Wales and northern England

May 6-10, 2016
AC848 YYZ-LHR, AC859 LHR-YYZ

We had planned a longer trip to the England and Wales, but unfortunately we had a sick cat at home and decided that she couldn’t be left at home for a full 10 days.  We compromised with a focus on Wales.  We really enjoyed the beautiful scenery and historic cities of Wales, but decided that we’d head back through Liverpool on our way to our flight from Heathrow.  Although Wales is known for the rainy and cold weather, we managed to stay away from rain for most of the trip.  Our only significant rain was on the last day’s drive, so we didn’t really miss out on anything.  We’ll plan another trip to check out the Lake Region.

May 7

After our overnight flight, breakfast and a shower we picked up our car and started our drive towards Cardiff.

The incredible remains of 1131AD Tintern Abbey

Different perspective on the Abbey ruins

Inside perspective

Chepstow Castle

Walking along the walls

Broader perspective on the size of the castle

Roman Baths of Caerleon (75 AD)

Caerleon Roman amphitheatre ruins, the most complete in Britain 

Modern downtown Cardiff outside our hotel

Animal wall of Bute Park

Cardiff Castle north entrance

Cardiff Castle west entrance

Within Bute Park 

Cardiff City Hall

After a long day of travel we wound down with a nice meal and some drinks before settling down for the evening.

May 8

We spent the day making our way across Wales to Conwy enjoying the beautiful sites along the way.  In addition to beautiful scenery, we also were very lucky with the weather as we continued to stay ahead of the rain.

Early morning at Caerphilly Castle (begun in 1268)

Main entry gate to the castle

Core of the castle and its leaning turret 

Perspective from the tower

Interior of the restored walls

Interior Great Hall in the castle

A temporary installation of a massive dragon sculpture adds a little drama to the castle

Another perspective on the wonderfully restored castle and surrounding walls

Short hike in Brecon Beacons National Park

Small waterfall on the hike

Heading towards the higher mountains in the park

Looking forwards Pen y Fan, the highest peak in the park

Brecon Cathedral

Clywedog Reservoir 

Low tide at Caernarfon

13th Century Caernarfon Castle

Caernarfon Castle and the fortified city walls

Dining outside, we have a great view of Conwy Castle across the river Conwy

May 9

We adjusted our plans a little bit and decided to finish up in Wales by exploring Conwy, check out Snowdonia National Park and end the day in Liverpool. 

The old and new bridge into Conwy

Perspective on the 13th Century Conwy Castle and surrounding countryside

Broader perspective on the castle

View from one of many restored turrets

Some settling in the extensive city walls beyond the castle

Picturesque town of Betws-y-Coed, a gateway to Snowdonia National Park

Glyder Fawr mountain and surrounding valley in Snowdonia

Bridge over Colwyn River in small vilalge of Beddgelart

Short walk along the river

Back in England at Church of St. Luke in Liverpool

The Massive Liverpool Cathedral

Some perspective on 189m length of the church (longest in the world)

The redeveloped waterfront early in the evening

Royal Liver Building (with clock tower) and Port of Liverpool Building (on the right)

May 10

Our luck in avoiding the rain ran out on our last day, but we spent the majority of it driving back to Heathrow.  Despite the heavy rains, there weren't any serious traffic delays and we dropped off the rental car and made our flights to Toronto and for me onto Houston.