North Wales Visit – Part 2 北威爾斯之旅 – 下集

While planning the trip, I did check out those typical “Top Places to Visit in North Wales …” articles online. Unsurprisingly, many of them featured castles and coastal towns as must-see spots.

The first half of our trip focused more on cities, driving along the A55, passing the northern coastline and across the Menai Strait to Anglesey. For the second half, we planned to slow down a bit, explore quieter villages, and do more walking whenever possible.

But with limited time, we had to be selective. So, for the last few days, we decided to visit Llandudno on the north coast, Caernarfon on the west coast, and, of course, we couldn’t skip the stunning Snowdonia mountains!

在編排行程時，有參考過網上那些甚麼 “Top Place To Visit in North Wales …” 的文章，其中有很多相似的就是多以 Castles 及沿海小鎮作景點。

行程上半部以城市為主，亦有沿 A55 走過北邊海岸及 Menai Strait 對岸的 Anglesey，而下半部則會集中到較寜靜的小村落，走多一點路。 不過因時間有限，剩下來的幾天只會到北邊的 Llandudno 及西岸的 Caernarfon ，當然亦不會錯過 Snowdonia 的山區。

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Day 5 – Llandudno and Great Orem Country Park

Llandudno is a charming seaside town in North Wales, known for its beautiful coastal scenery and well-developed tourist facilities. Aside from its amusement park, the town is also home to the stunning Great Orme – a country park and nature reserve that offers breathtaking views and a chance to get closer to nature.

Llandudno 是個北部的海邊城鎮，由於風景美麗，旅遊設施亦很多。 除了她的 Amusement park 外，更擁有 Great Orme 郊野公園及自然保育區。

To get to Great Orme, most people would consider The Great Orme Tramway, a historic over-100-year-old cable tram that runs from the town centre straight to the summit. It’s not just a ride – it’s an experience! You get to admire the panoramic view of Llandudno and take in the breathtaking scenery of Great Orme. Another option is the Happy Valley cable car, which offers a different but equally stunning perspective.

But – just my luck! 😅 Both services close during winter, and of course, that’s my fault. always travel at the wrong time!

With no other choice, we bravely decided to walk up via Marine Drive, a scenic coastal road leading to the summit.

The Marine Drive route is a bit long, but totally worth it on a clear day – you can see the vast Irish Sea, and if you’re lucky, even the Isle of Man! Unfortunately, the weather was awful that day, with thick fog covering most of the sea. But hey, at least we had a few unexpected encounters – a group of Kashmiri mountain goats and some adorable baby seals chilling by the shore!

要登上 Great Orme，一般會乘搭 The Great Orme Tramway 由市中心直達山頂，這樣除了可體驗這個具有百多年歴史的電車系統外，更可飽灠 Llandudno 市的全景與及 Great Orme 壯觀的景致； 另一方法則是使用 Happy Valley 䌫車。只可惜我去旅行往往都是選錯時間，這兩個服務在每年冬季都會暫停開放！ 在沒有其他選擇下，我們膽粗粗地決定經沿海的 Marine Drive 步行至山頂。

這條 Marine Drive 雖然稍長，但其景觀是絕對值得的，天氣好可以看到 Irish Sea，甚至 Isle of Man。 無奈當日天色甚差，只能見到大霧濃罩的海面，不過也有幸遇上一羣 Kashmiri 山羊及海中的 baby seals！

As we were making our way up the winding road to the summit, a lady driving downhill stopped to warn us about the strong winds at the top. She mentioned that since there were no trees or buildings along the way to block the wind, it could be almost impossible to walk. She kindly advised us to be extra careful if we planned to continue.

We thanked her and carried on, but it didn’t take long to realise she was absolutely right! The howling wind was intense, and to make things worse, heavy rain started pouring down, making every step a struggle.

After battling for a while, we had to admit defeat – we abandoned the climb and headed back to the town centre, completely drenched!

在通往山頂的彎路上遇到一位駕車下山的太太，她提醒我們山上風勢頗大，由於沿途沒有樹木或建築物，可能會寸步難移，如要上山就一定要加倍小心。

答謝一番後大家就繼續上路，走了不遠風勢果然有點嚇人，再加上滂沱大雨，真的舉步為艱，最後只好放棄行程，掉頭返回市中心。

Having lived in the UK for a couple of years, waterproof jackets and shoes have become absolute essentials for us. But today’s rain was on another level – even my waterproof jacket gave up! With temperatures hovering around 1–2°C, I was soaked through and shivering in the freezing cold.

Luckily, despite it being New Year’s Eve afternoon, we managed to find a cozy little café around 3 PM, serving hot food. A warm meal in that weather? Pure bliss! 

在英國生活了幾年，防水外衣，防水鞋已經是日常必須品，但今天雨勢之大，防水外衣亦終於失守，在只有一、二度的嚴寒氣溫下，身體也凍得有點震！

還好在除夕下午三點幾仍可找到一間小店，食個熱的午餐，也算幸運！

Day 6 – Caernarfon Castle

The weather in Betws-y-Coed over the past few days had been all over the place – one moment sunny, the next pouring rain. On our way to Caernarfon Castle, the rain came down pretty hard, making the drive through the narrow, winding mountain roads quite a challenge. Definitely kept me on my toes!

Thankfully, by the time we reached the castle, the rain had stopped, giving us a chance to properly explore its ancient stone walls and historic architecture. Since it was New Year’s Day, most shops in town were closed, making the streets feel a little too quiet – but in a way, it added to the old-world charm of the place.

Betws-y-Coed 這幾天的天氣真的不太穩定，時晴時雨，在往 Caernarfon Castle 的一段路雨勢不少，駕駛在狹窄多彎的山路對我來說也算是個考驗，還好到達 Castle 時雨已經停了，讓我們可以在城內細看古舊的建築物。 由於今天是新年，城內大部份商舖都沒有營業，場面較為冷清。

We took a casual stroll and passed by the Pont Yr Aber, a rotating bridge located at the estuary of the Afon Seiont river. Then, we walked along Aber Foreshore Road, following the Menai Strait and enjoying the view of Anglesey across the water.

Unfortunately, with no sunlight and the rain starting up again, we didn’t get far along the coast before deciding to turn back. So, we headed back into town for a cozy lunch break.

隨意行了一轉便走過位於 Afon Seiont 河口的旋轉橋 Pont Yr Aber，再沿 Menai Strait 傍的 Aber Foreshore Road 欣賞對岸的 Anglesey。 沒有陽光，再加上又下起雨，走了一小段海傍便停下來，返回城中吃午餐。

As I mentioned earlier, most of the shops in town were closed, and the restaurants were no different. Even though a few pubs were open, they mostly just offered drinks. After searching for a while, we finally stumbled upon The Palace Vaults, located on the main street near the castle, which was serving food.

Probably due to staff shortages, they were offering just a single hot dish, with a couple of roast options to choose from. I’m not sure if it was the cold and hunger kicking in, but even though it didn’t look like much, it turned out to be surprisingly delicious – especially the apple sauce!

一如之前提及的商舖，城內食肆大多亦休息，即使有些 Pub 開門亦多只提供飲品。 找了一會終於在 Castle 傍大街的 The Palace Vaults 發現有食品供應，不過可能基於人手不足，只提供單一熱食，有一、兩款 roast 可供選擇。 不知是否飢寒交迫之故，雖然賣相一般，但又出奇地好食，尤其是蘋果醬！

Day 7 – Snowdonia

Waking up in the morning, although the temperature had dropped to around zero, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no rain, no fog, and the sun was shining brightly. Maybe the heavens knew I was heading to Snowdonia today and decided to bless me with perfect weather for the journey!

When I got to the parking lot, I found that my car was completely covered in a thin layer of ice. Without a snow scraper, I had to carefully wipe it off with a wet cloth to avoid blocking my view.

早上起來，氣溫雖然持續下降至零度左右，但可喜的是沒有下雨，沒有濃霧，更是陽光普照，也許上天知道我今天要去 Snowdonia，就給我一個美好行程吧！

走到停車場竟見到我的車全被薄薄的冰塊蓋着，我沒有雪刮便只好用濕布小心抹走，以免阻礙視線。

To reach the top of Snowdonia, most people either hike up or take the Snowdonia Mountain Railway, but since the train service is suspended in winter, we decided to take the Snowdon Ranger Path, one of the six existing hiking routes. This path was relatively easier and less crowded, which suited us perfectly.

The drive from the hotel took about 45 minutes, passing through several quaint villages and beautiful lakes. The scenery around Llynnau Mymbyr and Llyn Gwynant was absolutely breathtaking, almost like a poetic painting. The landscape reminded me a bit of the Scottish Highlands, just on a smaller scale.

Since the weather was so beautiful, we saw quite a few cyclists along the way. I couldn’t help but wonder, maybe I should give it a try someday!

上 Snowdonia 山頂，一般都是徒步上山或乘搭 Snowdonia Mountain Railway，不過在冬季火車會暫停服務。 在現存的六條登山路徑中，我們選擇了難度不太高及遊人較少的 Snowdon Ranger Path。

由酒店出發需時 45 分鐘車程，途中會經過數個小村及湖泊，而當中的 Llynnau Mymbyr 及 Llyn Gwynant 的景色絕對是如詩如畫，我覺得環境有點似蘇格蘭的 Highlands，分別只在於規模。

由於今天天氣極之好，一路上亦見到有多位騎乘者作單車旅行，有機會我也想甞試一下。

The Snowdon Ranger Path starts at the parking lot by Llyn Cwellyn reservoir, and the round trip is about eight miles. As we arrived at the parking lot around noon, so there was no chance we could complete the entire hike. After all, the short winter daylight in the UK doesn’t make it ideal for hiking – it’s definitely not the best season for it! We just decided to take it easy and do what we could.

The early part of the trail crosses over the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway, which, as I’ve heard, now only offers pre-booked tours.

As for the scenery along the Snowdon Ranger Path, there’s really no need to go into detail – it is so stunning that even a quick photo on your phone could double as a postcard!

Snowdon Ranger Path 起點在 Llyn Cwellyn 水塘傍的停車場，來回約八英里，我們到達停車場已差不多是中午，當然亦不可能行畢全程，英國冬天日光非常短，根本就不是行山的季節，大家盡力而為便算。

路徑早段會穿越 North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway，而據說這條路線現時只提供預約的旅遊服務。

至於 Snowdon Ranger Path 沿途風景是如何美麗亦不需多講，隨便用手機影張相亦可當作名信片！

The weather in the UK is really unpredictable!

After walking for about a third of the trail, the sunny skies we had earlier suddenly turned into gloomy clouds, and it felt like “The heavens were about to snow…” !

With no hiking gear on hand, we naturally made the smartest decision – head back down!

But, as fate would have it, by the time we got back to the starting point at the foot of the mountain, everything suddenly cleared up again. It was like nothing had ever happened!  That was Classic British weather!

英國的天氣真是很難掌握！

只走了差不多三分之一的路程，先前的陽光普照突然變到漫天昏暗，真的是 “天要下「雪」，⋯⋯ “！

在毫無行山裝備下，我們當然會作出最明智的選擇，走人！

只是天意弄人，走到山腳下的起點，一切又回復正常，像是甚麼也沒有發生過。

Although Betws-y-Coed is quite famous, it’s still just a small village. The Glan Aber where we stayed is a mix of hotel and budget bunkhouse style accommodation. It’s similar to many of the other nearby places, mostly offering simple British pub-style meals – practical, but nothing fancy, so I didn’t bother posting any photos.

Just before we left, we finally got to enjoy a more refined dinner. This was at the Bridge Restaurant, located near another hotel close to ours. They serve modern Welsh cuisine, beautifully presented and delicious – definitely a perfect way to end our trip!

Betws-y-Coed 雖然很出名，但亦只是個小小的村莊，我們入住的 Glan Aber 是一間混合酒店與廉價 Bunkhouse 模式的旅館，和附近的其他旅館很相似，大多只提供一些較簡單的英式 Pub 餐食，實而不華，所以我亦沒有 post 給大家看。

臨離開前，今晚終於可以享用一個較精緻的晚餐。 這間 Bridge Restaurant 位於我住的旅館附近的另一間酒店，提供現代化的 Welsh 菜式，色香味俱全，可算為我們今次的旅程帶來個完美的終結！

Day 8 – Going Home

Good times always seem to fly by, and our North Wales trip has come to an end. When we checked out in the morning, the receptionist repeatedly reminded us to leave early, as heavy snow was expected that day. For someone like us, living in the southern part of England, driving in snow might be more challenging and dangerous.

I thought the 240-mile journey back, which should take just over five hours, wouldn’t be a problem, and I was sure I could make it back to Kingston before dusk, so I had already arranged dinner with a friend for later that evening.

The drive went as expected, and by around 2 PM, we had covered about half the distance.

However, once we entered the M40, traffic started to slow down, and before long, it came to a complete stop. We saw several road control vehicles passing by, but there was no mention of the delay on the radio. After waiting for over half an hour, the situation showed no signs of improving. Eventually, I noticed an exit about a few hundred yards ahead, so we decided to leave the motorway and take an alternate route back to London.

Since the car’s navigation system was quite passive and only updated after receiving traffic alerts, my son decided to step in with his “built-in human navigation system”.  He followed the Google Maps traffic flow and made his own predictions about which routes would be affected. He gave me instructions to divert ahead of time, hoping to avoid the traffic jam – almost like we were escaping an impending flood!

To be honest, I had my doubts at some points because, even after driving for quite a while, the remaining distance didn’t seem to change much.

On the darkened roads, I followed my son’s lead for about 30 extra miles around Coventry. Eventually, we managed to bypass the congested motorway and rejoined the M40 at Banbury, continuing our journey smoothly.

歡樂的時光永遠都是過得飛快，北威爾斯之旅終於到了落幕之時。 早上退房時，接待的同事再三提醒我們要盡快離開，因為當天會下大雪，對於我這類居於英國南部的人，未必能適應雪地駕駛，會比較危險。

心想回程約 240 英里，預計只需五個多小時，黃昏前一定可返回 Kingston ，應該不會有太大問題，因此我更一早亦約了朋友吃晚飯。


一路上和預期差不多，下午兩點多差不多走完一半路程。

在進入 M40 不久，發覺路上的車輛車速漸減，不一會便完全停了下來，更不時見到有公路管制人員的車輛駛過。 嘗試聆聽電台廣播，卻未有相關交通消息，等了大半個小時，情況亦未有改善，最後留意到數百碼後有出口，大家決定離開，改走其他的路回倫敦。

由於車內的導航較為被動，只能在收到交通阻塞通知後才作改道，兒子決定發揮他自己的「內置人肉導航系統」。一路上，他一邊望着 Google Map 的最新交通流量，一邊自行估計那一段路將會受影響，要我跟隨他的指示，預先改路，希望能避過受影響的公路，感覺上有如逃避將會擁至的洪水一般！

坦白講，我也有過懷疑他的時刻，皆因走了好一段路，我發覺與目的地的剩餘里數仍沒有太大改變！

在漆黑的路上，我緊隨兒子的「帶領」，多走了約三十英里，經過 Coventry，終於繞過受影響的高速公路，順利在 Banbury 重返 M40，繼續行程 。

Compared to the original travel plan, today turned out to be quite lucky! We were only about an hour late, but still managed to enjoy a delicious dinner with my friend.

Later, when I checked the news, I found out that a large truck caught fire between M40 Junctions 15 and 16, causing that section of the motorway to be closed for several hours. It wasn’t until 8 PM that the road fully reopened.

It turned out that our decision to divert early was indeed a wise one!

相比起原本的行程規劃，今天算是非常幸運，整體只遲了一個多小時，仍能和好友享用了一頓可口的晚飯。

事後回看當天新聞，原來有大型貨車在 M40 Junction 15 及 Junction 16 間行駛中起火，該段 M40 封閉了數小時，至晚上八點多才完全恢復！

當日及時改道離開確是明智之舉！

Our North Wales trip lasted nine days, covering about 1,000 miles – a personal record for me!

I refuelled three times, totalling 92 litres, which was quite fuel-efficient. In terms of range, I was able to travel over 300 miles with each refill, which, for a regular family car, felt more reliable than an EV.

That being said, compared to when I first arrived in the UK, most of the services along motorways and hotels now have chargers installed. A quick stop and charging an electric vehicle is no longer much of a hassle.

今次北威爾斯之旅，曆時九天，駕駛了約一千英里，可算是我人生之最。

全程加了三次油，合共 92 升，亦可以説是非常慳油。 而在續航能力來看，平均每次入油亦可行走三百多英里，以一部家用小車來說，感覺上仍比電動車的來得安心。

話雖如此，相比初到英國時，現在高速公路的 Services 或入住的酒店，大都已經裝置了 Chargers，只需稍作停留，電動車充電亦不會有太大的問題。