The September ’21 Grand tour of mid and North Wales in a motorhome Day 17

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Cycling to Caernarvon

Up early, we are off into Llanberis and then up the back streets, climbing higher and higher. Up past small slate quarries and spoil heaps, the winding mountain road steepens and gives extraordinary views across the valley. Sheep graze on rocky outcrops and around every corner there are quick glimpses of Anglesey and the Menai Straits. Behind us, Snowdon makes a brief appearance. Wreathed in dark grey clouds, there are occasional gaps and glimmers of blue sky and sunshine above her!

The ride down from Cefn Du through Bryn Bras and into Llanrug is quite exhilarating. From there we cut westwards, across country to join the A4085 down into the centre of Caernarvon.

Such an imposing Castle. Iconic! Now I won’t go into describing this town but it is well worth a visit and you can find out more here: https://www.visitsnowdonia.info/caernarfon

There are a couple of back streets just metres away from the castle where you will find lovely boutique shops and cafes, so don’t be fooled that the main high street are the only shops in the town.

 Now here is a mystery! Whenever I visit the Castle, I have a hazy memory of an event, but I cannot find anyone who can confirm it and my own family are similarly sightly hazy on events at that time as well.

I seem to have a childhood memory of being at the castle with the Cub Scouts during the investiture of Prince Charles in 1969. I was dressed up in sack cloth and my cub scout troop were part of a great tableau of fixed scenes from Welsh history. We were on the lawns at the rear of the castle away from the main ceremony and I remember hundreds of people walking by. We drew the short straw. We were all farming peasants tilling the land! And it felt very cold in just a sack cloth and shorts!

Of course, this just could be some awful reoccurring nightmare, but every time I return to Caernarvon, this is the first memory to pop into my head. This and the one about where we stayed overnight at the local scout hut which had some woodland. We sat out around camp fires and made mini pancakes in the dimpled bottom of an upturned coke can. (We cut holes in the sides, cut off the top, turned it upside down and put it over a small candle and then put the pancake batter into the depression of the can bottom. Great fun!)

Anyway, a personal mystery for me, which at the moment remains unsolved! Moving on!

 

Cycle route 8 to Port Dinorwic is a wonderful ride along a disused railway line. The port itself is a narrow fissure in the coast where clever enterprising people placed a very narrow port area! The marina village there is quite unique, for simply put, it seems very well planned. Proper houses, each with a front garden and driveway big enough for two parking spaces. Every garden had a mature tree or two. Good planting, carefully landscaped and well-spaced, a model for future housing developments we think. Plymouth housing developers, please take note!

You can read more about Port Dinorwic here: https://historypoints.org/index.php?page=former-slate-dock-y-felinheli and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y_Felinheli

We avoid going into Bangor itself. We have visited it many, many times over the years for various reasons. So, we head back towards Llanberis. Rolling hills, isolated farms, stunning scenery and views up the various valleys and over to Snowdon and the Glyders. The initial climb off the A4087 is a bit of a shock but made easier by ‘turbo’ mode on the bikes! Through the little hamlets of Hafod yr Haf, Rhos Fawr and Ty’n-llwyn we go. At Pentir we turn right and then left up to Rhiwlas, before heading downhill to join the A4244. 

It's been a long time since I travelled this road. Dad used to come this way to work every day for several years and sometimes my brother or I were lucky to accompany him.

Of course, we detour at Pen-y-llyn to go onto the old road. The little road bridge gives one of the most iconic photo opportunities in the whole of Snowdonia! And if you time it right, you might just get the little red steam engine in the shot as well!

 Distance cycled today:  35 miles