Gwynedd


Gwynedd is the Welsh-speaking heartland of Wales, the last part of the country to come under English domination. This is, in part, due to the mountainous nature of the county, for much of it is filled by the Snowdonia National Park which contains the highest mountain in Wales.

We start off with a visit to the town of Conwy, a walled settlement built as part of the English conquest and continue with something even older - a genuine Celtic foundation. Equally old - although that isn't the aspect we feature - is the city of Bangor. Oldest of all is the yew tree at Llangernyw.

Llandudno is a genteel resort which has avoided the garishness of somewhere like Rhyl and still has its pier in good working order. Set on a narrow neck of land between the huge bulk of the Great Orme and the mainland, its seafront is lined with graceful architecture and the shops are a delight. Lewis Caroll came here in pursuit of Alice Liddle and based the doleful song of the Walrus and the Carpenter on the sandy beach of the West Shore.

Then we head out to the Lleyn Peninsula to visit the pilgrim church at Pistyll and view the setting of the first Cadfael novel before climbing the hills above the Conwy Valley to marvel at an unusual hill fort. Back down in the valley we find the evidence of a disastrous flood and visit a theme park for wood.