virginia

Will be in Shropshire in early/mid Sept. Thinking of checking out Snowdonia, heard about a train ride. Any info/suggestions would be appreciated

Beth

We didn't spend much time there, just a day or so, but its really beautiful. There's cog railway trip up to the top of Mt Snowdon that I really wanted to take, unfortunately the weather wouldn't cooperate. It was foggy and rainy a lot (this was mid-September too). There are a couple of mostly ruined castles that are quite romantic, Dolbadarn and Dolwyddellan. We only saw Dolbadarn, which was great. I think its a short hike to get to Dolwyddellan, it was never clear to me how close you could drive. Maybe you'll have to hike a mile. We only drove through Betws-y-Coed, but I wished we had time to stop. It was a very picturesque little town and looked like it had some nice shops.

Dave

The Snowdon Mountain Railway goes from Llanberis to the top. According to my 3-year old guidebook, a return ticket costs 12.80Pnds. If you're relying on public transport, you will probably need to take the train to Bangor, then bus to Llanberis. (This is second-hand info, so please double-check if you're interested) <BR> <BR>The main rail line from Chester to Holyhead passes through Bangor. From there you can also take buses to Caernarfon, with its castle, and Beaumaris Castle on the Isle of Anglesey (both probably about 30min from Bangor?). I visited Beaumaris last summer, and was very impressed. The castle itself is outstanding, and there are great views across the Straits of Menai to the mainland and the Snowdon Mts. <BR> <BR>Another option is to take the main rail line from Chester to Llandudno Junction, then change to the Conwy Valley Line. This goes south past Betws-y-Coed and Dolwyddelan to Blaenau Ffestiniog. As I recall, the Conwy Valley line is a single track with fairly limited service, so you may want to plan on leaving Llandudno fairly early. <BR> <BR>From Blaenau Ffestiniog the Ffestiniog Railway continues to Porthmadog on the Coast. I didn't take the Ffestiniog line, but I believe it is a narrow-gauge excursion train, so a Britrailrail pass may not be valid. <BR> <BR>If you do take the Conwy Valley Line, Conwy itself is also worth a visit. Great Castle, great town walls, compact medieval town center. Conwy station is a couple minutes west of Llandudno Jnctn. On some trains it may be a request stop, so be sure to ask the conductor. <BR> <BR>Regarding Dolwyddelan: <BR>The tiny village of Dolwyddelan is a request stop on the Conwy Valley Line. The castle is about 1-2 miles from the train station, but only slightly hilly, so not a very strenuous walk. If you have a car, you can park within a couple hundred yards of the castle. Dolwyddelan was a small castle, and there's not a lot left, but the keep has been restored and the views from the roof are great. From the pictures I've seen, Dolbadarn might be more interesting (visit www.castlewales.com for pictures), but both were built by a native Welsh prince and provide an interesting contrast to the English-built castles (Conwy, Beaumaris, Caernarfon). <BR> <BR>I hope this is useful. If you need more info on Conwy, Bangor, or Dolwyddelan let me know.

Al

We spent a month in Wales and ran into only one other American -- he was lost and in a bar. We found Betys-y-Coed (bet-toos-ee-coid) a great place, just outside Snowdonia National Park. Stayed in a B&B, explored the area, highly recommend it as a base. Fine hiking in the National Park, up to about 4,500 ft. altitude. Sheep everywhere. Quiet, peaceful, away from it all. Few tourists (other than U.K. day-trippers) anywhere except around the castles.

nickie

Maybe should have posted another entry, but are any of you familiar with the gold mines at Dogellau (not sure of the spelling). I see a lot of information in guidebooks about the slate mines, but only one had a brief reference to the gold mine.

pauline

The gold mine is pretty small - considering the Romans started it I'm surprised there's any left. I have visited one of the slate caverns in Blaneau Ffestiniog - quite amazingly huge and dug out largly with hand tools. <BR>

K. Aikin

We spent two weeks in Wales last September and we're planning to go back again this September. We stayed in Llanberis for two nights. I highly recommend the train trip up Snowdonia. Dolwyddellan was also beautiful. We were the only ones there, apart from the sheep. As Dave mentioned, it's a request stop on the Conwy Valley Line. I got a huge kick of flagging down the train! If you're going to be in North Wales for a week or so, buy a North Wales Rover ticket. You have a choice of 3 out of 7 days, or 7 out of 15 (not sure about the latter). It allows you to hop on and off trains and buses in North Wales, including the line from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog. If I can offer any more advice, feel free to email me. Have a great trip!

Martha

I recently spent a few days along the coast in mid-Wales and would recommend the "Cambrian Coaster" train that travels along the coast. There are some beautiful sea-side resorts along the way (I stayed at Aberdyfi) as well as castles, such as Harlech. <BR> <BR>Martha <BR> <BR>

Dave

Virginia, <BR> <BR>Me again - I'm afraid this forum is becoming addictive! Anyway, I often like to take a book about the area I'm visiting to read on the train, and thought I'd offer a few suggestions in case you do the same. <BR> <BR>For Wales: Sharon Kay Penman has written a trilogy about 13th century Wales - "Here Be Dragons", "Falls the Shadow", and "The Reckoning" which I enjoyed very much. They describe the struggle of Llewellyn ap Iowerth (who built Dolwyddelan and Dolbadarn Castles, by the way) and his grandson Llewellyn ap Gruffydd against Kings John and Edward I of England (who built many of the famous castles in Wales). These books are the reason I decided to visit Wales last year. <BR> <BR>For Shropshire: Ellis Peters (a penname for Edith Pargeter) has a popular series you may have heard of about "Brother Cadfael". These are about a Welsh soldier-turned-monk/detective who lives in a Benedictine Abbey near Shrewsbury. Cadfael encounters a surprising number of corpses, even for the middle ages. If you like mysteries you'll surely like these books. I recently read "Summer of the Danes", which is about Cadfael's trip from Shrewsbury to Bangor and Carnarfon, crossing some of the same territory you might travel. <BR> <BR>Edith Pargeter has also written a book called "A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury", which is about Henry IV and Owen Glendower of Wales, and a trilogy called "The Brothers of Gwynedd" about Llewellyn ap Griffydd and his brothers. <BR> <BR>For nonfiction: "Life in a Medieval Castle" by Joseph and Frances Gies, is primarily about Chepstow Castle in SE Wales. "The Castles of Wales" by Lindsay Evans, has descriptions of most if not all, with some black-and-white photos. <BR> <BR>Well, enough unsolicited information. I hope someone finds this useful.

Beth

Dave, I just have to say I've read ALL of the books you list, except the last one. And I ALSO visited Wales in '97 because of Sharon Kay Penman's books. Its also why we made a point of going to Dolbadarn. <BR> <BR>Penman has written some other good historical fiction about England. I highly recommend them. The Sunne in Splendoure which is about Richard III is really quite good.

kam

Hi Dave and Beth, We also have read all the books you mention and will be in Wales, Chester, and Shrewsbury for 2 weeks in September. I've done a lot of research and traveling with UK friends, but do either of you have a wonderful suggestion that might not be in the guidebooks? Restaurants etc. Am specifically looking for a great seafood restaurant on the Isle of Anglesey or Llyn Peninsula. Should we have lunch on the quay in Llandudno? Someone suggested we should. THanks.

topper

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sue

A funny Snowdon story. I spent the better part of a day hiking up to the top of Snowdon. I was so impressed with myself till I saw the crowd at the top. I was a little confused since none of these people were on the trail. That's when I saw the train."You mean I could have taken the train up here?", I asked in horror. My co-hikers just grinned. At least they sell a t-shirt in the gift shop saying 'I climbed Snowdon the hard way", needless to say I bought the shirt. <BR>

jj

We stayed in Caernarfon, which is less than 30 minutes from Snowdonia. I recommend the Caer Menai B&B, which is just a few blocks from the castle. Good places to eat there were The Floating Restaurant for the seafood (plaice is the local dish) and The Castle for their scones and bara brith (go there yourself to find out about the latter). <BR>

topper

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