Llandundo -> Beaumaris -> Conwy -> Denbigh -> Rhuddlan London ->
Highlight
- The weather didn’t get any better at all, but we managed to go for a drive around the Great Orme drive…and because the weather was crap/it was early, there was no one manning the toll booth, so we got to drive it for free.
- The view would’ve been excellent on a nice day, but that huge storm cloud that kept getting into our pictures, and the really strong wind, not to mention the call of breakfast, meant we didn’t stay long.
- The brief stop at the top, with the really strong and cold wind was fun though.
- The breakfast was slow, and quite disappointing. From the way it was described you expected it to be really good, but the food was pretty tasteless and there was not much variety.
- Off for the first drive, back to Beaumaris Castle. The weather was absolutely horrid, with really strong winds, that my umbrella did nothing, but it was eerie wondering around the castle in darkness though, especially through the many corridors of this castle.
- Then back to Conwy, which was a cute little town, but we didn’t stop to browse the shops, as we were in a hurry. A brief look at the outside of Plas Mawr Elizabethan Town House, then onto Conwy Castle, which was my favourite of all. Still retaining its crumbling charms, but with lots of towers to climb, for views towards the sea. There is a nice display about chapels in castles, but most of all, because it has retained its grand structure, it was the best.
- It was already getting dark by this time, so we went to Denbigh Castle, which was a very different sort of castle. It was not built by Edward II and was not concentric, instead, everything was on a grand scale. Unfortunately the castle is now in quite a bad state, but the view of the surrounding town and farmland was beautiful, with the autumn leaves.
- Off to Rhuddlan Castle, which was closed, but we got a good picture from the outside.
- Hit a series of small monuments, which we shouldn’t have bothered, as the weather got progressively worst (from the already terrible to start with), and it was getting too dark to see anything.
- Started our journey home, but was pretty much stuck in traffic only after about 20 minutes in. We took a detour, which cost us 30 minutes, so we arrived at dinner at the Kinfe and Cleaver at 8:30pm.
- The place was not a pub at all, but a small hotel with a bar/restaurant attached. Apart from another couple, who were obviously staying the night there, we were the only ones there. The food was cheap and very nice, and very generous, and the service was homely too. Read the reviews here.
- We were a bit afraid as the weather was absolutely mad while we were eating, we could hear the wind making a lot of noise. Luckily, the weather improved as we drove towards London, and the traffic wasn’t nearly as bad as we thought, so we made it back before the last tube closed, although we did get soak walking to the tube.
Food
- The Lindens breakfast:
- pineapple juice
- tea
- coffee
- yoghurt with dates and grapefruit
- full breakfast with poached egg, sausage, black pudding, bacon, tomato, mushroom, fried bread, hash brown
- toast
- digestive biscuit
- Knife and Cleaver dinner:
- Prawn ball, relish on toast
- seed bread and foccacia
- Smoked Haddock Chowder (£5.25) With parmesan cheese straws
- Deep Fried Whitebait, Gremolata (chopped parsley, lemon, garlic olive oil) (£6.00)
- Gourmet Steak Burger (£9.75) Home made bun, crispy pancetta, chunky cut chips with tomato relish
- South Coast Dab baked whole with an Anchovy and Shrimp Butter (£12.25)
- ratotouille, potato gratin, buttered leek
- coffee cafetiere
Oswestry -> Llangollen -> Harlech -> Criccieth -> Caenarfon -> Bangor -> Colwyn Bay -> Llandundo
Highlight
- Very bad weather yet again, rain and wind.
- Llangollen was a small cute town, pity not much was opened. We picked up some welsh cake from the bakery.
- To Plas Newydd – nice garden with shrubbery by the river.
- Valle Crucis Abbey – was very much like Tintern, but abandoned and very muddy due to the rain.
- To Llangar Church, which was a long walk and probably not worth it since the weather was crap.
- To Harlech Castle, but it was raining really hard, and there were a lot of places to climb, which were muddy and slippery, so not a good idea.
- Criccieth Castle – was mostly in ruins but the view was very nice, when it’s not overcast.
- To Caernarfon, but unfortunately the castle was under renovation, so we couldn’t get a good picture.
- People actually speak Welsh here! What a difference to Cardiff and the south.
- Stopped off for too long a lunch at Black Boy Inn. Read the reviews here.
- Finally made it to the castle around 2:30. We climbed several towers while the rain held out, then headed down to see the various exhibits: Princes of Wales and The Royal Welch Fusiliers, but we didn’t finish the displays as we got kicked out early. It wasn’t that interesting anyway so no loss there.
- Tried to go to the Segontium Roman Fort, but it was getting dark, so we couldn’t see very much.
- A brief stop at Bangor, but the weather was so bad and it was so dark, we couldn’t see the Menai Suspension Bridge or Victoria Pier.
- Our hotel was very nice. Cosy and a bit old, and very hard to open the front door. Our room was beside the road though and the road noises were quite bad.
- We didn’t know this, but Pen-y-Bryn is run by the same company who ran The Armoury. So the décor and menu were pretty similar. We didn’t mind though, and ate more great food. Read the reviews here.
Food
- Welsh cake
- Black Boy Inn:
- traditional Caernarfon lob scouse (£8.95) – chunks of steak cooked with onions, root vegetables and potatoes in a great stokc, served with chunky bread
- Sardines with Salad
- Snowdonia Ale from Purple Moose Brewery
- Pen-y-Bryn:
- Braised half shoulder of Welsh lamb with dauphinoise potatoes, vegetables and rosemary sauce (£13.95)
- Slow roast belly pork with roasted apple, sage & onion mashed potato and vegetables (£11.45)
- Eton Mess (merigne with fresh raspberries, strawberries and cream) (£4.95)
London -> Shrewbery -> Oswestry
Highlight
- hertz mucked up, there was no meet and greet service at st Pancreas. So we had to catch a taxi to the Russell Square branch after arguing for a long time with the employees there.
- The problem eventually got resolved (or so we thought), and we wasted the 45 minutes advantage we had over the weekend traffic.
- As a result, we were truly stuck in traffic, so took over 1 hour to get out of London. It was very quick after we got out, and all the speeding helped of course.
- Shrewberry was a charming, rich town, with cute timber houses and a nice riverside vibe.
- The Armoury was very good and also very busy. The desserts were a bit of a disappointment. Click here for reviews.
- Finally arrived at our cut-price Travelodge, which was not bad at all for the price.
Food
- The Armoury dinner:
- Pigeon Breast, bacon and black pudding salad (£6.25)
- Spicy Moroccan lamb shoulder with olive and almond cous cous (£14.95)
- Belgian waffle with honeycomb ice cream and chocolate sauce (£5.25)
- Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream (£5.25)
Cardiff -> London
Highlight
- The breakfast was very boring. There was not much choice and the food was not particularly nice. The waffles were the best. Still, it didn’t stop us from eating a lot so we could save money.
- Visited the Riverside market, which had just about the same stores as the Roath market yesterday. There were a few extras but we were too full from breakfast to really have a good look.
- There were some good views of the Millennium Stadium, and if the weather was better, a lovely spot by the river though.
- Did the Cardiff City to Bay walk via some newly regenerated areas with scattered artworks.
- Explored some Torchwood locations and looked at the wave design of the Wales Millennium Centre
- It started raining so we postponed our walk to see the Doctor Who exhibition. Slokky was really excited but I still didn’t understand anything about the show. Luckily the exhibition was short so we got out of there really fast.
- Rain has stopped, but it was still cold and windy, especially when we wondered towards the Bay. There was some water skiing championship on as well, but no one seemed to be paying any attention to them.
- There had been some major development going on the waterfront, with the results being some cool buildings, including the National Assembly and the Tourist Information Centre.
- Visited the Norwegian church where Roald Dahl (born in Cardiff!) was baptised. Nothing special there, especially since we saw quite a few Norwegian churches last week.
- Had a look at the display in the Tourist Information Centre about the Cardiff Bay development, before taking the taff trail back to city.
- Visited the National Museum for an impressive collection of French impressionists, for Cardiff, they had quite a few Monet and Renoir, as well as a scattering of other notables. The information was presented quite nicely, and I could have happily spent a few more hours there, but alas, we wanted to go and get our faggots and peas.
- Alas, Victoria markets were closed, so no faggots and peas.
- Instead we went to Howells/House of Fraser to see that old church they incorporated into the architecture. It was ok…and the department store was ok too…but I didn’t really need to go out of my way to see it.
- Plan B was the Bali Restaurant. I wasn’t hoping for much, after all the dismal Asians I’ve had in London, but I was really surprised. The two tables of other Asians enjoying a feast was encouraging, so we decided to order the special lunch menu. We were in a rush so didn’t have time to enjoy the laksa and soups they had on offer, but the food was surprisingly tasty, and pretty good for the price we paid.
- Off to the coach, where we were stuck in traffic, so it took nearly 4 hours to get back.
Food
- Mariott hotel breakfast:
- bran flakes with dried fruit, stewed fruits, fresh fruit and yoghurt
- chocolate muffin
- blueberry muffin
- sausage
- baked beans
- scrambled eggs
- tomatoes
- mushrooms
- bacon
- pancake with maple syrup
- waffle with maple syrup
- orange juice
- dinner at Bali Restaurant
- chicken satay
- potato cake
- chicken curry
- nasi goreng
London -> Cardiff
Highlight
- Had to sit separately on the bus, but the ride was comfortable.
- The weather was very overcast, but luckily it cleared up to be very nice later in the day.
- Checked in the hotel which was being refurbished, but at least we got a room already, with a kettle!
- I didn’t realise the hotel had a spa and pool, so decided to go to Primark for some £1 bikini and £1 bottoms.
- Walked to the Roath farmers Market, which was a genuine Welsh market. We got there quite late so a lot of things were sold out, but we managed to pick up a lovely Avril's Country Kitchen garlic aubergine chutney, smoked Caephilly cheese and Welsh cakes.
- Took a long walk through the suburbs and the lovely architecture all around to Roath Park with the lake and swams and paddle boats and flowers, and of course the families all out in force, all very British indeed.
- Caught the bus back and did the Centenary walk, which lets you see almost all of Cardiff. Highlights were the Bute Park and Cardiff University area, with its fantastic architecture. The fantastic covered arcades are great too, although we have seen a few of those now.
- Slokky got his haircut at a "young people" place for £15, but they charged £30 for ladies It wasn’t as good as Rennes of course, but it was not too bad.
- managed to wonder a few shops too but not too much to buy.
- Had an early dinner, which was fine, but nothing spectacular. Read the reviews here.
- Spent 45 minutes in the nice if old pool, spa and sauna area, so my £2 swimmers went to good use.
- Complained about the noise of the disco downstairs (why is it that we always get disco at our hotels?), so got “upgraded”, or more likely, just upped, to a family room on the 10th floor. There was no more disco noise, but the noise from the boilder kept me up for most of the night anyway.
Food
- Lindor raspberry
- pina colada tea
- taste test jams and cheese
- welsh cake with jam (£1.50)
- blueberry muffin
- Spice Quarter dinner:
- poppadoms
- Gilafi Seekh Kebab (£4.70
- Chicken Malai Tikka (£4.70
- Shahi Chicken Korma (£8.75
- ) Lamb Pasanda (£9.45)
- Peshawari Naan (£2.65)
- Lasooni Naan (£2.65)
- mango lassi
- sweet lassi
Brigend -> Caerphilly -> Yatterdon -> London
Highlight
- Coity Castle – quite big, a site that’s free for you to roam around, and you can climb to the top, where you can see the cool cemetery next to the church.
- New Castle was closed, so I told Slokky to skip the next few, but he didn’t listen, and insisted on driving to Ewenny Priory, which was of course closed.
- I told Slokky to go to the seaside for breakfast since he didn’t skip the priory. As usual, he didn’t listen, and insisted on going to the farm, which was, of course, also closed. We couldn’t have breakfast anywhere as a result.
- Castell Coch – a restored castle with elaborate décor. A bit gimmicky, but you don’t need your imagination to see what it used to look like.
- To the scenic lookout, where we climbed a “mountain” to see the views over the valleys, town and Caerphilly.
- Walked around the very pretty park of Caerphilly Castle, with its cool leaning tower and everyone out and about, enjoying the sunshine.
- got some more Welsh cakes, this time from Tesco, which, of course, was not as nice.
- lunch at The Courthouse, where the food was bad but the view was excellent.
- Drove around the town of Caerleon to see a few roman remains: amphitheature, barracks and baths.
- With some time to spare, we paid a quick visit to the National Roman Legion Museum for more Roman collectables.
- Brief wonder around Coldicot Castle.
- dinner at the famous foodie Berkshire, where, taking advantage of the weather, we dined out in the garden.
- A long drive home where we were stuck in traffic. So it doesn’t matter what time you drive back to London, you’ll just be stuck in traffic.
Food
- tea
- Welsh cake
- lunch at The Courthouse:
- Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding, Roast Potatoes & Gravy
- 8 oz Beef Burger (£4.69) - two 4oz beef burgers, served with barbeque sauce
- blackcurrent juice
- lemonade
- toffee
- Dinner at The Royal Oak:
- Homemade Smoked Cods Roe Pate with Toast (£7.50)
- Whole Sand Sole with Herb Butter & Rosti (£16.95)
- Calves Liver and Bacon with Rosti (£17.95)
- vegetables
London -> Chittingham -> Keysham -> Chepstow -> Monmouth -> Newport -> Brigend
Highlight
- We set off ½ hour late already because Slokky for some stupid reason decided that it was a good time to call his grandma!!
- Then we got a flat tyre. We went to Chittingham to try to get it fixed, but they didn’t have the spare we needed.
- We called around everywhere, and in the end, had to go all the way to Keysham to get it fixed.
- Needless to say, all my plans went out the window, we were supposed to be at the Chepstow markets for lunch, but by the time we got everything fixed, totalling 4 hours, costing us a bundle too, it was past 2 pm, so we had lunch at Keysham, by the river with some swans.
- We finally did arrive at Chepstow, but we didn’t have time to walk around the town.
- The country side was very nice and the weather was actually warm.
- Chepsow castle was veery impressive, a large imposing castle over looking a river.
- Tintery Abbey was very tranquil, also stopped by the very small and charming town.
- Monmouth castle – the museum was closed, the ruins were very small, so that was good in a sense, so we could move on swiftly.
- Monnow Bridge’s claim to fame was one of the first toll collecting bridges, it was definitely very cute.
- Went to Waitrose to buy yummy Welsh cakes.
- By the time we had finished, all the other shops were closed, but the town was still charming.
- A quick stop at Newport, just to look at the outside of its castle and bridge, before dinner after a frustrating day.
- The Chandlery had very affordable and generous food, and the staff were first rate, so we left happy.
- We had heaps of trouble finding our hotel, and had to ask for directions, so it was very late by the time we got to sleep.
Food
- West Cornwell Pasty Co traditional and wholemeal vegetable pasties
- Neal’s fine food pork belly sandwich.
- Dinner at The Chandlery:
- cornbread with butter and tomato chutney
- Loin of Welsh Mountain Lamb (£15.95) - Lamb and potato torte, cumin infused swede, rosemary jus
- 8oz Welsh Sirloin Steak (£16.95) - Tomato, mushroom and green salad with a choice of chips, new potatoes or mash potato
- Banoffi Tart (£4.95) - Banana, toffee, fresh Jersey cream and shaved chocolate
