Holiday Travels in England and Wales

This year we decided to head south and spend Christmas and New Years with our friends Tony and Angie, in England.  With some extra time off during the holidays it gave us the chance to do a little more travelling through England and Wales. 
 We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with them at their pub, The Crown Inn, Higham.  The Pub was open on Christmas Eve and for a few hours on Christmas day, so we found ourselves clearing tables, cleaning glasses and pouring a few pints.  We can honestly say that this was a first for both of us, spending our Christmas working the pub.  It was great fun and we really enjoyed being part of the family.  After a busy afternoon we got to sit down for a traditional English Christmas dinner, prepared by Angie's parents.

 

Tony getting to relax while John tends the bar.

Christmas Evening was a gathering for friends and family.   We enjoyed visiting with their daughter, Lucy and her family Chris and baby Joey.  We missed seeing their son, Luke as he jetted off to the U.S. and Bahamas to get married.  We hope to see the newlyweds, Luke and Erin on our next visit. 

   It was a nice, relaxing, and festive evening!

Boxing Day: A holiday traditionally celebrated the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts, known as a "Christmas box", from their bosses or employer.

Boxing day we hit the road,  after a 3-hour drive we were in Cardiff, Wales.  Cardiff is the capital and largest city in Wales and the ninth largest city in the United Kingdom.  We checked into our hotel, hit the pub across the street for a pint, and explored the city centre before finding a place for dinner.

We enjoyed seeing the city centre decorated with Christmas lights and had a fabulous dinner, quite possibly one of the best steaks we've had in the UK. 

The next morning we decide to head to the Cardiff Bay area.  What a beautiful waterfront area filled with shopping, restaurants and lots of neat architecture and art.

 Merchant Seafarer's War Memorial

Captain Scott Memorial        "People Like Us" 

The Water Tower 
This monument has been prominently featured in both Doctor Who and Torchwood.  

Doctor Who has been filmed in Cardiff since it's return in 2005. 

The Doctor Who Experience 

The Doctor Who Experience is an interactive tour with an exhibit of the world's largest collection of Doctor Who memorabilia.  

 CJ's Favorite Doctor              John's Favorite Doctor

  

The interactive tour was a bit silly, (maybe geared more towards children?) but we really enjoyed seeing all of the props, costumes and memorabilia from the show.

We then headed back to City centre, for more browsing, shopping and dinner, before calling it a day. 

Cardiff Castle

We stopped by Cardiff Castle as they were closing, but they let me sneak in to take a picture.

We enjoyed all of the Christmas decorations and walking through the Christmas market.

The next morning we hit the road to explore more of Wales.  Our first stop was just North of Cardiff,  Castle Coch.

Castle Coch is really a "folly" built in 1870 for the 3rd Marquess of Bute by William Burgess.  It was built on the foundations of a 13th century castle.  The original castle was built from red sand stone which gives the present day castle it's name Castell Coch, which in Welsh means The Red Castle.   Because of it's "Camelot" appearance, it has been the location of many movies and TV shows; Robin Hood, Doctor Who, The Black Knight, Merlin, and 'Da Vinci's Demons. 

We got back on the road , it was a beautiful day and drive through Brecon Beacons National Park.

Our next stop was Devil's Bridge.  The bridge is unusual in that it consists of three separate bridges, each one built upon the previous bridge.  The orignal bridge is thought to have been built between 1075–1200, the second bridge of stone in 1753 and the third bridge of iron in 1901.  

According to the legend the original bridge was built by the Devil, as it was too difficult for mortals to build.  The agreement stipulated that the Devil would build the bridge in return for the soul of the first living thing to cross the bridge.  The Devil built the bridge but was tricked by an old woman who threw bread onto the bridge.  Her dog crossed the bridge for the bread, thus becoming the first living thing to cross the new bridge.  The Devil was never seen in Wales again, embarrassed that he was outwitted by an old woman.

The walk down to the viewing point was a bit steep and a little tricky with the stairs and railings being covered in ice, but well worth it when we saw the view. 

The  Punch Bowl was created by the force of the River Mynach, carving beautiful, large pot holes into the rock.

We continued on to our next stop, the seaside town of Aberystwyth.  We arrived in time to take a walk around the town, explore the castle ruins and enjoy a beautiful sunset.  

We really enjoyed our stop in Aberystwyth, and wished we could've spent more time there, but it was time to get back on the road.  We then headed to Barmouth, where we would spend the night.

The next morning we took a stroll on Barmouth Beach, before heading out of town.  The beach was amazing, with views of the sea and mountains. 

    From Barmouth we made a brief stop in Harlech, taking pictures and enjoying the views of the sea and mountains from atop the rock on which the castle sits.

Our next stop was to Portmeirion.  Portmeirion is a popular tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales.  It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, an English-born Welsh architect between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village.  He was an advocate of rural preservation, amenity planning, industrial design and colorful architecture.  He designed the village to fit into the natural beauty of this seaside peninsula,  paying tribute to the atmosphere of the Mediterranean.

 Portmeirion is also known for their pottery with the same name.  Portmeirion Pottery was founded in 1960 by his daughter,  Susan Williams-Ellis.

 

 Remembering that we were in Wales and not Italy, it was time to get back on the road.  We stopped at various places along the way enjoying the sights of Snowdonia. 

Aberglaslyn

Snowdonia 

  

Our next stop was the town of Caernarfon. (and no we can't pronounce that)   Caernarfon is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales.  

 After a stroll through town, around the castle and port area it was time to get back on the road.  Our final stop for the night was Liverpool, where we called it an early night, to be refreshed for a full day of exploring the next day.

First stop, The Cavern Club.  The Beatles 

were the Cavern Club’s signature act in 1961.  While playing at the Cavern Club they met Liverpool businessman Brian Epstein, whom later became their manager.   They had 292 performances at the club between February 1961 and August 1963. 

The Queen Victoria Monument

We met up with our friend Katelyn, currently living in Liverpool. 

We headed to the Docks area, where we had lunch and did a little shopping.  

Merseyside Maritime Museum

Albert Dock

 

 Beatles picture made completely from Jellybeans

 We ended the night with drinks, and Lambananas.

The original Superlambanana is a bright yellow sculpture located in Liverpool, England.  Weighing almost eight tons and standing at 17 feet tall, it is intended to be a cross between a banana and a lamb and was designed by Manhattan-based Japanese artist Taro Chiezo.  In 2008, as part of Liverpool's year-long position as European Capital of Culture, 125 individually designed miniature replicas were created and placed throughout the Liverpool and Merseyside region. 

The following day we headed back to Higham, spending New Year's Eve and New Year's day at the Crown Inn.  We had a lot of fun hanging out with friends and singing a song or 2.

Santa even joined in the karaoke for a song and a little bit of dancing. 

Crown Inn's newest Bartender?

Well, after being gone for 10 days it was now time to hit the road and head back home.  We thank everyone for a wonderful holiday season and adding to our adventure and memories.

We hope that everyone had a wonderful time with their family and friends.  We love and miss you all!  

Sending lots of love and cheer,

John and CJ