Thursday 19th to Tuesday 24th June 2025
We joined a long-weekend meet of the Camping and Caravanning Club, Photo Group, held at Nant Conwy Rugby Club. Many thanks to the stewards, John, Gweneth, Margaret and Mike for the warm welcome and their hard work in making the meet a success.
Over the weekend, we experienced some extremes of weather, with hot sunny days and a day-long wet downpour, but we did manage to get out and about and explore the area.
Friday 20th June – Nant Conwy:
We arrived at the rugby club on Thursday afternoon and enjoyed some time socialising with other members of the group before going for a meal at a local pub with Jenny and David.
On Friday, we planned to take the bus to Betws-y-Coed and waited for it some time before giving up. It turns out that there had been a fire in one of the tunnels on the A55 near Conwy and this had caused mayhem with the bus schedule. After returning to Fufu to change footwear, we walked up the hill-side path, just opposite the rugby club, towards Betws-y-Coed, but gave up in the heat after a couple of miles.
Although the path was shady, it was steep and very hot. We did enjoy a fine view over the surrounding countryside however.
Saturday 21st June – Llanwrst and Trefriw:
On Saturday we walked into Llanwrst where we had lunch. The town is small but there are some interesting buildings.
There is also a stone circle, but I was unable to find any information about it, so I don’t know if it is neolithic or more recent:
Leaving Llanwrst, we walked on to the nearby village of Trefriw. The path was a good one, taking us across open fields with a hedge either side, where there were many wild flowers:
Trefriw is a pleasant small village with a woollen mill, with a large factory shop. They produce some beautiful 100% wool cloth at nice prices. You can also look around the weaving shed, which was not working at the time we visited.
Above the village there is the Fairy Falls Waterfall.
Monday 23rd June – Betws-y-Coed:
Sunday was a dreadful day, with heavy rainfall almost continually, so we stayed in the van. Monday promised much better weather however, so we finally made it to Betws-y-Coed by bus.
The small town of Betws-y-Coed is a bit of a tourism hot-spot. It is pleasant and there are a good number of shops to visit, mainly either outdoor clothing or souvenir retailers.
The railway station with its single track, has a real steam era feel to it. Running alongside the mainline track, are two other, narrow gauge tracks, but they were not running when we visited.
There were however some old carriages on the far side. from the platform, which have fallen into disrepair and as a result, make an interesting image:
Tuesday 24th June – Conwy and Plas Mawr:
After saying farewell to the other folk at the meet, we visited Conwy, having a wander around the town centre and visiting Plas Mawr, an Elizabethan house on the high street, managed by Cadw. Our English Heritage membership allowed us entry for free.
The town of Conwy is famous for the castle and the bridges over the river alongside it. There are also a number of old and interesting buildings:
Plas Mawr is one of the oldest buildings in the town centre, having been built in the mid 16th century. The entrance was initially on the side street, but later access was through a second building which fronts onto the high street.
After passing through the first building, you approach the main house itself, up steps from a courtyard.
A visit gives a fascinating insight into the luxurious living conditions of the gentry of the time. Rooms are richly decorated with plaster mouldings and bright paintwork.
The builder, Robert Wynn was obviously proud of his heritage. Coats of arms are everywhere and the motif of a half-naked pregnant woman is repeated everywhere that visitors might be present:
All modern “conveniences”:
There is also some period clothing on display:
The star of the show, is the dining/sitting room, proudly showing allegiance to Queen Elizabeth I:
The room is very light, with its huge windows:
…and brightly painted plaster bosses on the ceiling:
You can climb up into the tower, from where you see a commanding view over the town in all directions:
That is all for now. TTFN and See u Later.
"See-u-Later" 