Wales

From St. Ives we drove to Wales and spent two weeks: Cardiff, Tenby, Aberystwyth, Porthmadog, Caernarfon, and Conwy.

Cardiff has a castle and a museum to visit (and more, of course) but if you're visiting in the summer, I would recommend looking into their summer concert series (at the castle). We were surprised to see a lot of popular artists on the schedule. We didn't attend any concerts but it seems like a great venue.

While in Tenby, we drove about an hour to Martin's Haven to take a boat to see puffins on Skomer Island. Now, if you want to go onto the island, you will need to book SEVERAL months in advance. You have to consider the puffins are only there for a few months and the island habitat is highly protected so visitors are quite limited. We didn't plan that far in advance so our excursion was a boat tour only. We did get to see hundreds, if not thousands, of puffins and other sea birds on the island and swimming & flying all around us. The boat operators shared so much information. It was a great experience!

We only had 1 night in Aberystwyth - it is a charming coastal town. We visited the castle ruins and also took the cliff railway up for some gorgeous sea views. While we were in town, a cycle race was in progress. I was truly impressed how well-managed it was. Pedestrians and cars and cyclists seemed to be able to co-exist somehow. I appreciate how much planning and manpower it must take to pull that off.

While we were in Porthmadog, we drove to the Snowdon Mountain Railway at Llanberis. Snowdon is Wales' highest peak. The railway takes you on a scenic trip up and down the mountain. People from all over come to hike here. If you're a hiker, you could research the different paths and starting points. We didn't hike here but the paths appeared well-maintained so I would definitely be interested in coming back (I am a fan of hikes in which it is unlikely to get lost).

We didn't do much in Caernarfon other than visiting the castle. We've seen a lot of castles during our European trip, and I very much enjoyed exploring this one - climbing towers and learning about its history (including King Edward I and Queen Eleanor of Castile).

Our Wales visit ended in Conwy. We did take a walking tour here, a "ghost tour." Our tour guide walked us around town, sharing some local history and lore. I think it's absolute genius to share stories of the past, explain what a community & its citizens have been through while weaving in some mystery. Fascinating to think about how these stories endure for so long.