Holyhead, Wales

Our second port to visit was Holyhead, Wales.  Holyhead is located on the island of Anglesey, which is also known as the home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and his wife, Catherine)  Prince William is one of only five helicopter pilots based with the Royal Air Force in Anglesey so the locals do see him occasionally.

Holyhead is Britain's third most important passenger port with direct ties to Dublin and other Irish cities.  We were quite excited to be visiting Wales as it well known for its many castles.

Our tour guide that day was Peter, a very humourous, laid back type of guy.  He is with the tour company called Busy Bus.  Again, we had booked this tour ahead of time and by the end of the day, we were really happy that we had.  Our first stop after a scenic drive that crossed the Menai Strait was to the royal town of Caernarfon and its namesake castle.  This castle is famous for being one of the 17 castles built during the reign of King Edward I and for being the site for the investiture of any Prince of Wales.  Prince Charles was invested in 1969 at this site by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.  One day Prince William may be invested with that title.

You can see two flags being flown, one representing Prince Charles and one representing Prince William.

After visiting Caernarfon, we drove towards Snowdonia National Park, where there were many backpackers and cyclists enjoying nature at its  best.  And of course, no trip is guaranteed sunshine so this was our day of the 'heavy rain'--yes, it did pour down on us!  Thank goodness for Goretex jackets with hoods and umbrellas.  Wearing hiking boots was a smart move for today too.

Snowdonia National Park

Nestled in the Snowdonia Mountains is the tiny, quaint Welsh village named Betws-y-Coed, the centre for rock climbing, mountain biking, wild water rafting and other outdoor sports.  We managed to find the bakery where we enjoyed a Welsh cake (cookie); well, in fact, it was a bag of Welsh cakes, and yes, they were delicious!

We spent a good deal of time at Conwy Castle, another castle built in the 13th century for Edward I. This castle was completed in only five years.  We enjoyed exploring the many existing towers still standing.  The view over the town and the waters is magnificent. 

It is amazing to be able to walk about the grounds of this castle or any castle and it is hard to describe the feelings that come over you as you walk where others, centuries before, had been.  Also it is hard to imagine how these castles were ever built, long before the days of mechanical methods.

No visit is complete without visiting the town of 58 letters:

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch which means "The Church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the red cave"

What a wonderful adventure we shared with others on our mini bus and with Peter, our tour guide who gave us so much information in an entertaining way.  We had an awesome day and one not to be forgotten.