Snowdonia National Park, Northern Wales Coastal Path, Beddgelert, and Cadair Idris
By: Jean-Paul Courville
In the fall of 2017 I traveled to the United Kingdom to visit London, Stonehenge, Abbey Road, the Cotswolds, Birmingham, and to see an American NFL Football game at Wembley Stadium. Although this was a remarkable time my soul was taken hostage by the beauty of Northern Wales.
The landscape of Snowdonia National Park, climbing Mt Snowden, stopping at local tea houses, having scones with clotted cream after hiking in the rain and cold brought me such happiness. The Welsh people were warm, hospitable, and a joy to be around.
While climbing Snowden (Watkin Route) we met an older Welsh man (in his 60's) who grew up hiking the mountains as a boy and still found joy walking the routes as an older man, alone, and in shorts (and I thought I was tough). Even the Welsh Marines were hiking on maneuvers to condition for an upcoming deployment. I offered my U.S. Marine sarcastic wit as they passed, its an entirely different language among Marines so they understood...(insert laugh emoji)
The Ugly House tearoom, or Pot Mel Ty Hyll was a wonderful find, a quaint little place where not only did we have home cooked meals of the day next to a wood burning stove but an older Welsh couple brightened the moment. They couldn't have been more engaging but not to a point of annoyance.
In 2021 I went back to Wales traveling all thru the South, the capital of Cardiff and then back to the North only to reconfirm my love of Northern Wales, the accents, the vibe, the terrain, the cuisine, the pubs, and that relaxed atmosphere.
Cadair Idris: A popular hiking route located at the southern end of Snowdonia National Park.
Wales Coastal Path: We did a spontaneous few days hiking and camping along this beautiful path and it surely made me want to go back and experience more of it. The path is a designated long-distance trail that follows the coastline of Wales. Launched in 2012 it is 870 miles long and is credited as the first dedicated coastal path in the world to cover an entire countries coastline.
You have many options for camping, hotels, pubs, resupplies of resources and the beauty and escape of crowds. We loved this experience.
Gelert's Grave:
One of the saddest stories I have heard and part of Welsh legend dated back to the 13th century. The story of Gelert a legendary dog who was accidentally killed by his owner, Llywelyn the Great after returning from a hunt discovered what he thought was Gelert had killed his infant son. After plunging his sword into his faithful hound he heard his unharmed infant son cry as a wolf lay dead on the floor. Gelert had protected the baby and killed the wolf who broke into the home. It is said that Llywelyn never smiled again and he buried Gelert in the charming village of Beddgelert.
Bonus: Wales Coastal Path
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