Showing posts with label Wales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wales. Show all posts

Isle of Anglesey, North Wales


A place of unparalleled beauty and amazing adventures, Anglesey is an historic island full of character. A place that inspires and appeals to all the senses. (Visit Wales)

The Isle of Anglesey was one of the places we visited during our summer holiday in North Wales in 2023. Our day tour was spent mostly in the picturesque Llanddwyn Island and then made brief stops to view the Menai Bridge and Llanfairpwll Station Sign (longest station name in Europe) before we ended up the day in Beaumaris. It was too late to visit the castle by then so we did a quick tour of the town including the pier before heading back to our holiday caravan in Presthaven.

Inside Plas Mawr, Conwy


Never was a building better named. Plas Mawr, or the Great Hall, is quite simply the finest surviving Elizabethan town house anywhere in Britain.

This was a golden age when fabulously wealthy merchants invested in mansions, rich fittings and lavish entertaining. Robert Wynn, third son of a local landowner, wanted a piece of the action.

He entered the service of Tudor diplomats and travelled to the most splendid royal courts of Europe. His fortune made, he bought a mansion house in Conwy for £200 and between 1576 and 1585 turned it into a celebration of his life, times and wealth. (Visit Wales)

Plas Mawr, Conwy


Plas Mawr is the best Elizabethan town house in Britain. Located in Conwy, home to one of Edward I’s castles, Conwy is the perfect place for history lovers. Robert Wynn bought the house in 1576, for the fee of £200; Wynn set about building the mansion to its current look.

Visitors can step back in time and experience what life was like in a Tudor home. Explore 17 rooms all decorated to their original taste, and imagine the conversations that must have been had during a very difficult period in British history. In addition, after four years of restoration the Elizabethan garden has been brought back to its previous, magnificent best. (Visit Conwy)

Conwy Castle, Conwy


This postcard view is of the impressive Conwy Castle as seen across the river Conwy. We went to the Castle and the town in summer of 2023 and the Castle is huge and imposing as you enter the town's bridge. We spent half a day touring the Castle and walking within the town walls.

Magnificent medieval fortress still towers over town after 700 years

Thanks to restored spiral staircases in its great towers you can walk a complete circuit around the battlements of Conwy Castle. We highly recommend it. This is one of the most magnificent medieval fortresses in Europe.

Conwy Castle, an artist's impression


Magnificent medieval fortress still towers over town after 700 years

Thanks to restored spiral staircases in its great towers you can walk a complete circuit around the battlements of Conwy Castle. We highly recommend it. This is one of the most magnificent medieval fortresses in Europe.

In the distance rise the craggy mountains of Snowdonia and spread out below you are the harbour and narrow streets of Conwy – still protected by an unbroken 1,400-yard (1.3km) ring of town walls.

It’s enough to take the breath away. Especially when you consider that King Edward I and his architect Master James of St George built both castle and walls in a barely believable four years between 1283 and 1287. (Visit Wales)

'Hafod Eryri', Snowdon summit building


The current building, Hafod Eryri, on the summit of Snowdon first opened in June 2009. The name derives from the Welsh word for a summer dwelling on the mountain. It welcomes over six hundred thousand visitors a year and it’s not hard to see why, on a clear day the views can stretch as far as Ireland.

On arrival at Hafod Eryri you are welcomed into a modern, contemporary environment where you can relax and take in the incredible views to the valleys below. During your 30-minute stopover, you can venture up to the cairn which, at 1085m above sea level, is the highest point in Wales and England!!

Within the building is a cafĂ© area serving a selection of ‘grab and go’ food and beverages to enjoy whilst taking in the panoramic views. Hafod Eryri is the UK’s highest re-fuelling station! Our gift shop stocks a range of unique souvenirs, clothing, and local produce; you can even send a postcard from the summit post box! (Snowdon Mountain Railway)

Sunset from Snowdon summit


The picture of this postcard (front) shows the summit visitor centre with a spectacular sunset behind it taken from midway up the stairs as you climb towards the summit of Mount Snowdon.
The current building, Hafod Eryri, on the summit of Snowdon first opened in June 2009. The name derives from the Welsh word for a summer dwelling on the mountain. It welcomes over six hundred thousand visitors a year and it’s not hard to see why, on a clear day the views can stretch as far as Ireland. (Snowdon Mountain Railway)
The back of the postcard shows a small photo of one of the heritage steam carriages that regularly goes up to the summit of Snowdon. However, the one we rode in when we had our annual summer holiday in North Wales in 2023 was a traditional diesel train. It took us an hour with lots of amazing views to see as our train slowly ran up to the summit visitor centre. Then we had 30 minutes to admire the summit before going down again for another hour.