Before we begin … we know. Chester is not in Wales. For writing convenience, some historical border flexible and geographical proximity, Chester is included in this chapter.
Chester is amazing in many ways. It was on our travel list because of its walls … there is a bit of a theme to some of our choices (think Hadrian’s, Derry’s, Pembroke’s and Dubrovnik’s – spoiler alert, some still to come). Then there were the historical buildings – Roman entertainment facilities to medieval cloistered abbeys to Tudor (both real and mock) black-and-white buildings to neo-Classical Georgian symmetry and late 20th-Century brutalism. But the architectural novelty that blew us away was The Rows. The shopping area of Chester has an amazing double layer of pedestrian access – street level and very clever verandah alleys on a higher level. It was unusual to walk above the streets in a covered, weatherproof area, have views over the streets below and inhabit history. Other amazing places in Chester were (in no particular order): the cathedral with its incredible architecture, cloisters, choir stalls and extensive grounds; the 1600s pub we stayed in; the Easter holiday vibe (no Good Friday observance here, shops were trading); the car-free streets and, of course, the walls. Our exploration of the city, with obligatory food and drink stops, was so enlightening, entertaining and enjoyable.
Wales has given us the ‘Spring’ weather we thought we were going to get for much of our northern hemisphere trip but haven’t really experienced … but we got a small taster. Our trip down through the Welsh countryside was damp, beautiful and very green. The drive to the coast was on country lanes, over mountain passes and through valleys, along roads edged with rock walls, painfully green fields dotted with cattle, sheep and lambs and slow-moving tractors and buses. We broke the trip with a lovely country walk through Snowdonian foothills at the Coed-y-Brenin Forest Park, enjoying late spring wildflowers, moss-covered trees, a babbling brook and thick air (think mist/rain).
Aberystwyth was a surprise in many ways. There are fantastic castle ruins (who needs a playground when you can run all over the wall?) and a very British seaside promenade with its amusement pier, broad walkway, tired (think in need of some TLC) Victorian-era terrace hotels and unappealing beaches (think murky water and shingle/gravel). It also had a tidal harbour (low tide is our recurring theme), narrow streets (terrifying to drive down, even when they are one-way) and, piece-de-resistance, a Victorian-era, cable-pulled tramway up the side of a hillside. An Easter meal of grilled fish and salad, coupled with a seaside view was a lovely way to end the evening. Accommodation was a bit basic, think alleyway room with views of rubbish bins and the sound of late-night, merry holiday makers arguing outside the locked window. But the bed was comfy and the room was clean
Before we reached our next bucket-list destination, we stopped at Carew Castle and had a fantastic time exploring this fascinating building. Even though it is a ruin, it is has a few covered areas. The administrators have gone to a lot of trouble making the experience interactive and informative with a self-guided audio tour. We learned about its checkered history, the people who built, modified and schemed in it and enjoyed the breaking the trip and escaping the rain.
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