Days: 8 - 10
Thursday, June 29th
Saturday, July 1st
Pounds Sterling
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our visit:
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Conwy
                                 
       
What We Had
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Page Index
What We Saw
•  City Wall
•  Great Britain`s Smallest House
•  Caernarfon Castle
•  Slate Mine at Llechwedd
•  Welsh Massed Male Choir
Where We Ate
•  Fisherman`s Restaurant
•  Castle Hotel
Where We Stayed
•  Castle Hotel

  Overview




Conwy is a small town in north Wales. We stayed at the Castle Hotel  located on the main street, close to everything we wanted to see, great food in the restaurant and an outstanding room. Our room was one of the most comfortable on the trip.



Smallest house in Great Britain


Our first night was spent exploring the town, having dinner at the Fisherman's Restaurant (catty-corner from the oldest building in Conwy...more fish and chips) , a walk on the beach including the smallest house in Great Britain.


Jack and Jan lead the way on the city wall


We finished off the day with a walk around along the city wall  It is amazing how well the wall is preserved. It's a great way to see the city and get some much needed exercise. A number of our group joined us in the walk.


Caernarfon Castle


Saturday was a very full day. We started with a trip to Caernarfon Castle . Caernarfon is a wonderful example of the castles built by Edward 1st that came to be known as his Iron Ring. It's very interesting how the castle is incomplete yet one of the most well preserved we were to see. In addition, there's a great exhibit on the crowning of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales.


Jan and Jack in the car ahead of us
Llechwedd Slate Mine


Our next stop was the Llechwedd Slate Mine . We boarded a small tram (two people wide) and headed into the mine. Frankly, it wasn't until the tram started rolling that I realized we were heading underground through some very small tunnels. If you're at all concerned about tight spaces, you may want to pass up this ride. But what a shame that would be. The experience was unforgettable! I can NOT imagine how they worked these mines with candles and a lot of manual labor.


Welsh Massed Male Choir


We finished a very busy day with a wonderful time at a performance of the Welsh Massed Male Choir in the Rhyl Pavilion. Now needless to say many of us were dubious about a mens choir performance. I have to tell you that it was unforgettable!
  Travel Extras


















 
  Where We Ate Fisherman`s Restaurant
June 29, 2007

Known for it's fish and chips the Fisherman's restaurant lived up to its reputation. We ate upstairs in a rather small dinning room. The food was good, but the atmosphere was nice (but nothing to write home about). Even so, we'd recommend it.

Fisherman`s Restaurant
Castle Street
Conwy LL32 8AY
Tel: (01492) 593792
   
 
  What We Saw City Wall
June 29, 2007
The wall around Conwy encircles the entire city, although the walkway (along the top) no longer passes over the railroad where it comes into the city. It did not matter anyway since you're getting off right by the center of town. The view of the castle, the harbor and the city was outstanding. As you can see from the pictures, we weren't the only ones that took advantage of the evening.
 
  What We Saw Great Britain`s Smallest House
June 30, 2007
If you've ever wanted to feel BIG, stand next to Britain's smallest house and you feel like it. Notice that the house has two floors. The story goes that the fisherman that owned the house gave it up because he couldn't stand up in it (being 6 feet tall) and there was no toilet.

Great Britain`s Smallest House
Quayside
Conwy LL30 2YF - Wales, U
Tel: +44 (0)1492 593429
         
 
  What We Saw Caernarfon Castle
June 30, 2007
Caernarfon Castle was built by Edward I in the latter part of the 13th century as one of his castles of the Iron Ring. The castle was not only a military outpost, but acted as the seat of English government in Wales.

The tradition of crowning the heir of the British monarchy began at Caernarfon Castle in 1301. His heir, (who would become King Edward II of England) was presented to the Welsh inhabitants as the prince of Wales. The next investiture of the prince didn't occur again until 1911 with the future Edward VIII of the United Kingdom. This set a precedent which was to be repeated in 1969 with the investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales.

The castle is an outstanding example of a British fortification. Although never finished (there was evidence of joints left unfinished which were intended for additional walls), the structure that stands today had been unchanged for hundreds of years. As you can see from the pictures, there was a lot to see and a lot of history to hear about. Rain or shine, we'd recommend it.

Caernarfon Castle
Castle Ditch
Caernarfon, Gwynedd LL55 2AY, UK
Tel: +44 1286 677617
      
 
  What We Saw Slate Mine at Llechwedd
June 30, 2007

What an outstanding experience! As we approached, we learned that the hills around the mine were not natural. Rather they were the waste from the slate mines. 90% of the slate mined was waste and piled high on the local country-side.

We entered the mine on a small electric train, in cars made for four people but barely large enough for an average sized person, let alone someone taller. We quickly found why the cars were so small. The tunnel we traveled through was barely larger than the train. And dark? VERY! Our first stop was at a cavern several hundred feet underground. We disembarked from our train for our first view where the miners did their work. The area was surprisingly large. They then turned out the lights to give us a sense of how dark the cavern can be, followed by the lighting of a candle to show us the amount of light the miners had available to them.

We re-boarded the train and went on to another cavern where there was a display of workers and the equipment they used. One of the miners (a mannequin) was high on the pile (the red triangle on the right). The other two were near the rail line. The one on the pile is the one that drilled the holes and set the explosive charges. The other miner stacked the stone on the rail cars for the journey to the surface.

Slate Mine at Llechwedd
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Gwynedd, North Wales LL41 3NB
Tel: 01766 830 306
FAX: 01766 831 260
      
 
 
  Where We Ate Castle Hotel
June 29, 2007
We had two great breakfasts and an equally good dinner at the hotel. Frankly, the food was good enough to have all our meals here. Definitely recommended.

Castle Hotel
High Street
Conwy, Wales LL32 8DB
Tel: 01492 582800
FAX: 01492 582300
 
  What We Saw Welsh Massed Male Choir
June 30, 2007
We were originally scheduled to go to a Medieval Dinner, but switched to the Mens Choir instead. Initially we were a little hesitant. However that went away. the performance by the choir was exceptional. There were also several other performers (shown below in `Taking a Bow`). Two sang both opera and contemporary while the third played the harp. Opera is not my favorite, but the harp was actually very good.

Clearly the best part of the performance was the Welsh national anthem. Sung in Welsh (which we, of course, we didn't understand) the entire audience joined in. It was very moving. They are a very proud people and it was clear from the way they sang that they would like to have a nation of their own. A great evening!

Welsh Massed Male Choir
Rhyl Pavillion
Promenade
Rhyl, Denbighshire LL18 3AQ
Tel: 01745 330 000
FAX: 01745 339819
      
 
 
  Where We Stayed Castle Hotel

The Castle Hotel is a wonderful place to stay. As you can see from the picture of our room, this was one of the nicest places we stayed. It is very well located in the center of the city. The restaurant in the hotel (where we ate on our second night) was quite good. Breakfasts both mornings was very good as well. The rooms were larger than most and VERY comfortable. The hotel comes highly recommended!

Castle Hotel
High Street
Conwy, Wales LL32 8DB
Tel: 01492 582800
FAX: 01492 582300
         
 
 
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