Day 8 - crossing the divide

For the last two days we’ve crossed the border in to Wales, a part of the UK I love - it has so much to offer, especially the great outdoors. Its lockdown rules are different and mostly stricter, which is something you do need to be mindful of. 

Yesterday we headed to the north coast, initially between Rhys and Colwyn Bay and then headed west to Conwy. It was great to see and smell the sea again. It was bracing but we managed a walk along a cycleway cum footpath before heading back to the car for a bit of lunch in out in to the Irish Sea and a large wind farm in Liverpool Bay (I think it’s called).

We did I feel a bit like a pair of old dears - we’ll be driving to a beauty spot with the Sunday papers next and having a nap. The only slight drawback was the lack of toilet facilities but we managed to find relief in the al fresco sense. 

Next stop was Conwy, which is located on the Conwy estuary and has a very imposing castle (where Prince Charles was invested as the Prince of Wales back in the day). It’s a splendid little town and produces its own ice cream (Parisella’s) which I can heartily recommend. 

We took the scenic journey back via a route that skirted the edge of Snowdonia. This was glorious in places, as you might expect. There was a small price to pay in the form of a touch of travel sickness (Rach) - is my driving that bad?!

We enjoyed Wales so much that we returned today to visit the Chirk Castle, which is a National Trust owned fortified house. We had to book a timed ticket last week, which only provided access to the grounds but it was well worth it. The castle gardens are a delight although have clearly not been attended to for weeks as the grounds have only just reopened. 

There are various walks, including one that takes you to the remains of Offa’s Dyke, of which quite a lot remains it seems. We managed to walk 3 or so miles, which was reassuring considering I was off my right foot just a few weeks ago. It’s a little uncomfortable but I think that’s more ligament related. 

The weather wasn’t great today (drizzly on and off) but we seemed to avoid the worst. It did mean another picnic lunch in the car but this time accompanied by a National Trust coffee, which was the first coffee we’ve had outside our home since the beginning of the lockdown. 

We ended our visit to Chirk, which incidentally has a large Cadbury factory that produces all of the chocolate crumb as well as hot chocolate and cocoa for the company, by taking a look at the Chirk Aquaduct, over which the Llangollen Chanel flows and is also located next to the viaduct. Both were constructed by Thomas Telford and are part of an 11 mile World Heritage site, which also includes the more famous Pontcysyllte Aquaduct which is located a few miles along the canal. It was all very impressive. 

After a failed attempt to locate a farm shop around Oswestry, the final stop on our return was the independent supermarket called Stan’s. Quite a large place and very spacious but still a supermarket. I didn’t dwell because, well, you don’t in shops at the moment and the mask was causing my glasses to steam up. 

I’ve still not really had time to think about what happens after we get back and I don’t return to work on the Monday but no doubt it will bring with it mixed emotions, which sums up the whole situation really!