Builth Wells to Conwy, Wales

Tuesday, June 17

We very sadly departed our gorgeous "Meadow Suite" at Smiithfield Farm this morning. We haven't been able to fault this B&B and the owners, Glen and Nev, are lovely so if you are ever in this part of Wales, we cannot recommend this place highly enough.

Scenery on the way to Devil's Bridge

We were on the road around 10 am and had been told by Glen that it was worthwhile detouring from the A470 on to a very minor road (the Élan Mountain Road) to go via Devil's Bridge then in to Aberystwyth then pick up the A487 into Conwy - our destination for tonight. We were so glad we did this because the scenery was sensational - more rolling green hills, streams, waterfalls, sheep and cattle grazing openly (including on the road), pretty stone cottages and all bathed in glorious sunshine. We know we seem to be waxing lyrical about the beauty of Wales but once you get off the beaten track it really is something to see - we think it should be on everyone's "Bucket List". Devil's Bridge is actually three bridges built on top of each other and spanning the Mynach Falls which were very pretty. We opted not to walk down to the base of the waterfall because we didn't want to spend that much time there so after a quick cup of coffee in the Woodland's Tea Rooms, we continued on.

Al with the ruins of the Aberystwyth Castle behind

We arrived in Aberystwyth on the coast around lunchtime and decided to have our packed lunch there then do a bit of exploring around the town. There was a very unusual old church and the ruins of a castle dating back to the 1200's but not much else of interest so, after we had taken some photos, we headed off for Conwy.

Scenery in the Snowdonia region

Along the country roads

Again, the scenery was fantastic and as our journey took us through the Snowdonia Mountains, it was really breathtaking. We are looking forward to spending some more time in these mountains in the next few days. We stopped at Betws-y-Coed, considered the gateway to the Snowdonias. In the Visitors Info Centre, apart from gathering maps, etc., we enquired about the pronunciation of the town's name. Wait for it, boots-er-curd - we are eternally grateful that we don't have to learn Welsh! It was a very quaint area boasting a miniature railway, fabulous stone and timber buildings and a great old church - St Mary's. As it was still open, we went in and had a look around. The church was built in 1873 to cater for the growing population - both permanent and tourist - in Betws-y-Coed because the town itself had grown from being a stage point on the London to Holyhead Road to a popular holiday resort serviced by the new railroad and station. Inside, the church was big with elaborately carved stone pillars and a beautiful timber roof along with magnificent stained glass windows. As time was marching on, we needed to be on our way and that was when the fun really began.

Betws-y-Coed Village & Station

St Mary's Church

Dear old Sat Nav - we tried to key in the very strange street name (Ysguborwen) of our B&B in Conwy but the choices it gave us for the second letter were only a or o. No amount of trying other options helped so we went with Wales, Conwy, Conway Road (nearby) and hoped that the postage sized map on our Booking Confirmation along with Sat Nav would help us find it. After heading down a narrow country road (again, against our better judgement), Sat Nav delivered us to the driveway of a private home in a little village called Conwy-y-Pant. Good grief! We decided to follow the main road into Conwy in the hope we may spot our street or B&B. Finally we stopped and asked for help. The directions were not that clear and again we found ourselves lost. We stopped again for help and Eureka! The B&B is actually in a "suburb" of Conwy (not shown on the Booking Confirmation) so once we keyed the suburb name in, Sat Nav allowed us to key in the weird street name and it was plain sailing from there. Perhaps not all Sat Nav's fault!

Our B&B is connected to a hotel and is located over the road from Conwy Bay and we have a wonderful view of the Bay from our room. Tonight we were treated to a lovely sunset and with the old saying "red sky at night is a shepherd's delight" in our minds, we are hoping for another lovely day tomorrow.

Sunset view over Conwy Bay from our B&B window

 

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