Leaving Bala, we headed a short way up the road to Bryneglwys, Denbighshire, where we had chosen to stay at a Caravan and Motorhome Club (CMC) Certified Location (CL) Plas Newydd. A lovely slightly sloping CL on the edge of the Llantysilio Mountain. We had a lovely Welcome from Alison and her husband and a CL with a lovely (spotless) shower block is always a bonus. A short walk down hill will take you into the village itself, but the views from the CL were amazing. We were able to see eagles and deer on the hillside opposite and the sky above! We awoke to a ‘roost’ of wagtails on the bonnet. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/denbighshire/llangollen/plas-newydd/
Continuing our journey we headed back across the border to the Wirral and Birkenhead, where we knew the Knife Angel would be (It had been in Aberystwyth, but we were too far away, before it moved! The Knife Angel is touring the UK and can be seen in various places this year and next…https://www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk/national-anti-violence-uk-tour/ The Knife Angel stands 27 feet high and is made from over 100,000 confiscated, seized and handed in knife blades, specifically designed to highlight the negative effects of knife crime.
We chose to stop at the Wirral Country Club CMC Site. Located on an old Railway Line – we have a knack of finding them – and near the Dee Estuary, walks and cycle routes are all around. A one night stay does not do it justice, but we did arrive to use their showers and washing facilities, and a boiler fault meant we were disappointed – NO HOT WATER! Luckily, facilities on board enabled us to shower but there was no reduction in price!
Leaving the Wirral and a quick stop at ASDA – Queensferry – for LPG (significantly cheaper than we paid in Sussex), we left England to continue our Tour of Wales, heading along the coast to Colwyn Bay then Llandudno and Conwy. Our stop for the night was at the Conwy Motorhome Stopover, which we had a little difficulty finding, but is at the rear of Station Car Sales – once you know what you’re looking for the signs are obvious! We had a warm welcome from Richard, the owner, before we walked into the walled town of Conwy. We had a quick drive around – it is navigable in an 8m Motorhome with care – as we didn’t know exactly how far the stopover was! Conwy is about 10 minutes walk over the river! We walked the walls tour, the Suspension Bridge, through the town centre, stopping for an ice-cream, visited the Smallest House in Great Britain (at just 1.8 metres wide and two rooms), before heading back along the riverfront. https://www.conwystopover.com/
Our next drive took us up to the Isle of Anglesey over the Britannia Bridge, to the town, with the longest place name in the UK and Europe ( & 2nd longest in the world) Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch – which means St Mary’s Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel near a Rapid Whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the Red Cave! From here, we headed to Caernarfon, and onto our next stop Cefn Eithin a CMC CL. We had another warm welcome from Helen, Andrew and their collie George, shown where we could pitch up and admired the views over the sea to Anglesey. The weather has got a lot better and the sunset was great! We could only have one night here, as they were fully booked (but a no-show meant they did have space for longer, but we’d already booked another… In case you want to know they also have a couple of holiday cottages, so ideal for non-caravanning / motorhoming friends or family to come. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/gwynedd/caernarfon/cefn-eithin/ or https://cefneithinholidays.wordpress.com/
Our last stop of the week is in the village of Trefor a short drive from Cefn Eithin, but we had a drive around the headland and into Pwhelli, where the traffic and inconsiderate drivers as bad as we remembered from our Transporter days – we have vowed we will NEVER return! So a detour to Porthmadog, for a bit of shopping before heading up to Cappas Lwyd CL. What a find! Warm welcomes, seem to be the norm in this part of the world – Christine and Mark and their 3 rescue dogs and ex-battery hens offered a great welcome. The views must be the best we’ve had for ages and the weather was just so good too. A short walk takes you to the beach or the village but there are more paths up the mountains. Christine will happily show you where to walk. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/gwynedd/caernarfon/cappas-lywd/
As always, thank you for reading – it means so much to us. We hope you and your families are safe and well, we’ll be back with Part 4, soon. We’ll leave you with more sunset spam…