Day 1
We arrived at Caernarfon in good time on Monday. It was only 2 o'clock and wasn't raining so we dumped our stuff at the hostel and checked out the Caernarfon Castle just up the road. The castle is a large oval structure built around a large courtyard which has been used for the investiture of the title Prince of Wales to Prince Charles in the summer of '69. (I hope you sang that a little in your head... 'Summer of '69'... Bruce Springstein... Anyway, back to the castle)
We definitely had a marvelous time storming this castle.
Day 2
We only had 2 nights in Caernarfon and therefore only one full day. So KK's plan for day 2 was to hike Mount Snowdon. This is the highest point in both England and Wales - needless to say, this fact intimidated me a bit. However, up we went.
The first 30 minutes was a steep, steady incline which rewarded us with immediate good views.
Our hostel didn't have wi-fi so we couldn't check the weather for our hike... We could tell it wouldn't be clear, blue skies like the last two weeks, but we hoped for decent hiking weather. And it was decent for those first 30 minutes. But from then on, we were venturing further and further into the cloud that was parked on Snowdon. The higher and higher we got, the more the cloud thickened and the wind raged. This is the beginning a video demonstrating the power of the wind... It literally shoved me over a few moments later:
And with the wind came the rain. And with the rain often comes the Green Monster.
Up, up we went for 2 1/2 more hours. The fog blinding our path, the wind tossing us to and fro, the rocks tripping us, the sheep running out in front of us... it was a rough climb. But at last we made it!
And just look at those views!!
If those weren't awe inspiring enough for you, here is the one we think best represents the beauty of Wales.
The hike was a rough battle with no visual rewards. But at least we can say we've been at the very top of this part of the world.
Storming the castle....I love it. :)
ReplyDeleteSheila