A Trip to North Wales

Saturday May 6th

A Day Trip to North Wales

Conwy

Wales is located just over 35 miles from Stoke on Trent. It is a land steeped in history and culture, famous for its magnificent mountains and green valleys. In fact it is the home of the original inhabitants of Britain, who in the 6th and 7th centuries AD fled to the safety of these mountains and hills to escape the invasions of the Angles, Saxons and Vikings. With them they took their language and culture, which they have preserved up to this day. The word 'Welsh' incidentally, is a Saxon word meaning 'foreigner'. Later the people of Wales were subjected to invasion by the Normans, who built a chain of castles and fortified towns to secure their occupation and protect the English settlers. We will be visiting two of these castles: Caernarfon and Conwy.

Llangollen

Our day will begin however, with a short break in the hill town of Llangollen, a small town situated overlooking the river Dee.  Two miles outside the town are the ruins of Valle Crucis Abbey, originally one of the most important abbeys in Wales. Overlooking the valley are the mysterious ruins of Dinas Bran Castle, dating back 900 years which some believe are connected with the legendary King Arthur.

The Welsh word 'llan' means enclosure, and the town was founded by a seventh century Welsh saint called Gollen (Collen in English), thus we have Llangollen. Saint Gollen built a small hermitage here with a tiny church and hospice for the poor. Since then the town has gradually developed around his little church, which over the centuries has also seen many changes.

Every summer, this small town of just over 3000 inhabitants becomes a bustling cosmopolitan city of over 100,000, as it hosts an International Musical Festival or Eisteddfod, attracting visitors from all over the world. To cater for so many visitors, an enormous International pavilion was constructed on the outskirts of the town.

The river Dee flows through the heart of Llangollen, under the famous Dee bridge, built in 1345 by Bishop Trevor of nearby Trevor Hall. From the bridge we can admire the town's famous steam railway, dating back to 1862, and now restored by the Llangollen Railway Society. One hundred years ago it was possible to travel by steam train as far as London, without a single change.

Although the trail link to London has now gone, the town is still popular with visitors. The area's main industries were originally mining (coal, copper, iron, slate, and even silver and gold), and sheep farming. The latter still plays an important role in the local community. We will be passing a famous slate mine as we make our way across the Snowdonia mountains to the coast.

Hospice - a hospital for people who are dying

Eisteddfod - an important Welsh festival, celebrating singing, music and poetry.


Coming soon.... A short description of Swallow Falls, Caernarfon, Conwy and Llandudno