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Day 7, Wed, 4/22: Sunny and high 50s/low 60s with a breeze
Off to Caernarfon, primarily to see the castle but also walk along the city walls and old town. I remember watching Charles at his investiture as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1969 on TV. Also, this is one of the 4 castles Edward I built and I’ve seen two others so interested to see this person. Left the house at about 9:30 to avoid traffic! Used my paper map approach, which worked just fine. I parked in the Morrison’s parking lot a bit away from the castle because I didn’t want to drive in tourist clogged streets. Very easy to use pay & display kiosk! I had a leisurely stroll along Victoria Dock observing a variety of boats at the marina. As I was walking down Church Street, I passed St. Mary’s church and the door was open, so in I went. There was some kind of morning coffee/tea group going on but they told me I was free to wander around. Not a whole lot to see inside, but since they had welcomed me I figured I should take some time. This is an active, well used local church so I enjoyed looking at kids’ letters in honor of Remembrance Day; outreach photos to African churches; stained glass and memorial plaques. Continued down Church Street, looking at the homes with their small front gardens and meandered onto a few side streets. When I reached the castle, there was a huge tour group going in, so I walked around the main square a little bit. Popped into a post office to ask if they have a book rate for shipping books (in case I decide to package up all the books I’ve bought and send them home versus filling up my suitcase); turns out it would be at least $30 to ship them and since I have some room and sufficient weight allowance to put them in my suitcase that’s what I’ll do….so between the suitcase and the backpack, I will be loaded down😁. Gotta laugh at myself, but it’s fun to look for the books in various charity or secondhand shops. Checked out a few charity shops, sat on a bench in the sun and people watched. A very large, pretty square. I had lunch in a café across from the castle - a very yummy sandwich of Stilton cheese, salami, and sliced grapes on buttered ciabatta roll. Really good so I will try it at home as a nice change from my normal deli cold cuts or curry chicken salad. The visitor info office was next door so I asked her about walking tours or other things to do and she suggested walking up a steep hill near the Morrisons for a great view (I thanked her but thought, “no steep hills for me!”). This castle is interesting because it was one of the four built by the same person in the same period, you might think they would all have a similar feel. On a prior trip I visited probably the best one of them, Conwy, which was huge and had many, many stairways taking you through all kinds of interconnecting corridors and towers; there were tons of little things to see and nooks and crannies to walk into; there were some railings, but it felt very authentic and old. In fact, that’s where I realized I have a slight case of vertigo because walking along some of those castle walls or spiral staircases, I started feeling sick and dizzy, and had to sit down. The castle I saw this weekend, Beaumaris, is much more ruined, but you can still walk through interior corridors and on the walls. It doesn’t feel like it’s been updated or maintained for tourists - it feels like it’s just there and nature is taking its course (I know they have a maintenance staff and I’m sure they are shoring up sunken areas and making sure it’s safe, but it does not feel like that). On the other hand, in Caernarfon it’s very obvious that it has had a lot of fixing up. I noticed right away that the inner corridors are much higher and wider than they were in either of the other two castles; unless they were built that way for people to ride on horseback through the corridors, I sense some fakery (as in, redone to accommodate school and coach groups). The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum is located within the castle with free entry included in your castle admission ticket; I had noticed RWF on many gravestones, war memorials and plaques so was interested to learn about this storied regiment. Various uniforms throughout the ages and explanations of the RWF participation in various battles. It doesn’t take long to go through and there’s a RWF shop at the exit. I took a different route back to the car park, ambling along side lanes and noticing the change in era and styles. As an alternative to the stately homes and gardens, I went to the Inigo Jones Slateworks which was only about 10 minutes away. Wales is the world‘s biggest producer of high-quality slate and they exported something crazy like 200 million tons during the 18th century; demand has reduced by about 90%, but this place is still one of the leading slate workshops. The slateworks initial product was slates for schools and then moved into roof & building tiles, memorials, signage, garden items and commemorative products. They have a self guided audio tour, which is excellent and takes you through all the steps from receiving the slate to finishing/shipping it. You walk through their work yard and into various sheds with huge saws, sanders, planers and lettering machinery. It was amazing to see all the piles of slate waiting to be worked on and then all of the odds and ends and off cuts from pieces they already made. Very interesting and I’m glad I went. Tomorrow is another stately home and this one should be really good… https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3adca159f.jpeg Caernarfon - Victoria Docks Marina https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8d27ff0f9.jpeg Caernarfon Castle - I thought this sign was funny https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6b34392da.jpeg Inigo Jones Slateworks https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2653247be.jpeg Inigo Jones Slateworks - the yard with unused slate and off-cuts https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4f1c320199.png |
Day 8, Thu, 4/22: Sunny and low 60s with a breeze
I decided to go to Erdigg, a stately home and garden, today which is an hour and a half away from my Conwy cottage (near Wrexham). Basically, I have more time in Wales than I really need so I’m shifting things around from my initial plan. I went in circles for about 45 minutes this morning; even though I used my paper map to figure out the best route and entered it to into GPS, GPS kept shifting, and I kept stopping and trying to reroute (I was trying to take a more scenic route). Finally GPS told me that there were a lot of closures on the route I was trying to take - ah, now I get it 😆. So I was on a major highway with 4 wide lanes - the N. Wales Expressway - for the majority of the drive which was fine since it doesn’t make me nervous! https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...13eebcede.jpeg Road near my cottage https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bd8408ff3.jpeg Erdigg - cordon apple trees https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7741cf5a0.jpeg Erdigg - topiary allee - fun shapes! https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...737801ed2.jpeg Erdigg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8f9d66175.jpeg Erdigg - pruning the pleached limes https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...007ec872b.jpeg Erdigg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2b5a7a8fa.jpeg Erdigg - partierre What a great house and garden!!! When I arrived, I went to their café and could’ve gotten one of my standard tuna with sweet corn on brown bread sandwiches, but they were doing breakfast sandwiches - bacon, sausage and a fried egg on a bap (English version of a soft roll). That sounded SO good and it was; the egg was cooked perfectly, the sausage was tasty, yum, yum. I enjoyed that sitting in the sunny courtyard and people watching. I took a free 30 min, volunteer led tour around the exterior of the house which explained historical highlights (including the info in the para below). Very helpful because yet again there’s not much signage in the rooms and the volunteers are of varying quality. This house was originally built in about 1680 and in around 1750, it became part of the Yorke family through marriage and stayed in that family until 1970 when the last descendent gave it to the national trust. Starting way back in 1750, the sons were only named Simon or Philip so that must make genealogy or historical research a little confusing. The last Simon IV was a recluse/nutcase and allowed the house and gardens to fall into ruin while he was living there (for 50 years). Plus, mining shafts from a nearby colliery under the house caused sinking, wet rot and a myriad of problems. When he died, his brother Philip 3 inherited and set about making the house livable and restoring the gardens to their historic 17th century style. Philip sounds like a good guy; very personable; took photos of the household staff and then wrote poems for each of them on their milestone anniversaries at the house. This house, although definitely a stately home, is very attractive, proportional and homey and you can envision yourself living in the rooms. The scullery, kitchen, housekeeper’s room, butler’s pantry, and silver room are all interesting and nice to have the opportunity to see them. Also, the children’s nursery. To me, the gardens are the highlights versus the house. Very different style and approach than the other gardens I’ve visited since these gardens are the kind that I could see a family playing, walking, sitting in etc. The main part of the garden is very appealing to me. It was restored to its initial Baroque style which emphasized symmetry so the apple trees are pruned in pyramids to match the yew topiary. Each row of apple trees is a different variety of apple and in October, they have a big apple festival. There are rows of pleached lime trees- basically lime trees where the branches have been trained to grow horizontally and are grafted onto the branches of the tree next to them, and then all of the shoots are pruned right down to the trunk annually. When they leaf out in July or August, the leaves create a very dense, shady canopy which was originally designed as a cool place for 18th c ladies to stroll. I asked the gardener who was high up on her ladder pruning the limes about this and she was very willing to explain and educate me. Lots of cordon style apple trees on the red brick garden walls; I’ve never seen this type of vertical/diagonal appearance so asked the gardener who explained that Cordon apple trees (aka columnar apple trees) are great because they are space-saving due to having one main stem and short branches that carry the fruit and flowers, so they’re easier to prune and maintain. She was also very helpful and willing to chat and pointed me to their buzzing (literally) insect house and the Victorian glasshouses. They created a reflecting pool with carp and statuary at the end of the topiary path, overlooking fields through an ornate wrought-iron gate. There’s an appealing rose garden, which no longer contains roses, but is filled with flowering shrubs and plants with benches on grassy lawns surrounded by leafy trees. If I lived here, I’d spend a lot of time in that garden... also strolling among the apple trees and down the pleached lime allee. In addition to using volunteers in the house, they use volunteers in the garden to supplement the professional gardeners, and if I lived in the UK, I would be volunteering in lots of houses and gardens. It had been a good day but long with almost 3 hours of driving so I just flaked out at home. I was leaving this wonderful cottage tomorrow to head east so packed up my books, provisions and luggage. |
Originally Posted by HORSCHECK
(Post 17719193)
My flight from Frankfurt is scheduled to land at Manchester Airport at 17:20 h and I have a train ticket for a train leaving at 19:25 h.
:train:. |
Enjoying your trip report! Thank you for so much for taking the time to provide this amazing detail and your photos. I loved seeing the pleached limes forming the 'allee'. You're a woman after my own heart, it seems. Regarding the lack of information at NT houses, I've been frustrated by the same. I would hope those houses that have the room's literature printed up would continue to provide those. Like you, I want to understand what the furnishings are made of and what the furniture in the room is called. A knowledgeable docent is a treasure, but there seem to be fewer of them. And, at times, they do seem to just want to keep the traffic flowing.
Makes me eager to return! (But not eager to rent a car. Done once, and really didn't enjoy. But you did get to see some out of the way places. My hiking and bus routes can't get me everywhere.) |
Originally Posted by HORSCHECK
(Post 17719193)
. .
My flight from Frankfurt is scheduled to land at Manchester Airport at 17:20 h and I have a train ticket for a train leaving at 19:25 h. . . . . |
Originally Posted by janisj
(Post 17719549)
MAN can be a bit of a cluster you know what ;) But as John says if you are near on time you'll be more than fine. Where is your ticket to (some destinations have frequent service, some do not.? Is it restricted or changeable?
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Thank you! I am really enjoying your trip report.
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Day 9, Fri, 4/24: Sunny and mid 60s
I really have lucked out with the weather for this whole trip! Sunny every day except the first 2 days which had showers in the morning. Today I’m leaving the cottage I’ve been in for a week and moving to a different one about 90 minutes east for three nights. I have to take a moment to thank several Fodorites whose feedback on my draft itinerary was that I was staying in too many places – I was re-locating every 2 days and they suggested finding one or two bases since the distances weren’t very far. I changed my plans and am very glad I did – not only did I save the hassle of packing/unpacking and relocating multiple times, my cottage became part of my vacation experience. Today’s sightseeing mission is Powis Castle, another stately home and garden which is a two hour drive southeast in Welshpool. I decided to take a more scenic route instead of the 4 lane expressway so that added about 30 minutes to the drive time. Pleased with the decision to take the scenic route since it definitely was attractive and an area that I hadn’t seen before, through Snowdonia National Park. Fair amount of traffic and some roadwork and several roundabouts but I’m now an old hand at this (LOL) Finally got to Powis and saw a pheasant literally cross the drive in front of me and a deer, complete with antlers, sitting in the deer park. Pretty cool (turns out they do a big business in the fall with hunting groups). Admission fee is $25; you see about seven rooms in the palace; because they are doing a multi-year electrical renovation project, several rooms are closed and other rooms are being used as storage for all the items they had to move out of other rooms for the electrical work. I was finished in the house in less than an hour so decided to have lunch in their café - a sausage roll, which I ate sitting outside in the glorious weather, looking at the landscape and peoplewatching. But, they redeemed themselves to a degree with a separate museum attached to the house which features south Asian objects collected by Robert Clive, a.k.a. Clive of India. He was there in the 18th century and brought back shiploads of objects; some of which were given to him as gifts, others were booty, and others were stripped from.Mughal palaces, etc. This was the era of the British East Indies company and the colonization of India. The National Trust is trying a new approach in this museum, where they try to show half a dozen objects in their historical context and present a balanced approach. They’ve created an audio guide, which, although I was skeptical at first, actually is very good. It provides background about what was going on in the country at the time, but not just the British perspective; it’s not heavy-handed and provides interesting details about the objects and why they are significant. There’s a huge oil painting which was painted several years after the actual event of a Indian sultan signing over his kingdom to the British, and it was basically used as propaganda back in London, so the audio guide tells you how to look at the painting - for example, beams of light from the heavens shine on the British around the table while the Indians are all in shadow; the British are all serious, but the Indians are laughing and turning aside, etc. It’s a good reminder to never take anything, whether an article, podcast or artwork, at face value since there is always a slant. That separate museum was very interesting. For me, the gardens were the gem of Powis. They are spectacular in a very different way from the other ones that I have visited. These are much more formal and they have yew hedges from the 17th century that have grown monstrously large and now look like sculpted blobs, a bit futuristic! Initially, they were symmetrical topiary; then the fashion changed and plants, including topiary, were allowed to grow as nature intended; then pruning and symmetry came back; and now these are pruned with a cherry picker because they’re so tall! I wouldn’t call these homey or cozy gardens but I like them much better than Versailles (as in, not as huge, not cold or offputting). Settled into the cottage I’m staying in for three nights, Swallow Cottage. It’s a building on an old stone farm that I think was part of a barn. The farm is off the A5, about 3 miles from Llangollen which is a bustling town. Although a small town, it’s a base for activities – rafting on the Dee River, kayaking, hikes of various lengths and difficulty, etc – and locals told me that since it’s just over the border from England, lots of folks come for a weekend with their caravans or tents. Some locals told me that they all get their errands done by 10 AM on weekends to avoid the crush of people. So many people come to the town that the town provides fields for parking caravans or setting up tents. The cottage has a nice yard with flowers and has sheep meadows on all sides which slope down to the Dee River and the local steam heritage railway track. It’s a two bedroom with huge floor to ceiling windows highlighting the gorgeous view. I think it was initially renovated as an elder flat since it has grab-bars in the bathroom, which is a wet room (no tub or shower door). Very nice finishings and comfortable furniture. Nice wooden deck with table and chairs but it wasn’t warm enough to sit outside! And I could see everything – and hear the birds – from inside. This is the view from the living room. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0eb7e8272.jpeg View from cottage windows https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...de14a6edb.jpeg Cottage view - Dee River and railway are among the trees in the middle https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3a211f5e0.jpeg Powis - courtyard and cafe seating https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0b691178c.jpeg Powis - crazy overgrown topiary! https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4dfd98537.jpeg Powis - crazy overgrown topiary! https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...24d38b48c.jpeg Powis - over the terraces and grounds |
The topiary looks like its eating the castle. Unreal.
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vickiebypass, you are an awesome travel writer. You could start your own travel guidebooks. I love your descriptions of the gardens and its history, and your descriptions of your cottage. Did you find your cottage on booking.com? Or AirBnB?
Love the topiary gardens. As shelemm says, they are unreal. Love the exterior of the Powis castle, too, and the outdoor cafe and courtyard! |
vickiebypass, janisj, JohnEW2912
Thanks everybody for your help regarding catching a train at Manchester Airport. This all helps a lot to get a good idea what might happen. I am indeed going to Colwyn Bay in Northern Wales and my ticket is a resticted one which refers to exactly this connection, but it was verry cheap. In fact there is one an hour later connection, but then I probably have to buy a new ticket. Anyway, I am now quite confident that I am going to catch my booked train connection. |
Continuing to follow and enjoying this immensely!
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Glad you're enjoying my trip report! I like creating them since it keeps the memories fresh and might help someone else. I have an odd way of finding lodging and things to do.... I zoom into Google maps for the area and click on all the little "dots" that appear to see what they are. Sometimes I'll use Google maps search feature (for Lodging or Things to Do) and then click away. I've used this approach for the past several years and I end up finding untouristy places. I NEVER use booking.com; have used Airbnb or VRBO in the last several cities I've visited (e.g. Seattle, London, Basel, Paris, Milan, Glasgow, Rekyavik) but outside of city centers, I like using my Google zoom approach. Some people might find it tedious but I like finding places that haven't been trod by tourists. Of course, once I find them on the map, I google their sites and do my normal scrutiny. Both of the cottages on this trip have mostly UK clientele - in fact, the one in the Dee Valley (Swallow Cottage) had never had an American stay there. My zoom approach is also how I found out about Inigo Jones Slateworks and one of the upcoming gardens.
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Two more Powis topiary gone wild pics:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...52017623a.jpeg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c969328a8.jpeg https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...37d505fed.jpeg This is an explanation of the topiary - not a great photo though |
Day 10, Sat, 4/25: Sunny and mid 60s
Since the next stately home didn’t open until 11 o’clock, I decided to walk in the sheep field next to the cottage per the instructions from the owners. But I was a little unsure of which track to follow so I turned around and will do it later today (I had a scary adventure getting lost for hours in sheep fields on the Isle of Bute so I’m cautious about venturing out if I don’t have a clear sense of where I’m going). Met the owners getting ready to drive off in a snazzy Morgan convertible - a replica of an antique one – and they were driving to the seaside for ice cream. I confirmed the walk in the sheep field with them. Decided to explore the town a little bit; since the town was crowded, I parked in the Aldi parking lot which has free parking for three hours and there’s a pleasant path from the parking lot directly into town. The council built a very nice walkway promenade along the river with gardens and a band stand on one side and water on the other side, plus benches to sit on. Across the river are many tall brick Victorian building buildings. The river is wide and fast moving – saw a kayak zip along and two rafts. It was a nice stroll to town & I wandered around the back streets. I saw the local museum so stopped in and as with so many local museums, it is very well organized and thorough. Bought two more used books. What is it with me and these books? Good grief! Just across from the museum (which is in an ugly 1970s gray brick octagonal building) is an old orange/red Victorian building which has been repurposed into something else, but it has a carved “Girls” over the front door so I asked in the museum and the young woman explained it used to be a primary school and she expects there’s a boys entrance somewhere but doesn’t know where. She didn’t know much about the school at all and in fact, she thought it was empty. She said all she knows is that her mother went to primary school there in the 60s. On my walk back to the car I noticed two large, deserted industrial buildings with Ivy growing up the walls and the roof caved in. I looked around at the people sitting on the benches and thought “hmmm, who would know what those buildings were?” I found an older lady and asked her and she though they had been a seed factory. We had a long conversation because she wanted to know where I was from and what I had seen and you know me, I can talk till doomsday. I asked her if it snows in the winter she said it can but it just depends you never know. The next house is not a National Trust, instead is owned by the local council. Plas Newydd is an interesting story and it’s claim to fame is that two 18th century lesbians (and their maid) from Ireland ran away to Wales and lived in this house; apparently there was a craze for Gothic decor so while they were living there, they purchased wooden carvings from churches, stately homes, etc. and had all these carvings installed in this house (including headboard, footboards and columns from four poster beds plus stairway newel posts; not to mention various church carvings). The house changed hands many many times over the years and some point in the late 19th century the current owner painted the outside in white and black Tudor style. An odd little house, but there was a fair amount to see including a room with exhibits about the ladies and the house, as well as very good informational plaques in each room, so it all got me pondering. I had a long conversation with the two employees and their friend on the front porch all about the town and the house. They said there’s nothing special going on this weekend. It’s just that every weekend in spring summer and fall when it’s nice weather, the town is inundated with people who have their caravans or are campers. This is a jumping off point for hiking in Snowdonia, of varying degrees of difficulty plus biking plus river, rafting and kayaking. Off to Caerau Gardens now - the highest garden open to the public in North Wales since 1994. Driving to the gardens I passed Rhug farm shop, which is a big business with signs in both directions for several miles. A high-priced gourmet food store, some farm products, a café, and an ice cream place; tons of people, but extremely limited menu and nothing appealed to me at all so kept going to the gardens because they have a café there. To my mind, a scam😁 and disappointing. Very unBritish – seemed more Hamptons or California. There wasn’t a fresh bit of produce in the place. Fair amount of traffic on A494, but it all moved along. There are some small signs and you wend your way up and up from the main road through fields, past orchards and finally down a winding driveway to the gardens. The gardens were a real surprise and probably one of the highlights of the trip (next to Erdigg), but first, lunch. Their site says “we are very keen on good honest food and we aim to produce proper home cooked lunches as well as snacks, fresh cakes and great coffee. Most things are homemade. It’s a family affair.” The café is very low key, just a few tables inside and picnic tables outside. Their menu offers several curries, meat, pies, and stew, which I really wasn’t in the mood for. I asked for a ham and cheese sandwich, but they were out of ham… so got a tuna sandwich and a Diet Coke, and the nice lady, who I think is one of the owners, asked if I wanted ice and went into her house to get me ice. The tuna sandwich was tremendously satisfying - it came with a scoop of carrot salad, which was very good in a nice sauce with raisins on tiny leaves of bibb lettuce, which I bet they grew. The tuna was quite tasty and on granary bread, which they make themselves. It was exactly what I wanted, and it was nice to sit out front at the picnic table and listen to the birds and look at the scenery. Interesting how noisy it was from traffic on the A494. Quite steady and loud especially the motorcycles and trucks (of course it was a Sunday so lots of people were out and about touring). Not at the garden though. The gardens were a real surprise. The couple who bought this in the 90s had a background in landscape design and used to create show gardens at Hampton Court and other RHS shows so they knew how to build different style gardens. They were initially developed using salvaged plants and structures from RHS Show Gardens and 20 years on, it now offers a mix of formal borders, a rose walk, vegetable plots, and varied garden spaces that make it full of surprises. I’m learning a lot about different garden styles on this trip and how they can be blended, or not, and which ones appeal to me. This one reminded me of Sissinghurst in the sense that there are different rooms, which showcase a specific theme or style or plants. Don’t know if that was their vision, but that’s what I got. Also, before I even arrived at this garden, I’ve been thinking back about the gardens I’ve visited so far and realized that Sissinghurst style is my favorite so this garden was very apt. When I say rooms, they’re not house sized rooms, they are large, but not Versailles sized. They are located perched high, high on a hill overlooking the valley (hence their claim to be the highest garden in Wales). There was a garden with a large, grassy lawn, yew hedges, and flower gardens around three sides of the perimeter with various flowers and low plantings. There were gardens/rooms behind rooms and gravel paths snaking from one into another, in a curvy little path. There’s a more formal parterre room, with triangular windows cut into the hedges so you can look through two different windows. There is a kitchen garden. There’s an orchard garden. Then you follow a path and come upon a very tall circular yew hedge, like a spiral with two entrances and inside are benches around a fountain with a statue of a young girl, sitting cross legged and reading a book. Very appealing and not claustrophobic. There was also a bog garden which I did not go to because it was down some steep steps. There were various ornaments, which were probably used in the RHS shows, like urns, big sculptural globes, arches, etc. They have a rental cottage called the pig sty which I had considered renting and I’m very glad I didn’t because first of all they’re in the middle of nowhere and it would be a real pain in the neck getting back-and-forth to other places but more importantly, it’s located right near the café and parking area so would be a bit noisy, and there was a sleeping loft up a ladder so it all looked a bit rustic for me - lucky escape! They do have 3 or 4 other very rustic cottages way up on their acreage. It was very relaxing to wander around and explore these gardens, which are not huge, but there’s a lot to see in terms of plants and style styles. Plus, you can see a garden in action because some sections are being dug up for replanting and others are a bit bare. because their plants haven’t bloomed yet. This was been a very satisfying day of meandering and seeing “small” off the beaten path places which pleased me. And it’s not done yet! Back to the cottage where I decided to walk in the sheep field now that I knew which path to follow. It was very easy, I followed the wire fence with the sound of a small stream next to me and goofy sheep. They’re very aware that I’m in their area and maybe they’re used to humans as farmers bringing them food so they were waiting to see what I was going to do, but when they got within 8 feet of me, they ran away. Lots and lots of sheep patties to avoid walking in! Many lambs - anywhere from three weeks to being born this morning. Sheep really do say baaaaa. It was fun isolating who was baaa-ing and then who responded either by coming over or with their own baa. At the bottom of the field, I went through the gate and there was the railroad for the historic steam engine railway so crossed that through another gate and into another field. This was along the Dee River which is a large fast moving river used by kayaks and white river rafting. More sheep fields up field across the river. When I got almost to the end of that field, I turned around and came back, it was about a mile in total. It was a very nice walk, but if I lived here, I’d have to wear beat up boots or wellies so that I didn’t have to worry about watching where I put my feet. When I almost back to the cottage, I heard the unmistakable sound of a train coming, so looked down at the railroad, and there was the vintage steam train coming - 5 cars with steam billowing and they blew their whistle. I had considered doing one of these train rides, but I really don’t care about trains and they take a fair amount of time which I didn’t want to spend and now, it turns out that I can see it and hear it right from my own little cottage! In fact, this line stops in most of the little towns that I drove through to get to the gardens, Corwen being the last stop where you’ve got about 45 minutes to wander around the town before the train turns around comes back. This was a fun day, unexpected with my little walk along the river and around the town; a very quirky house with all the carvings; the great garden which made me think and smile; and a walk in nature through the sheep fields. Pictures in next postt. |
Vickie - I understand your view of the Rhug estate cafe. It was a bit disappointing when we went there, which is all the sadder as the estate itself is famous for its organic lamb and venison. My eldest son buys meat for his school in London from there (on the advice of his chef!).
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Interesting about Rhug estate shops; it's clear they spent a lot of money designing and building all the various entities (gourmet shop, bistro, take away cafe, ice cream hut, outside seating areas, etc.) and that there is history and knowledge standing behind the products. It just didn't seem to me that this type of business was very appealing - other than ice cream cones! Hopefully they are successful but it wasn't a place I would recommend.
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Day 11, Sun, 4/26: Sunny and mid 60s
This is my last day in Wales and I don’t have a full day planned so I thought I would give myself an easy start by enjoying the scenery from the cottage in the morning so I settled in with my book and watched the sheep. So far I’ve seen a farmer across the river on an ATV bringing food to his sheep. All the sheep come trotting along; I think he must be rounding them up from farther fields because I see smaller groups of them coming through the hedges to the food area. Then I heard the train whistle and lots of steam. Then there was a brief shower. And of course, the ever present birds. It was a very pleasant two hours but I decided to drive to Chirk and visit the local church before going to the stately home, Chirk Castle. Quick drive to Chirk (A5 to B5070) and used Google maps to find a free parking lot in the center of town. Heard church bells as I was getting there and saw a few people walking into the church so I entered gingerly since I didn’t want to interrupt a service. Turns out I was there about 20 minutes before the service began and a lady from the parish who was the greeter told me I was welcome to look around. It’s not a very attractive church from an architectural or decor perspective; sort of a hodgepodge, but interesting signs with local history. Everybody who came into the church (all elderly) give me a big hello which I returned. I left before the service and wandered around the graveyard which was quite large. Seems like a lot of people died in their 60s. Getting depressing so I left! As I was finishing up at the cemetery, the church bells were pealing again. I saw several people coming out of the church, wiping their brow and I wondered if they were bell ringers so I asked and yes, they were. We had a nice 15-20 minute chat. Chirk castle was only about 10 minutes away; tons of cars in the car park and a line of people outside the ticket office waiting to pay. Lots of families with young kids. I think everybody in the UK must have an annual membership to the National Trust - I sure would if I lived here😁. Checked out the café, and they were out of premade sandwiches and nothing looked very appealing, which was disappointing. Chirk Castle was purchased by a sugar trader and privateer Sir Thomas Myddelton in 1595 and stayed in the Myddelton family line for 700 years. The building was interesting, and there were a lot of rooms that were open to the public and there were extremely detailed room guides, like the old days. Interesting rooms and furnishings with lavish décor including several state rooms, galleries and libraries as well as kitchen rooms. After nearly two weeks, I had sensory fatigue (plus physical fatigue!) and wasn’t in the mood to walk around the grounds (I could see a lot of the topiary from the windows). There were a lot of people in the grounds with kids and/or dogs. Happy to not spend time around them. I didn’t feel like walking down the steep hill to the car park so I asked one of the volunteers if the shuttle was working, apparently it wasn’t but they found a guy who would come up and get me (and someone else who was waiting). He said they didn’t have enough licensed people to drive the shuttle, so once he retrieved us, he parked the shuttle behind the visitor center so no one would see it. [Aside: I expect these large houses are in a difficult situation where they want to receive national funding but then need to comply with various national rules (for example, accessible access & shuttles) and having limited personnel makes compliance tough; also, while volunteers generally do a good job with what they’re given, there are some roles they can’t perform (I think anything involving handling money). I understand that there’s a lot behind the scenes that visitors don’t – and shouldn’t – see. I would be happy if the NT reinstated the detailed laminated room handouts and could certainly look past operational glitches.] I decided to go back into Chirk and have a late lunch in the restaurant I’d walked past on the way to the church which looked appealing, Castle Bistro. I’ve heard about Sunday roasts so decided to get a Sunday roast meal of roast pork belly. Wowza, that was filling! The pork was very flavorful and I felt as though I should eat the Yorkshire pudding since it is British, plus I ate the parsnips and carrots so no dinner tonight needed (other than the leftover pretzels, cookies, and other snacks I have - it’s either eat them or throw them away🤣) It’s a odd thing but I think very common to travellers – I’m tired of being on the go every day but going home to regular life seems boring too. I really think I need to investigate seriously finding a place to rent longer term. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6e5e21605.jpeg Chirk Castle upon approach https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...94bbc6d3b.jpeg Topiary seen from inside the castle https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...46976b6f7.jpeg Castle BIstro, Chrik |
Thanks for your trip report. I have enjoyed reading about the land of my mother through your eyes.
When I was 17 I bought life membership of the National Trust. It cost me 10 pounds but I have got that back many times over, even though I live in the Netherlands, and since it admits two DH benefits too. It even helped get us discount camping places when we had our campervan. I understand your fatigue at the end of your trip. From experience I think it is important to allow for some down days, where you just enjoy being, rather than doing. I know it is tempting to see and do as much as possible in a short stay, but part of a vacation is the rest and recuperation aspect too. |
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