Just back from a four night stay in Chester. We went with a tour company, making our own way to the hotel, and then coach tours out around North Wales. It’s been over thirty-five years since I was last in North Wales.
Travelling on a Sunday you always encounter engineering works on the train lines. Then it’s usually replacement buses. This time we had a replacement train from Crewe to Chester. It took us the pretty way round on a journey that lasted about an hour against the usual half an hour. But I wasn’t complaining with views like the one above.
Then it was a taxi from Chester to our hotel about three miles out of the city. It was raining when we arrived and continued to do so all night. By the morning it was damp but not raining. Our first port of call was the coach into Chester for a walk around. We’d been to Chester before a few years ago when we had walked the City walls, visited the old and new Cathedral, Roman Gardens and the Roman Amphitheatre. The Shropshire Union Canal and the River Dee run through the city, and there is a lovely park called Grosvenor Park. The shopping area is the most fascinating with its Town Hall and upper shopping levels. I believe this is pretty unique. However, like every town here in the UK many shops have closed down.
After the city walk we drove out to Llangollen for lunch. I had been here before and remember the River Dee and the steam railway, though this is not yet up and running. I believe it has been closed for some time – something to do with money and probably Covid. From there we drove to Froncysyllte where we boarded the Thomas Telford for a scenic two hour cruise along the canal back to Llangollen. When we went over the aqueduct, our coach driver, Mark, was up there filming us as we trundled across! He later sent us all copies of the film. During our trip, it rained on and off. We could hear it beating down on the roof of the boat, but we were lucky that it always stopped when we were outside, which was very generous of it.
The second day was a long and busy one. We left at 8am, having pushed down a breakfast I didn’t want but knew I should eat – my tummy isn’t awake to eat at 7am! We had an unscheduled stop in Snowdonia with enough time to get off the coach and take a few photos. We drove through Betws-y-Coed and Swallow Falls and later Llanberis Pass. We had a comfort stop at the Snowdonia Mountain Railway. I had been here before, and that time I went up to the top of the mountain on the train (hubby had been up the hard way….walking!). This time there wasn’t time for that. Instead we set off to Caernarfon. This was a lovely place. However, we didn’t want to waste a lovely day (which it was, with glorious sunshine) inside the castle. We walked along the promenade where the tide was out and sea calm. Absolutely beautiful. From there we went over the Menai Straits to Plas Newydd. The house there was being renovated so lots of the furniture had been removed. However, there were paintings by Rex Whistler. The highlight was the Italian Gardens over three terraces, with views across to the Menai Straits. This was a photographer’s paradise.
Our final stop was Beaumaris Castle. I was impressed as the castle still has a proper moat with water in it. As well as that, the castle boasts inner walls, which we walked around. I then had enough time to quickly walk around the main street for some photos of the old shops.
On the last day there was an optional tour to Llandudno, Bodnant Gardens and Conwy Castle. However, we’d both been to Llandudno, and the coach the previous day did a quick pass by Conwy Castle (it did look impressive), so we decided to have a free day. My husband was born in Chester, so the morning was spent visiting the church he was baptised in and finding the house he lived in until he was two and half, when the family then moved away. We then walked on down into Chester and had lunch. We wandered around for a while and then made our way back to the hotel mid afternoon. That evening there was one last group meal in the hotel restaurant. So soon it was all over.
My London+ 