As a great lover of nature and natural beauty in the countryside, I have always enjoyed the drives in the United Kingdom but especially around Scotland and Wales. I had never been across to North Wales before so when Alan decided he wanted to see it when we were visiting Liverpool I eagerly agreed. As is the norm of the British weather, we chose a day to travel the two hours to Wales only to wake up to chrome skies and damp paths. Nonetheless we clad ourselves in coats and scarves before climbing into the car armed with a packed lunch and a camera.
As we drove towards the motorway and towards North Wales, the skies got darker and the fog heavier. By the time we saw the first sign for Wales we could barely make it out due to the heavy fog. As we drove along by Colwyn Bay, just passed the Wales border, we acknowledged that there was a body of water there as the horizon was darker and the SatNav indicated there was, else we would never have known. As the rain got heavier and the winds picked up eager to pull my car towards the middle barriers, we discussed turning back. Suddenly, there was a patch of lighter cloud which, as we watched, gave way to a tease of sunlight. As quick as it came it disappeared. It encouraged us to risk it though and keep going, hoping that the rain would subside and take the pesky fog along with it. We were not to be disappointed.
By the time we had entered Penrhyn Bay the sun was filtering beautifully through the clouds and the occasional blue sky was spotted. Taking a drive along the coast we spotted some interesting houses with turrets on them. They were most intriguing designs and colours. We found a cute little parking spot that was overlooking the water on the other side of the bay so pulled in for some lunch. As we watched the seagulls circle above, caught on the air thermals, Zita warned us to keep the windows up as these seagulls were very confident and were known to swoop into cars to steal sandwiches. Now I knew why the seagulls were much larger compared to the ones in Dundee.
Back on the road we headed towards the village of Bets-y-Coed. Stumbling upon a beautiful little bridge over a stream and watching as the sun set between two glens over a body of water was worth dodging the vehicles on the narrow roads. As we pulled into the village we saw the most breathtaking river that had a pretty little island with a massive overhanging tree in it with huge limbs stretching for the sky and caressing the water below. We stopped and watched, mesmerised as the water gushed around the island, over the rocks and diving loudly below the bridge before passing quietly through the other side. Not quite ready to return to Zita's, we slipped into a little café for a steaming cup of tea and a slice of cake as we watched the last flickers of light disappear from the sky. Still, we could hear the water's roar as the river rushed along its way to new adventures upon other shores, seeing sights we would not see. Just another day in Wales.