From llantwit Major in the south to North Wales

 So, a final walk with my Swiss friend Guni, who has now arrived to see Wales. We decided against going to Cardiff on such a brilliant day, focusing instead on Llantwit Major and the coast. 

A perfect decision! The walk along the coast towards St Donats, high above the cliffs, was spectacular and uncrowded. A wonderful start to Wales!

Of course, The Old Swan pub had to be our lunch spot. 400 years old, and as beautiful as ever.
Wow, not a cloud in the sky as we sat overlooking the central square of LM with the three pubs and quaint local shops surrounding it.

These fabulous poppies were growing like weeds in someone's front garden. A splash of color on an otherwise drab driveway,

Likewise, a local artist has truly enhanced a number of shopfronts in the town with her gorgeous artwork, with so much detail.
Time to pack ready for our trip and have a final night in the church flat. It's probably the only time in my life I'll sleep on a pulpit,
Ready to leave!

It was the first time for me to drive in Wales since I left Britain for NZ in 1981! Despite having a fabulous car, I still had to get used to all the beeping you have with new cars! Mine is so old that I have to work everything out myself. 
Our first stop was where I had been recently with Ceri, St Fagan’ s.
We were so lucky with the weather, and these beautiful gardens were a perfect introduction to Wales for Guni.
It is so good to visit popular sites on a weekday, out of holiday time. I can imagine that these quiet pathways will soon be teeming with visitors.
By far the worst driving experience on this trip was when leaving St Fagans. The traffic was quite heavy and our GPS was leading us to believe that we were wrong at busy intersections. Over the course of the next days, we learned to disregard ‘recalculating route’. 
Fortunately, we found our way out of the built up area to the lovely rolling hills of the Brecon Beacons.

There, the only things you really have to worry about are the sheep, which suddenly decide to cross the road. We stopped at Abergavenny for lunch and were lucky enough to be beside a couple of guitarists who recommended a fantastic cafe with incredible cakes, in the gardens of a magnificent cathedral.
The first of many interesting dog posters.
Our destination, Llandovery, was a pretty, country tow, with colourful homes, a few shops and numerous pubs. We stayed in The Kings Arms. I had a fabulous view from my top storey room.
The hotel was in the Market Place, where for hundreds of years farmers from the surrounding areas have brought their goods for sale.
Our dinner was obviously a farmer’s style feast! Certainly enough for two, or even an entire family. Unbelievably, it cost only 15 pounds, including a glass of wine. It was delicious, and we were able to take out a doggy bag and finish it off the next day!
The flowers everywhere in Wales were stunningly beautiful and there were some truly innovative ways of planting them,
We tried a couple of local ciders at the colourful pubs in the Main Street. Excellent!
We were recommended a stop in Llandrindod Wells, which proved rather uninspiring, but we did find a tiny market to stock up for our dinner, and I did find the dog bed stall interesting!
We drove largely following recommendations from friends and family. We ended up in a tiny village called Little Stretton. It was true to its name -‘ little’! However, the church and surrounding cottages were very picturesque.. 

We visited a very doggy pub!
We shouldn’t have spent so long there sadly because we discovered that Powis castle and gardens shut earlier than our book told us. Luckily, a very kind volunteer saved us time by giving us a lift to the garden entrance. Wow, what a breathtaking place it is.
We had only 45 minutes to look around the grounds, but we managed it at top speed!
Still able to fully appreciate the ornate gardens and all its magnificent statues.
My favourite spot was certainly this avenue of vines. 
With stunning views up to the impressive castle perched above the hectares of gardens. It’s worthy of a full day visit, for sure.
The castle must be incredible inside too, but we made do with a close look outside.
The stables are now a book shop and plant shop

What a full day this was, finishing with my first introduction to driving along Welsh lanes, which are usually only just wide enough for your car. I held my breath at every corner hoping nobody would be coming towards me. We were lucky. 
The view from the top over Llangollen was amazing.

Our accommodation on a little farm was fantastic, with fresh eggs and milk supplied.  We had dinner on our little balcony, savouring local cheese and produce, with only the sound of the birds disturbing the evening peace.
We often had visits from the farm dogs. Very sociable and of course hopeful they might get some scraps!
We were only a few minutes drive, down the narrow lane, to one of the places I have long wished to visit, Llangollen Aqueduct. Memories flooded back of the peaceful canal trips I had done on narrow boats. 
And finally the incredible aqueduct of Llangollen, now 200 years old. 38 metres high with 18 marvellous arches. 
I only went part way down!
Great views from wherever.
And at the top absolute chaos as canoeists galore waited impatiently to cross in single file. A couple fell out causing absolute mayhem but providing everyone with great entertainment! High season must be ghastly!
Leaving Llangollen I realised I would never dare to cross the aqueduct. No worries. At least I have seen it.
At Conway, we fully intended to visit the castle, but ended up spending a wonderful few hours at a RSB reserve, enjoying the huge variety of bird life and the extensive views over to Snowdonia. 
There were carpets of orchids, this one above being a rather rare one , the Bee Orchid. Beautiful!
Marsh orchids were absolutely everywhere, providing a huge splash of colour amongst the grasses.
We had distant views of Conway castle, and then we ran out of time to do it justice, so headed off early to Beaumaris, a very pretty little tourist town on the Isle of Anglesey by the Menai Strait.
A final look back at Snowdonia, which we will visit the next day.
What a beautiful bridge the Menai Bridge is, though I did not enjoy the narrow lanes with stone walls just after it - no room for error.

Next blog Beaumaris 

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