Another trip up the Great Orme

Woke at 7.30am again. It was dry outside, but not great. After breakfast we headed back to Llandudno. We had decided to walk up the Great Orme today. We took the shortest (and no doubt the steepest) route from Haulfre Gardens. A challenging walk for one so unfit. But enjoyable. Back near the bottom of the Orme we took our third wrong turn and encountered a fallen tree trunk across the path. The only way forward was to "limbo" under it. Or crawl. I think I managed some sort of hybrid....

At the bottom, we drove to West Shore (the quieter shore, and a more residential area) and ate a snack before leaving Llandudno headed for Bangor and Caenarfeon. We stopped off at Penmanmawr and Llanfairfechan en route for a nosey. Not much to say about either of those two places really. Both odd little seaside villages where the beach is now cut off from the main village by the A55 major road. Shame. Oh - the parking and loo facilities at Llanfairfechan were quite impressive for a British seaside place.....

As Bangor looked very much like a working town (lovely old Cathedral though) we drove straight through without stopping and on to Caenarfeon. Parked up at the Marina there and had a walk around town and then the Castle. This is where Prince Charles had his investiture back in the late '60's. It had turned in to a glorious day.

The older I get, the more doddery and nervous I get on those old castle staircases. Vertigo kicked in more than once. Views over the Menai Strait from here were spectacular. I've walked a few steps today... tiring but very enjoyable.

I found it weird today as a lot of people were speaking Welsh. Very strange to be on your own island and yet not be able to understand somebody who lives only 200 or so miles away from you. All the leaflets we've picked up this week in the TICs (Tourist Information Centres) are in both English and Welsh, as are all the road signs and information in shops.

We got back just before 5 and the weather was still glorious, so we chilled on our deck and then got ready to go out. Tonight we ate at the Old White House pub near Conwy. It was ok. Nothing special.

After dinner we decided to call in at hte Marina for a beer in the Mulberry as it was such a nice evening again. Home early (again). Watched tv. Went to bed.