Wales

We were still experiencing cold but dry weather and appreciated the warmer than usual weather.  We crossed into Wales and were able to ride on small hedge lined roads for most of the day, only problem there was nowhere to eat until about three o’clock when we came across The Aquaduct pub. Saw squirrels for the first time here. Wales is rural with hills and sheep and lots of evidence of moles with little piles of dirt across the fields. We were up and down hills all day until we reached Betwyn-y-co-ed where therewas yet another Christmas fair with the streets all lit up, all the shops were open and there was a lantern parade with a drum band. It was nice to join in the festivities and feel part of the community. Next stop was Llanberis and Snowdon, with a steep ride up of 10 klms up to get over the pass with a fast descent into the town. Llanberis is a town where all the locals speak Welsh, the schools conduct all lessons in Welsh. At the hotel where we stayed all the staff spoke Welsh to each other, but spoke English to us.  We walked up Mount Snowdon, a few hours walking to the summit.  It was a cold day and very misty at the top so no views.  There was some snow on the ground which must have fallen a fews days ago and the dampness in the air has frozen on the rocks.

The ride from Llanberis to Holyhead was up and down and then we crossed over the bridge to the Anglesea Peninsula to book our ferry passage for Dublin.