Pirates on the Pier

The Jolly Roger was hoist on Saturday the 30th of June at a party to celebrate the re-opening of Beaumaris Pier. Considerable sums of money have been spent renovating the pier and ensuring that vessels can tie up at any state of the tide with a rise and fall facility. The council hired the Treasure Island Fun Centre to provide entertainment for children and a great time was had by all despite the inclement weather.

This is a great place to take the children in Beaumaris.

The International Musical Eisteddfod

All other Eisteddfodau are itinerant. They move around to different places. But the International Eisteddfod has always been based at Llangollen since it started in 1947. Promoting international understanding and harmony was the idea that underpins this musical celebration. The dominant language is of course English and it brings a lot of visitors to Llangollen every July.

Dancers from Newcastle who won the best Outdoor Dancing event.

These signs are built into the pavements of the town. Follow them and you will end up at the festival building.

The Fringe is a separate festival but is growing in importance. Charlotte Church is coming this year. Well worth a visit.

Llangollen as the centre of the World! This was part of the display that won the best shop window award.

I found these dancers from Ireland on the Llangollen Station platform. There was much media interest and at least it was under cover as the rain all week had been dreadful. But it didn't dampen the spirits.

Pilgrims on the Move

The pioneer group that founded the Pilgrim's Way North Wales, see www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org, have been walking the path which commences at Basingwerk Abbey near Holywell and stretches all the way to Bardsey Island at the tip of the Llyn Peninsula. Here they are in Penygroes with my minibus in the background. I had picked them up from Trefor and returned them to their cars. In the hat is Mike Costello who had handled the transport on the eastern sections. I managed to join them last Tuesday and walked from Llanasa to St Asaph cathedral.

Walking up Gop Hill in the pouring rain

Lots of good cattle on this walk and plenty of interesting farmland of different types.

As happy as a pig in ...

Lunch in the tiny St Beuno's chapel in the woods.

The chapel near Tremeirchion that kindly provided us with tea and fantastic cakes

Journey's end at St Asaph and just in time for choral evensong which they hold at the chapel every Monday and Friday at 6pm. Beautiful singing and organ music.

Good News about Cycling in North Wales

Off up to Anglesey to meet Chris Williams and Alaw Ceris of the Keep Wales Tidy Group who are pioneering a cycle hire initiative on some new routes on Anglesey see also their Face Book Page.

This could also be useful for the Cruise Excursions Wales initiative. There is also a new website for cycling in North Wales which has just gone live www.cyclingnorthwales.org. This site acts as a portal or hub for information on cycling (not mountain biking but it does include some mountain bike info plus links to Visit Wales) across the region. It also details the key centres of excellence for cycling - Rhyl Marsh Tracks, Betws y Coed and the Alwen Visitor Centre in addition to Llandegla Forest and Coed y Brenin.

This was all prepared by our good friend John Ablitt. Thanks John.

The Town Trail Season has begun!

The North Wales Tourist Guide Association (NWTGA) has started its summer town trail walks.
The walks are taking place in: Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy, Llangollen, Holyhead, Ruthin, Chirk and Rhuddlan. The walks will operate even if there is only one client. They last around one and half-hours and are suitable for all ages. Just turn up at the time and place specified for each town, Adults cost £5, Children £3. We can arrange special walks for groups. If you’ve any questions telephone: 01286 678590. http://www.towntrailswales.co.uk/.

I took the one at Llangollen last Monday. Qualified tour guide Sarah Jones was a goldmine of information.

We had a most enjoyable couple of hours and we discovered a lot I didn't know about Llangollen.

Here's a brief summary of the new things I learned.

The church of St Collen was founded around 600AD and it has a superbly decorated hammer beam roof.

The prominent corn mill, now a great pub / restaurant, was founded by the White Cistercians from Vale Crucis Abbey in 1201.

The Eliseg Pillar was built by Cyngen (died 855), the King of Powys to commemorate his grandfather who resisted Saxon incursions.

The River Dee which flows through Llangollen actually rises in Llanuwchllin and flows straight through Bala Lake. Despite over netting in the estuary on the Wirral it is still a salmon river.

The Bishop Trevor bridge was built in 1845. The south side is still the original stone work with all widening applying to the north side. Its arches are unevenly spaced to fit the stone boulders which are its foundation.

The river crossing and the strong power source that the river became were the key to Llangollen's prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries with Welsh flannel making, tanning and mail coach inns being prominent businesses.

The Dinas Bran hillfort which towers above Llangollen was built in 1261 by Madog ap Griffith, but was destroyed by his sons in 1277 to stop it falling into the hands of Edward the First.

The railway which connected Llangollen with Barmouth opened in 1863, was closed in 1963 but partly rebuilt as a leisure line by enthusiasts from 1974 onwards. The line will be extended to Corwen in 2013.

The canal was completed in 1808. It is fed by the Dee at the Horseshoe Falls and was designed to carry the exports of Llangollen - woollen goods, hides and lime but also was designed to feed a reservoir at Hurlston.

The river walk was built in the 1920s and is a good short walk. But the walk from the horseshoe falls along the canal to the aqueduct at Pontcysyllte (8 miles in total) is unsurpassed - the best canal walk anywhere.

The celebrated Ladies of Llangollen were actually not rich. They leased the house after running away from convention. They moved in in 1778 and most of the special features of the house were in fact gifts from prominent literary figures. The stone circle in front of the house dates from the 1908 National Eisteddfod.

Celebration of the Wales Coast Path in Gwynedd

On Wednesday the 4th of July I attended the opening of the Gwynedd section of the Wales Coast Path that stretches from Machynlleth to Llanfairfechan - a stretch of 187 miles. There was a great lunch and a number of prominent people were there including Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas who said:

"It's great to see that the Llyn Coastal Path now extends around Wales, along with a link to the Offa's Dyke Path, meaning that it's possible to encircle the whole country by foot."

What struck me about the meeting was how the council officials and the farmers and the walking community were now singing from the same hymn sheet and jointly realise that the WCP is a new highway that could bring greater prosperity to the rural community AND provide a recreational resource to the local population. Good news!

Opera star Rhydian Roberts who is leading a sponsored walk for the Wales Air Ambulance.

The Moranedd Cafe on the seafront at Criccieth proved to be a good venue.

The distinctive logo of the Wales Coast Path. All the actual work on the ground was done by Gwynedd Council Countryside Services. Everyone working together.

The Black Boy Inn Caernarfon

The Tafarn y Black Boy, or Black Boy Inn is one of Caernarfon's most famous landmarks. Located near to the northern town wall, on Northgate Street, the inn was built around 1522, making it one of the oldest inns in Wales.

The inn has had several names over the course of its life, but there are three theories concerning it's current unusual name. The first is that the Inn was named after an African boy who was brought into Caernarfon on a ship. The second relates to a navigational buoy that existed in Caernarfon harbour. Both of these theories are referenced in the Inn's distinctive logo below.

The last theory refers to a nickname given to Charles the Second by his mother, around the period that Royalists used the inn as a secret rendezvous point. 


There are more colourful explanations for the Welsh name of the inn's location; Northgate Street is also known as Stryd Pedwar a Chwech. This literally translates as Four and Six Street - or four shillings and sixpence. Allegedly this was the going rate for rental of a room at the inn, a bottle of gin, and the services of a lady of easy virtue!

Fortunately this part of town has moved considerably up market since then. The Black Boy has a good reputation as one of the best and most atmospheric places to eat in Caernarfon.