Aberystwyth to Llanberis and Snowdonia, North Wales.
Today we leave Aberystwyth and head to Llanberis, in North Wales. But before we left, I had to have a piece of the home-made Victoria Sponge Cake from the Cardigan Bay Guest House cafe, which was pretty good. Victoria Sponge cake is most definitely from my childhood, and I have yearned for it since (well. that may be a wee bit of an exaggeration). It was good though, and difficult to resist. It was a little dry, but a glass of milk would have solved that problem.
I talked a little with Sam, who lives in the guest house, and seems to be managing, or helping to manage, the place. He’s from Ghana, and came to Aberystwyth for the university here, and loves the town and hopes to stay. That’s quite a change, from Ghana to the mid-west coast of Wales. The university, founded in 1872, has around 9,000 students, of whom around 1,100 are international, like Sam.
We didn’t leave for Llanberis until a little before noon, and spent much of the morning on Constitution Hill, and took the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway, or Rheilffordd y Graig in Welsh, at the northern end of the promenade and minutes from the guest house, up the steep hill. The railway is actually a cable-drawn funicular, opened in 1896, and is a fun little ride to the top (and down, of course, although we we walked back down).
The Welsh language is still actively taught in schools, and many speak Welsh as their first language, although that varies from region to region in this small country, which is a little less than the size of New Jersey, and almost all signage is in both Welsh and English, and sometimes only in Welsh. When English is spoken, the traditional accent has a lovely sing-songy metre, although that’s not the case when Welsh gaelic is spoken, which we heard a fair amount, and especially once we reached LLanberis.
The views from the top of Constitution Hill, at about 430 feet, were lovely, overlooking the town and Cardigan Bay, and the walking paths up there connect to the the Welsh coastal path. There is also a camera obscura atop the hill, which is essentially a building that is itself a primitive camera, and when standing within the darkened room of the building (the name means “dark room”) you can see the surrounding area projected into the center of the room through a lens atop the building, which in this case you can control for different views of the surroundings below. It’s like being inside a camera. There used to be a camera obscura along the Pacific Highway in San Francisco, but I think is now gone.
The weather was perfect up there, on top of the hill, and the views were lovely. We spent a little time on Constitution Hill, I picked and ate blackberries that were growing wild (they’re all over Britain), and we walked back down the hill into town, and prepared to head out, leaving around 11:45 or so.
And then, we set out on the road to Llanberis, driving north for about 2½ hours through more of the beautiful Welsh countryside. It’s just 87 miles from Aberystwyth to Llanberis, although a two-plus hour drive, but the change in landscape and scenery is dramatic. As we approached Llanberis, which is in Snowdonia (Eryri National Park), in the last 20 minutes or so of the drive the scenery starting to change noticeably, from rolling and lush hills to more dramatic mountains and cliffs. In the UK, national parks, like Snowdonia/Eryri National Park, are not preserved lands roped off from the surrounding community, as they are in the U.S., but are designated areas within which villages and communities exist and people live and work. Llanberis, for instance, is in the national park.
LLanberis and Snowdonia are central to mountaineering in Britain, and where British mountaineering developed and continues to thrive. I’ve been to LLanberis two or three times, although the last time was in 1991 with Bev and Kaye (age 4), but I visited Hilary and my friend Phill Sowter here in the late 70s and probably early 80’s, when he lived here and was very much into the mountaineering life. I recall hitching here from London. The village then was smaller and less developed, but filled with outdoor and mountaineering stores and and young people into the outdoor life, and that is still true today. It’s a village, and long has been, for outdoor adventure, much like similar towns across the United States., with cliffs and mountains to be climbed and trails to hike, not to mention water sports, extreme biking, and the rest.
Frankly, I recognized none of Llanberis upon arrival, but it is a far more contemporary town now, filled with pubs, restaurants, guest houses, and shops of all kinds, and filled with visitors from all over Britain and the world, drawn to this incredibly beautiful area, with dramatic views. The number of different British accents and also languages from around the world I’ve heard since being in Wales is astounding. I’ve heard far more non-Welsh accents than I have Welsh.
We arrived around 4 , and were delighted to find the Alpine Lodge, our hotel for the next two nights, was lovely and in great shape, with a great room with a back door and mountain view. Really excellent, and a full Welsh breakfast included.
Once we settled into the room, we ambled into the village, me hoping to recognize something (although I didn’t). The one thing I did remember was Pete’s Eats, a cafe that was very basic and served the local mountaineering community, and had great basic British food (and chips with everything). Pete’s Eats is still there, in the same location, but in name only. It’s a more contemporary eating place now, with a more contemporary menu. Times change.
I sent Phill a photo of Pete’s, although he and I haven’t had contact in a looooong time, and he got back to me to let me know that when Pete was away he used to manage the place! I hope he and I will be able to meet up when I’m back in London.
How nice a town this is, surrounded by the Snowdonia mountain range and anchored by Llyn Padarn, a two mile long glacier lake at the foot of the mountains, with Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa ) rising directly behind it and Padarn Country Park on the bank of the lake, both central to village life, recreation, and community.
Then, after some ample walking around, we were getting hungry, and in the mood for Shepherd’s Pie – with lamb (when it has beef, it’s Cottage Pie). Luckily, there are plenty of sheep in Wales. Sheep farming and wool are central to Welsh agriculture, with about 8–9 million sheep in Wales.
We ate the Y Gwynedd Pub, and I have to say this was not only a great shepherd’s pie, but the most delicious and exceptional meal I’ve had during this trip. Really fabulous. My compliments to the chef.
And then back to the Alpine Lodge, just a short walk away. Our room has only one bed, and although I tried to contact the manager I never received a reply, so I slept on the floor, but quite comfortably it turned out (and we got an extra bed the next morning). Goodnight. Another good day!