will aim to dress practically and not in white every day because its my 10th Wedding Anniversary.

√ The Hiking. I asked my husband what his favourite thing to do was and he answered with this one, to which I have to agree. We got to go on a country walk hiking through the forest area near our B&B and went on an all day hike in the mountains of Cadair Idris. It is something we love to do weekly in England and became something special for us in Wales. I grew up going on country walks in England and hiking with my dad in Germany, both while we lived there and when we lived in Italy. He continued to go on regular hikes where he lived in Tucson, Arizona before he died. So while we were on the mountain hiking with our sons, it was like having my father there with us. Ryan even mentioned how much my dad would have loved doing this with us. Thats all I could have asked for…a connection with my dad during a special time in our life.

√ Trying the local Ales. My husband and I love to try the local drinks when we travel or are out and about in England. So in Wales we continued this tradition with ordering the local ales and ciders. I really enjoyed the Purple Moose Ale and will have to have it again when we are back in Wales. We ended up going out for drinks with my sister for my husband’s ‘stag night’ and enjoyed meeting new people (and their dogs) at the local pub.

√ Make Friends with the Wild Life. I love animals. They all seemed so friendly in Wales. I made friends with horses, sheep, geese, and even a lone jelly fish while at the beach. Luckily for me the later quickly disappeared and did not want to be super close friends.

√ Take My Kids to an Attraction. For this trip we opted for a fun day out for both our families at the King Arthur’s Labyrinth, based on the lore of King Arthur and Welsh history. They had a cave we got to explore, a play area, a cafe, and nine separate craft studios. It was just enough to entertain the adults while keeping the five children all happy for a few hours. If you are interested in going it is located in the town of Corris.

√ Exploring the Towns and Villages. If you are a photographer like me than you love to notice the details and photograph your surroundings. Being able to walk around and explore the towns by foot is just a perfect way to spend some time. From the public houses to the beautiful and manicured gardens there is a story for you with each footstep you take. We also took to the coastal village destination of Portmeirion for our actual vow renewal ceremony, which gave us a Mediterranean storybook feel in Wales.

√ Exploring Ruins. Just near the town of Dolgellau, in the village of Llanelltyd, are the ruins of a Cistercian abbey that was founded in 1158. The Cymer Abbey is just beautiful and it became a perfect backdrop for family photographs for us while we were in Wales.

√ Enjoy Every Moment. I am a free spirit and I really just enjoy living in the moment and experiencing it with my family and friends. I knew that no matter what we did in Wales, keeping true to that would make it an amazing week. It truly was and a place to where we will have to return.

An outtake of my family from our 10th Wedding Anniversary at our B&B.

Cadair Idris

41 Replies

I am linking up today with Casey from True Colours for the travel series: Wanderlust. The theme for August is Natural Wonders and I continue our recap of our trip to Wales with a sneak peek of our mountain hike. We stayed in the town of Dolgellau in Gwynedd for our 10th Wedding Anniversary. Dolgellau is located next to the mountain Cadair Idris in the southern end of Snowdonia National park. The famous peak on Cadair Idris is a popular location with many paths from which to choose from to get there.

The day before our hike my husband and I had prepared our boys for the trek with a stop at the local sporting store in town for hiking boots. While there we talked to the store keeper about which path to take to the top. He told us of two ways: one easy path and one more challenging trail. On the day of during our hike we got to the point where we had to choose either the longer easier path or the ‘shorter’ more challenging path. Since we take our sons, six and eight, on regular country walks in England we decided we could bypass the easy way.

Our journey took us up the grassy sides of the mountain, through a trail of rocks and boulders, pass rock formations created by the passing of a glacier, and next to crystal clear lakes and rocky streams. All of which were frequented by sheep, which became a common sight through out our ten hour hike.

While the path we chose was more challenging than the easy path which our trail met up with eventually, it was nothing compared to the way back down. Imagine making your way down a steep trail where your feet constantly have to secure their footing on the loose rocks before taking your next step. However it was all worth it to make it to the top peak with my husband and sons. To be so high up that the clouds practically touched our heads, to see the towns so small below, and see as far out as the ocean where it met the land.

My Wanderlust for Wales has only deepened since our journey. This is Cadair Idris. Our first mountain to climb with our boys, and the first to many more to come. Both for hikes and for upcoming photographs from our time in Wales.

Travel, Beach, and Sandcastles

27 Replies

Another Edition of Travel Tuesday with my cohost Belinda and I decided I wanted to skip forward in my recap of Wales and share with you one of the reasons I love going to the beach. My family loves going to the beach. From the west coast of Monterey, to the island of Oahu in Hawaii, to Seaside Heights at the Jersey shore on the East coast, to across the pond to pebble beaches of Brighton, and now over to the beaches in Wales. It is all about being near the ocean, smelling the salt in the air, and enjoying our time at the seaside.

We ended up going to the beach twice during our week in Wales which made me conclude that I could easily come back every year just to spend two whole weeks at the beach. Honestly my sons would be quite happy about that. With everything we did in New Jersey last Summer, some which were not that cheap, they preferred the free visits to the beach the most. One of their favourite things to do, well after running into the ocean to body surf a million times, is to build sandcastles. Last year they had an amazing time with Nonna using all the neat buckets and shovels for sandcastle building. There is just now limit when it comes to creativity and will power.

While we were in Wales I was inspired by two builds from other patronages of the beach. Though not big and intricate, they were simple and beautiful. The first because the kids who had built it took the time to bring little flags for which to decorate the castle. They even had the Welsh flag with the dragon on it. The second was a speedboat because what could be a better setting for one than the beach?

The folks at Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks put together a lovely infographic about The World of Sandcastles and Sand sculptures. It is all part of a Sandcastle building competition where you can take part, send in a photo, and win a holiday at one of their four holiday parks for up to six people!

Infographic presented by Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks.

Please share this Sandcastle Infographic and Photo Competition!

Q: What has been some creative builds you have seen at the seaside?

————–

Here’s how it works:
1. Share a post about travel! From road trips to trips abroad and from past travels to dream vacations. You can write about travel tips and tricks, favorite places to stay, or anything in between! Just make it about traveling somewhere!
2. Grab the lovely button.
3. Linkup goes live every Tuesday at 8 am GMT.
4. Hop around and meet new travel loving bloggers! Link up will be open for a few days, make sure to check back to visit some of the newer travel posts!
5. Please only one linked up post per blogger. Save other posts for future linkups!

———-

My sponsor today is no stranger to the world of travel. Selena has been to over thirty countries and she plans to double that number in the next five years! Now that is a goal I would love to join in. I was so excited to find out about Selena when she found my blog because we have a lot in common. We are both US Air Force brats that moved around a lot as kids and now both live in England. I find her story really inspiring to myself. After her daughter left the house her life evolved to finding love again, moving overseas as an expat, and now exploring the world. I am just attracted to people who love life and love seeing all it has to offer. I think you will love Selena too!

Recommended Posts by Selena:

18 Month Well Expat Check Up

Be Friends with Selena: Blog | Twitter | Bloglovin

Country Walk in Dollegau, Wales

28 Replies

First off if you are a reader from Casey’s blog, We Took the Road Less Traveled, and have come here by way of Essentials for a Country Walk, thank you for stopping by! Today I continue our recap from our 10th Anniversary in Wales.

It is our first full day in Dollegau and we took the first part of the day fairly easy by exploring the town and taking all the kids to the park. Ryan really wanted to do more exploring, so despite the looming dark clouds he got me out of the house for some alone time. It was a good thing we had waterproof shoes and rain jackets for we got rained during the walk back. However the rain only enhanced our experience in the picturesque countryside of Wales. Between all the wild life I got on camera (minus the deer that leaped out into the road…it was too quick!) and the beautiful backdrops it was as if we had stumbled into our own fairytale. When you are celebrating ten years of marriage what else could you possibly ask for?

It always astounds me how much of a work out a simple country walk can be and how hot it can get with my wardrobe choices. So when it decided to pour down rain on us, i actually welcomed the cool rain with open arms. Seeing the really dark clouds and many electrical lines we decided to do an impromptu run back to our bed and breakfast. I loved every second of it and so glad that Ryan convinced me to a pre dinner country walk. It become one of my most favourite and cherished memories from our trip. I hope you enjoy the photos!

———-

I will try to keep this short but I am a huge fan of my sponsor, Erika, of the blog Chimerikal. We met by way of the Blog Every Day in May challenge and since then I have loved reading her posts about travel, the world, and all her inspirational outlooks on life. If you are having a bad case of the monday’s (or even if you are not) you should definitely check out Erika’s blog today for inspiration to brighten your week.

Recommended Posts by Erika:

Unleashing My Inner Nomad

Be Friends with Erika: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Driving Through Wales

28 Replies

Thank you everyone for all your messages yesterday for my family and for the feedback on my post yesterday The Story of How He Died. Yesterday was our five year mark since my dad was killed and it definitely makes it harder as an expat when you cannot return to any one spot with all the family to remember a loved one. However, I hope it encourages all to make good choices and to always think before getting behind the wheel.

It is happenstance that the next part of my trip from Wales to share on the blog today is about driving through Wales. As we do not have a car in England, getting to drive through the countryside on our journey through Wales was quite the treat. It is just as you would imagine it: winding country roads, hillsides dotted with sheep, green fields with horses, and cute little villages brimmed with history.

Of course when you are not used to being in a car and you add in the factors of twisting roads, round-a-bouts, and being in a car where someone constantly weaves in their lane you are bound to get a little motion sick. For Ronan it was being the the back of the car with all the winding roads and so we stopped to get some fresh air. Luckily his Nonna, my mum, is a dōTERRA consultant who travels with a variety of essential oils. So with a little peppermint and some fresh Welsh air we were back on the road again.

Since I usually do photography posts on Thursday I wanted to showcase a few portraits I have taken up to this point in the trip in Wales. The composite above was taken while we were taking a break from driving to get Ronan to feel better from feeling carsick. There was complete cloud cover which creates a natural light diffuser for a perfect lighting situation. I had a reader a while back ask me what to do when you live somewhere where it is always cloudy. To them I responded, ‘take photographs every day!’ It can be the sun that can be your worst enemy when it comes to getting nice portraits. I lived in Hawaii for years and I would only shoot in the very early morning or close to sundown since the sunlight was so strong without the use of shade. Here are a few more portraits from the past two days of this portion of the trip.