Jul 2022 – THREE GO TRAVELLING

Our Tour of Wales – Part 5: Penrherber to Highbridge, Somerset

Leaving Terfyn Mawr, we said our goodbyes to Gerald and Hazel and following their directions took the road down to St. David’s via Fishguard and Haverfordwest, returning along the coast through Newgale and Solva. St David’s Lleithyr Meadow Caravan and Motorhome Club (CMC) site, is a short walk from Whitesands Beach, and although no dogs are allowed in high season, the coast path is still a joy to walk with the dog. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/wales/pembrokeshire/st-davids-lleithyr-meadow-club-campsite/ We were here, in the heatwave, and although the temperatures weren’t as high as some places, it was pretty warm! Dog walks were early or late for a couple of days, thankfully the weather cooled, before we left and we were able to wander along the Coast Path and admire the views. We had some lovely sunset views looking to Carn Llidi, from our pitch.

Continuing our tour, we left St David’s and headed to Pembroke and Tenby and on to our next stop at Pembrey Country Park CMC. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/wales/carmarthenshire/pembrey-country-park-club-campsite/We made a detour through Pendine and Laugharne. Pendine Sands is a seven mile stretch of beach, which was used for car and motorcycle racing in the 1900s. It was very busy when we passed through, so on our list to return to, out of season. Travelling back up to the A477, through the village of Laugharne, this was a bit of a guilty pleasure for me, as it’s where the BBC series Keeping Faith was filmed – Ric has no idea, what I was talkin about, but it got me through lockdown! Arriving at Pembrey CMC site, we were a little disappointed! Having spent a lot of time of Certified Locations (CLs) and at St David’s, the pitches seemed very close together and it was very busy! Our last time here we were just out of lockdown 1, and it was a little later in the season, so probably our bad planning rather than a site issue! A walk into the town, revealed a church, and a couple of pubs but not a lot else, although we did find a random Post Box, which we can confirm still works (our parcel arrived)!

We only spent a night at Pembrey (planned), before we headed off to a CL at Pencoed, Bridgend – our last stop in Wales (on this trip). We headed along the south coast, east, around Swansea and Port Talbot into Bridgend and on to Pencoed and Dryslwyn CL https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/bridgend/bridgend/dryslwyn/ The site also has two log cabins, handy for friends and family who don’t share the motorhome / caravan experience, and a toilet! The lanes are very quiet and suitable to walk with the dog and although it was fairly wet when we were there (so a lot of cloud) the views were great.

We left Pencoed and travelled through the minor roads to Caerphilly, and Newport, before picking up the M4 and crossing the second Severn Crossing – the Prince of Wales Bridge (Britain’s second longest bridge), back into England. Our Tour of Wales has officially ended, but in Tour de France style, we’re keeping the title of our trip for this week! Our next stop was a lovely CL in Bason Bridge, Highbridge, Somerset – Malthouse Farm https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/england/somerset/highbridge/Malthouse-Farm/ Located on the edge of Bason Bridge, with a pub of the same name and a Garage, there were lots of footpaths and various places to walk. The site is ideal for the M5, but there was no road noise – we will be back….

As always, thank you for reading, we’ll be back with more of our tour of???? soon, hopefully there’ll be more stunning views and sunsets (and fingers crossed good weather). We hope you and your families are safe and well, too.

Our Tour of Wales – Part 4: Trefor, Gwynedd to Penrherber, Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire

Our Tour of Wales continues and we’ve been to some lovely places this week, we’ve started heading south along the coast…

Leaving Trefor and the amazing views across the Llyn Peninsula, we headed to Llanystumdwy and the Camping and Caravanning Site. A little further inland than we’ve been recently, it was an ideal chance to get some chores done! The sea is just visible from the campsite and you can walk to it, a short walk will also take you to the town of Criccieth (or you can get a bus)! We walked down to see the grave of David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister 1916 – 1922 (our third PM grave to date), opposite his grave is the Museum dedicated to him, too. The village, itself doesn’t have a lot, there is a pub and a school! https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/gwynedd/criccieth/llanystumdwy-camping-and-caravanning-club-site/

From Llanystumdwy, we headed down the coast to the town of Barmouth, were had read about Wales’ Number One Fish and Chip Shop – The Mermaid Fish Bar http://themermaidfishbarbarmouth.co.uk/ and felt it would have been rude not to give it a try. It is definitely worth the wait in the queue. We have subsequently discovered that the Times Newspaper have voted the Mermaid number 2 in the United Kingdom, now there’s another challenge afoot! Barmouth has a lovely sandy beach and although the main part is not dog friendly, there is a part near to the harbour where dogs are allowed, and at the time of our visit the beach side car park was big enough for us to park up in – it is pay and display, and no overnighting!

We continued our journey south and to the little village of Bow Street, just outside Aberystwyth and a Caravan and Motorhome Club (CMC) Certified Location (CL) Cae Ceiro https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/ceredigion/aberystwyth/cae-ceiro/. Located next to a Guest House of the same name, and about a mile from the local shop, but along the way you’ll pass the pub, butcher’s shop, chinese (cash only) and Fish and Chip Shop. Walking along the footpath, which runs along the side of the CL, passing over the railway line, you can head up through the fields and along the road to St. Michael’s Church at Llandre, where you can pick up the Poetry Path, dedicated to local poets. The churchyard also has a 2000+ year old Yew Tree.

From Llantre, we continued our journey south and to another new CL, Terfyn Mawr https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/carmarthenshire/newcastle-emlyn/terfyn-mawr/, in the hamlet of Penrherber, outside Newcastle Emlyn, with views across the countryside to the Cardigan Coast. Our hosts, Gerald and Hazel, have created a wonderful little CL, complete with a spotless shower and toilet room. Although the CL was only opened in May this year, it is just beautiful. The grass pitches have been arranged to maximise the view and the sunsets from your pitch are stunning. The grass properly cut and like carpet under your feet. Walking Reg from the campsite, the lanes are so quiet, that you don’t need to fight your way along the overgrown footpaths. There is a Cheese Farm nearby – walking distance, downhill! https://www.cawscenarth.co.uk/ This is now our Number One CL (apologies to the others but)… Unfortunately, we have another site booked so couldn’t extend our stay, we will be back, probably scheduling our other stops around this one.

As always, thank you for reading, we hope you and your families are safe and well and managing to stay cool in the weather we have at the moment in the UK. We’ll be back soon with more from our tour of Wales.

Our Tour of Wales – Week 3: Bala to Trefor

Sunset and Moonrise – Trefor, Gwynedd, Wales

Leaving Bala, we headed a short way up the road to Bryneglwys, Denbighshire, where we had chosen to stay at a Caravan and Motorhome Club (CMC) Certified Location (CL) Plas Newydd. A lovely slightly sloping CL on the edge of the Llantysilio Mountain. We had a lovely Welcome from Alison and her husband and a CL with a lovely (spotless) shower block is always a bonus. A short walk down hill will take you into the village itself, but the views from the CL were amazing. We were able to see eagles and deer on the hillside opposite and the sky above! We awoke to a ‘roost’ of wagtails on the bonnet. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/denbighshire/llangollen/plas-newydd/

Continuing our journey we headed back across the border to the Wirral and Birkenhead, where we knew the Knife Angel would be (It had been in Aberystwyth, but we were too far away, before it moved! The Knife Angel is touring the UK and can be seen in various places this year and next…https://www.britishironworkcentre.co.uk/national-anti-violence-uk-tour/ The Knife Angel stands 27 feet high and is made from over 100,000 confiscated, seized and handed in knife blades, specifically designed to highlight the negative effects of knife crime.

We chose to stop at the Wirral Country Club CMC Site. Located on an old Railway Line – we have a knack of finding them – and near the Dee Estuary, walks and cycle routes are all around. A one night stay does not do it justice, but we did arrive to use their showers and washing facilities, and a boiler fault meant we were disappointed – NO HOT WATER! Luckily, facilities on board enabled us to shower but there was no reduction in price!

Leaving the Wirral and a quick stop at ASDA – Queensferry – for LPG (significantly cheaper than we paid in Sussex), we left England to continue our Tour of Wales, heading along the coast to Colwyn Bay then Llandudno and Conwy. Our stop for the night was at the Conwy Motorhome Stopover, which we had a little difficulty finding, but is at the rear of Station Car Sales – once you know what you’re looking for the signs are obvious! We had a warm welcome from Richard, the owner, before we walked into the walled town of Conwy. We had a quick drive around – it is navigable in an 8m Motorhome with care – as we didn’t know exactly how far the stopover was! Conwy is about 10 minutes walk over the river! We walked the walls tour, the Suspension Bridge, through the town centre, stopping for an ice-cream, visited the Smallest House in Great Britain (at just 1.8 metres wide and two rooms), before heading back along the riverfront. https://www.conwystopover.com/

Our next drive took us up to the Isle of Anglesey over the Britannia Bridge, to the town, with the longest place name in the UK and Europe ( & 2nd longest in the world) Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch – which means St Mary’s Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel near a Rapid Whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the Red Cave! From here, we headed to Caernarfon, and onto our next stop Cefn Eithin a CMC CL. We had another warm welcome from Helen, Andrew and their collie George, shown where we could pitch up and admired the views over the sea to Anglesey. The weather has got a lot better and the sunset was great! We could only have one night here, as they were fully booked (but a no-show meant they did have space for longer, but we’d already booked another… In case you want to know they also have a couple of holiday cottages, so ideal for non-caravanning / motorhoming friends or family to come. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/gwynedd/caernarfon/cefn-eithin/ or https://cefneithinholidays.wordpress.com/

Our last stop of the week is in the village of Trefor a short drive from Cefn Eithin, but we had a drive around the headland and into Pwhelli, where the traffic and inconsiderate drivers as bad as we remembered from our Transporter days – we have vowed we will NEVER return! So a detour to Porthmadog, for a bit of shopping before heading up to Cappas Lwyd CL. What a find! Warm welcomes, seem to be the norm in this part of the world – Christine and Mark and their 3 rescue dogs and ex-battery hens offered a great welcome. The views must be the best we’ve had for ages and the weather was just so good too. A short walk takes you to the beach or the village but there are more paths up the mountains. Christine will happily show you where to walk. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/gwynedd/caernarfon/cappas-lywd/

As always, thank you for reading – it means so much to us. We hope you and your families are safe and well, we’ll be back with Part 4, soon. We’ll leave you with more sunset spam…

Our Tour of Wales – Part Two: Aberbran to Bala

Leaving Aberbran, we headed north and up to the town of Llanidloes. We’d chosen to stay at a Caravan and Motorhome Club (CMC) Certified Location (CL) and Upper Glandulas Caravan Park did not disappoint! Located about a 20 minute walk from the town centre, on a working farm, you wake to the sight of sheep around you. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/powys/llanidloes/upper-glandulas/In addition there are Red Kites which liked to land in the trees nearby (and at times, it felt, follow us into the town)!

Walking into town we found it was steeped in history, and dates back to the 7th Century, when the Celtic Saint Idloes, founded a church by the RIver Severn. The Normans invaded in the 11th Century and established a motte and bailey castle, now the site of a Pub! Edward I granted the town a Market Charter in 1280 (there is still a market on Saturdays). In the centre of the town, at the junction of the four main roads is the old Market Hall, on stilts and dating back to 1612, and is the only surviving timber framed market hall in Wales, in its original location. The source of the River Severn is located about 10 miles away in the Cambrian mountains; Llanidloes, is the first town on the river. You can walk the length of the River on the Severn Way, from source to sea.

Leaving Llanidloes, we took a detour up to the Clywedog Reservoir and Dam, there are walks and viewpoints around it. We continued our journey up to Newtown and Welshpool, before finding our next stop outside the village of Berriew. Glandir CL, is located, a short walk from the Montgomery Canal, along which you can walk to the village centre, about 30 minutes, or Welshpool about 3 miles – there is a bus back! Berriew has a selection of pubs, a village store, butcher’s shop, cafe and Sculpture Museum. https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/wales/powys/llanidloes/upper-glandulas/

Our next stop this week, was the Camping and Caravanning Club Site at Bala. We had assumed that the Bala CCC Site, was in Bala, but it was actually 3 miles away. Next time we visit, we will find the campsite on the Lake! That said, we upgraded our pitch to electric and chilled over the weekend, with the British Grand Prix and Laundry (Ric the former and me the latter, but I do love clean clothes and am a little partial to ironing)!

We’re heading of again on Monday, continuing Our Tour of Wales. As always, thank you for reading. We hope you and your families are safe and well and have some inspiration from our little tales of our travels. We’ll be back soon, (as WiFi and 4G permit in these mountainous parts!)…