Wales - Capel Curig

As the UK was slowly allowing us to venture out again, it was time to explore and we headed out to Wales! I’m sure that the aerial shots of Conwy on Salvage Hunters had something to do with it and we chose a converted chapel in Capel Curig in the heart of Snowdonia for our week of self-contained adventure. The Chapel had two bedrooms and two bathrooms and a bit of a funky layout, but I’m sure there were lots of planning restrictions dictating what you could and couldn’t do when it was being designed. The best thing it gave us was a king sized four poster bed on the mezzanine level with a two sofas and six skylights for stargazing. The kitchen was adequate and the whole place was light and airy.

The closest town to us was Betws-y-Coed which is the gateway to the snowy peaks and beautiful lakes of Snowdonia National Park. Everyone you see off the road is in hiking boots or riding a bike and there are hiking and biking trails at every turn. We did our fair share of walking and were thankful for the combination of a walking app and a map as the local signage leaves a lot to be desired once you’re on sheep tracks.

Conwy Castle and Conwy are worth a day out. The castle is huge and you can walk the ruins which gives spectacular views over the bay and the town. It’s also home to the Smallest House in Great Britain and a nice mix of independent shops. Whilst you’re admiring the expansive beaches it’s also worth visiting the Victorian seaside town of Llandudno.

Llandudno still has a traditional pier with arcade games and some fairground rides. It’s the longest pier in Wales and the beach it sits on is huge with areas of both pebble and sand. It also has a long flat promenade if you just want a leisurely stroll with your ice cream or candy floss. Whilst we were walking, we came across a sculpture of Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter. On closer inspection we found out that Llandudno was a huge influence for Lewis Carrol’s books and there’s an official Alice in Wonderland trail. If I’d known about it, I would love to have spent the day there to explore it, but it’s well spread out and can’t be done in full on impulse. As an alternative we drove the Great Orme Country Park and Nature Reserve before heading back.

Another day, another adventure – off to Blaenau Ffestiniog to the Zipworld slate caverns. It wasn’t the best weather for it, but it was great fun to do the Titan double zipline and it’s also the home of ‘Bounce Below’. With 6 trampoline-style nets built into an area twice the size of St. Paul’s Cathedral deep in the caves, there’s plenty of fun to be had in this subterranean wonderland. I would have loved to go and see this spooky neon lit place for myself, but it was still closed due to covid restrictions.

For those with a good memory, we couldn’t be in the area without visiting Portmeirion. It’s an odd but charming village which is often used as a film set. There are also walking trails and wild gardens here, but don’t be tempted unless you’ve got sturdy shoes/boots as they’re not paved or flat and once away from the housing the signs disappear. I’m sure you wouldn’t actually get lost up there, but I’m not so sure they’d notice if you didn’t leave!

Another day – another castle – this time Caernarfon. Due to Covid protocols we had to be out of our cottage by 9am and it seemed a shame to head home so early. This castle is also on the water and we weren’t able to book to visit, but we had a lovely Welsh breakfast at one of the oldest Inns in Wales. The Inn dates back to 1522 and used to be in the red-light district in Four and Six Street. The mural on the wall tells you more about that and I’m sure their rates are very different now!

During our week there were still Covid protocols in place regarding masks and social distancing. You had to book for attractions and they were operating at reduced capacity. Many of the shops were still only allowing 4/6/8 people in at a time and public seating was restricted. We saw huge queues for dining in Betws-y-Coed for the few venues where you could just walk in as most other places were fully booked in advance. On the couple of occasions midweek when we wanted to eat out, we were able to just walk into our local pub in Capel Curig.

Thank you Wales for a lovely week – we have returned home and miss the sheep bleating across the road!