3rd Week - Wales

We drove from Wychnor Park northwest into Wales almost to the Irish Sea. We had a very interesting week in this part of Britain. The timeshare was the worst that we have stayed in. The two good things about it were there was free internet and it was located in a good area for us to tour. We could see the Irish Sea (North Atlantic) from our window.



We also had an excellent view of the peacock one evening as he sat right outside our door.
The drive was beautiful. The countryside changed into more hills, more farm animals and less farm fields as we entered Wales. The roads were curvy and it was very hard to see into the fields because there were stone fences with much tall green growth along both sides of the road.








We had bought a map book at a bookstore in Lichfield for 2 pounds. It was very helpful as we drove on many of the area roads. One of the first places we went to see was the Point of Ayr lighthouse.
It is no longer being used but we walked ¼ mile out to see it. We went late in the day on Sunday and met lots and lots of people leaving the area. They had been on the beach and picnicking. These girls were just starting for a ride on the beach. We had very long days as it got light at 4:30 am and didn’t get dark until about 10:15 pm.

We went to Bodnant Gardens which were just beautiful.


People come from all over to view this.



What we weren’t able to get a picture of was the mouse. We were standing looking at some flowers when we noticed a movement. The mouse very boldly came to the group of flowers (a daisy type) and promptly picked one. He broke it off with a 10 inch stem like he was going to put it in a vase. He got startled, ran and then came back and took a leaf with him. I couldn’t believe it.

We drove to the Trefriw Woolen Mill and toured through it. We were able to see the entire process from the raw wool to the finished product. The mill is still operated by water.



Conwy Castle was quite something. It was built from 1283–1287 by King Edward I








and included a wall so the city was enclosed.
The day was very cool and extremely windy. We had some rain.

Then we toured Plas Mawr in Conwy which is an Elizabethan Town House built in 1585. It has been restored and we listened to an audio tour which included 2 floors and a tower.




This is a view of the castle from the house.

We ended a day at Llandudno which is a resort town but very pretty.


It was so windy that the flag stood straight out.


We stayed about 2 miles from Rhyl, 1 mile from Rhuddlan and right near Dyserth. We shopped at an “outlet mall” in St Asaph which was very different from what we think of as an outlet mall. It was one large store with all manner of merchandise. We stopped at the Rhuddlan Castle because it was so near to us.




We left Wales today and are spending one night in Nottingham before we get on our narrow canal boat tomorrow.

England - 2nd Week at Wychnor Park

Well after this week I have decided that I am just a country girl at heart. I have loved the week and everything that we did. It has been awesome. We left London on Saturday, June 6 after Bob picked up a rental car and headed north and a little west. We stayed at a timeshare called Wychnor Park which is north of Litchfield. The directions told us to leave the dual carriageway, go across a bridge and then it will be shortly after the stop light. Well, we did cross the bridge but kept going almost 1 ½ miles before we got to the stop light. And the road was a one lane through the country. The stop light was for the one lane road by a pond and through a type of arbor.






We thought we were in the wrong place but couldn’t turn around. I am glad we didn’t turn around though because we came upon the timeshare. Part of the buildings date from the 1500’s.





We stayed in the coach house on the second floor which had been added in the 1700’s.
Our accommodation was a lovely two bedroom/two bath unit that was comfortable and fun. The kitchen was even fun and interesting. The refrigerator and freezer were separate sort of like our under the counter ones but with more room in them. The washing machine was also under the counter. The hob (stovetop) had four burners and the oven was in the wall. There was even an apartment size dishwasher.

We found a very large grocery (Morrisons) a few miles further up the dual carriageway. There was also a McDonald’s where we got some free internet at the end of the week but there were no outlets so we had to operate on battery. Part of the resort activity consisted of some sort of a quiz each day. We tried to pick them up and found that some we knew the answers for and others were hopeless. One afternoon we had a history tour of the resort and learned about the beginnings etc. of the estate. It was fascinating. It became a time share in 1981. The front desk, office and check in area were located in the main house which dated from the 1500’s. There has been some damage, some fire and some changes but it was lovely. We even saw a pair of pheasant along the road.

We spent a day exploring Lichfield and loved the Cathedral. They said it is the only one in England with three spires.


We saw the homes of Charles Darwin’s grandfather Erasmus and of Samuel Johnson the author of the first English dictionary. The town was a hot spot during the England civil war times in 1642. We went to the street market and purchased our fruit and vegetables.

This building was built in 1510. The architecture was very interesting.
We were both glad that we had been watching a history course titled “England - From the Stuart’s to the Tudor’s”. It helped with a lot of the history.

We went to the British National Arboretum. It is a memorial for those who have lost their lives in service of the country like Arlington is for us. It is very new and didn’t open until 2000. There is a small chapel and the 12 log supports have a disciple carved on each one. This is for James.
And this is Matthew.
This storyteller carving was hand carved by different folks and made from old wood from church pews.


We spent an entire day in Stratford upon Avon the birthplace of Shakespeare.

We toured his birthplace home and the home where his oldest daughter Susannah and her doctor husband, John Hall lived.

We went to the church where Shakespeare, Anne is wife, Susannah and John Hall and are buried.

Then we went to the Anne Hathaway cottage which is the birthplace of Shakespeare’s wife.
It is the one with the thatched roof. The gardens were all beautiful.
We loved the bird chaser made from a potato and feathers.


We explored a little around the area and just drove through the small villages. We are getting dizzy from the round-a-bouts! Not really. Since Bob drove on the left with a left hand shift in Thailand it has not been hard at all. I just have to tell him “left” every once in a while. The signs are very easy to follow and we just count which exit out of the circle to take. We visited the marina at Barton under Needwood and looked at the long canal boats tied up at the docks. We are just waiting a couple of weeks until we are on one.