North Wales - June 2010

On Tues 15th & Weds 16th June we spent two days driving along the North welsh coast. Over the 2 days we visited a number of contrasting towns in North Wales. Firstly the resorts of Rhyl & Prestatyn still recovering from the 1970's to the dereliction of Colwyn Bay Pier. As a teenager I used to visit Rhyl on a regular basis and it was the best place on earth.

I've not been since the early 90's and I now realise why. It seems to me that they have tried to turn Rhyl into something it will never be the plush new apartments contrast with the boarded up arcades and guest houses. In the early 80's Rhyl had the best T Shirt shop in the world you could get any band logo or football team shirt you wanted. I guess some things always seem better remembered? Pretty good Donuts though and the smell of Fish n Chips is still there. Not as many arcades as I remember and was really sad to see Ocean beach Funfair was no more the first Roller Coaster I ever rode was there.

Colwyn Bay is somewhere I've only visited a couple of times with the last visit being in the late 1970's. I do remember the Pier though and it was sad to see it in such a poor state. Colwyn Bay Pier in its time was quite an important live music venue for the area with bands such as Madness, Motorhead, The Damned and Siouxsie & The Banshees playing there.
Now though it is at the centre of a long running legal battle while the structure is decaying. These buildings should be treasured they are part of our heritage but sadly as has been seen at many resorts as tastes change Piers are left to decay and eventually its too late. I really hope its not too late for Colwyn Bays Victoria Pier.

Llandudno is the Jewell in the North Wales crown with its grand promenade and magnificient pier which contrasts starkly with the dereliction seen at Colwyn Bay. In contrast to Prestatyn, Rhyl & Colwyn Bay Llandudno certainly gives the impression of afluence and it struck me just how clean it was. It reminded me of Eastbourne a resort aimed at the more mature members of society while still offering attractions for families. We walked the full length of the Pier I remembered the Vintage Cars and Ghost Train from my childhood now both sadly gone along with the Pavillion although behind the arcade you can still see where they were.

After spending Tuesday night in the Bangor Travelodge on Wednesday we set off for Abersoch.

A new place to visit I've been near but never actually visited Abersoch. In recent times this area of Wales has become popular with surfers as well as hosting the up and coming music festival known as Wakestock. For our visit we were blessed with clear skies and sun. The beach at Abersoch is golden sands and it was nice to be able to lay back and relax.

After soaking up the sun for a few hours we headed off to Portmeirion the Italian style Village designed by Sir Clough William-Ellis and made famous as the location for the 1960's cult series The Prisoner. Whilst there I couldn't resist shouting "I am not a number I am a free man" We had a nice walk into the woods surrounding the village and some of the views are simply breathtaking.

Finally on our way back home we paid a fleeting visit to Caernafon and its beautiful castle. We walked the perimeter before heading towards the A55 and returning to England.

North Wales is an area of extreme contrasts but also an area of outstanding natural beauty I don't think we will be leaving it so long before visiting again.

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More pictures from the two days can be found on my Flickr page