In May 2019 my brother and I flew to London, England for a total of 12 days with a plan of seeing some of England, most of Wales, and a day trip to Northern Ireland. Our England portion would be to see some sites on our way back and forth between Wales and London, but we would primarily be spending most of the time in Wales. The day trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland would be toward the end of the trip and just to see the city and meet up with some of my work mates. But first stop, celebrity stardom!
That's right, we became instant worldwide celebrities! Like most travelers flying into London, we had to rush right on down to Havant. Well, maybe not most, OK, maybe not anyone but us. Last year I saw on an American television show, 'Focus on Europe', about a radio station in southeast England that broadcasts music from the 1900s to the 1960s - Angel Radio. You can't get any better than that. They are located in Havant, England to be exact, and broadcast not only over the airwaves, DAB, an App, but also on the Internet. We have been listening ever since then. My brother sends them a lot of email requests, corresponds with the presenters, and sends (what he calls) jokes. They also have a number of interactive games and quizzes they play with the listeners. His call sign is 'Brad from Chicago' and occasionally it's, 'Brad's brother Jason from Chicago' (I can live with that). We told them that we were coming, and they gave us a tour of the studio as well as a live on-air interview. Our interview was heard worldwide! Very cool...
Despite it being our first day and having been awake a very long time, we still wanted to see a couple of things before getting to our hotel that night. From Angel Radio in Havant, we then drove the short distance to neighboring Portsmouth, directly on the coast. We saw Henry the VIII's Southsea Castle built on the waterfront in 1544, and right next door was The D-Day Story Museum with this year being the 75th anniversary of D-Day. There's a nice park like setting along the English Channel in this area, with several monuments and sites. Then in the city centre is the Spinnaker Tower. It is shaped to represent a ship sail, because Portsmouth has a long tradition of navel heritage, and is the home of the British Royal Navy. After all this excitement and the jet lag setting in, it was time to drive the 90 minutes to our hotel just outside of Bath. It was a long day, and by the time we arrived at the hotel, we had been awake for about 36 hours.
We spent part of the day walking around the town of Bath. Besides the Roman Baths from 60 AD, the city has a tremendous number of 1700 Georgian era buildings, the Royal Crescent, Bath Abbey, and the Pulteney Bridge crossing the River Avon. It's a relatively compact city, and easy to see the sights just walking around. Nearby was a quaint English Village, Lacock. Because of its look, it has had many shows and movies filmed there. To give you an idea of what it looks like, they used one of the homes in a Harry Potter film to depict his Mother and Father's house. The only issue I had was they should not have allowed cars to be parking on the main streets. The buildings and the settings were pretty incredible, including a number of timber frame buildings, but the cars parking on the streets really ruined the effect. We finished the day by crossing into Wales across the Severn Bridge (Pont Hafren in Welsh). We will be spending a couple days in and around Cardiff before going north and seeing the rest of Wales. As they say in Welsh - nos da (goodnight).
Bore da (Good morning)! Our Cardiff hotel was centrally located between Cardiff Castle and Cardiff Bay. There are a number of pedestrian zone areas between the two. We started out in Cardiff Castle, with the current stone castle remains from the 12th century. Besides the pedestrian zones in this area, there are several arcades as well as the Cardiff Market. In the Cardiff Bay area is the Millennium Centre, mostly an entertainment venue, but it's located right in Roald Dahls Plass (Square). This is a large square on the waterfront named after Cardiff born author Roald Dahl (1916-1990) who wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, and others. Because of their May Day holiday, they had a number of events going on down there. Unfortunately, the Doctor Who Experience exhibit closed about 18 months ago, too bad we couldn't go back in time to see it. The weather was incredible, and it was a really nice city to walk around all day. No Tom Jones sighting...
Since Cardiff is in the extreme south of Wales, we could only drive north. There are a lot of castles in Wales, and we were planning on seeing several of them. Along the way, were also many quaint villages we drove through, with much of the southern drive being through the beautiful 519 square mile (1,340 square kilometre) Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons National Park).
Just outside Brecon Beacons N.P., Castell Rhaglan (Raglan Castle) was built around 1400, and while partially in ruins, it is still surrounded by a moat and has the castle look you would expect to see, drawbridge and all. Because of the holiday weekend, they had a demonstration of people dressed up in medieval body armor and even had a mock attack in the castle with swords a blazing. Further north, Castell Powys (Powis Castle) was built before 1580, but it was at that time that the castle was actually transformed into a palace with some spectacular gardens surrounding it. Because of the palace status, it was well maintained and today has rooms decorated in the period. We also stopped at the 14th century Abaty Tyndyrn (Tintern Abbey), on the banks of the Afon Gwy (River Wye). The abbey is in ruins, however there is quite a bit of the main building standing, and it is more than 230 feet (70 metres) long. The buildings attached and surrounding it are fairly immense. In some respect, because of the way the remains are standing, it almost seems like a construction site and it just needs to be finished.
6 May 2019. It's a boy! We heard it first, being the international celebrities we are, Prince Harry and Meghan made sure we knew the news. Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. That's your Royal update...
Next on track is the quaint town of Llangollen located on the scenic River Dee. It's a smaller town, but it is very pretty and has a couple of sites to visit. One of them is St. Collen's Church built in the 13th century. It also has an old-timey steam locomotive scenic railway that goes up the river about 10 miles to the town of Corwen. It was about a 2-hour return journey, so we decided to spend that time seeing other sites and take a walk along the town's scenic riverside walkway.
Next up, is the town of Rhuthun (Ruthin). This town has some of the oldest timber framed medieval houses in Wales, many dating back to the 15th century. This includes Aberconwy House built in 1420. It was a really spectacular looking home, with the inside having gone through a lot of different renovations over the hundreds of years it was standing. Just off of St Peter's Square is St Peter's Church, which in its current state was built in 1310 with parts of it dating back to 1282. Oddly enough, and I say that wondering myself why it was built here in the center of this beautiful lovely village, is the rather large Carchar Rhuthun (Ruthin Gaol (prison)). A fairly large complex built originally in 1654 and expanded over the years until 1878, only to be closed in 1916. I guess back then it was a bad neighborhood?
A day in Wales would not be complete without at least one castle, and it has plenty. The most spectacular castle built by Edward I, in 1283, is Castell Caernarfon (Caernarfon Castle). Most of the towers and outside walls are intact, and you can spend a lot of time going up and down the towers and around the walls. The castle makes for some dramatic photos along the banks of the Afon Seiont (River Seiont) and the medieval town walls. The town of Caernarfon surrounding it also has many 14th and 15th century buildings, which makes for a nice stroll through town.
Off of Wales mainland's northwest coast is the Isle of Anglesey. Now don't you all panic, it's part of Wales so there was at least one castle we saw. Well, to be honest, we saw 2 castles, or was it 3? First stop for the day was at Castell Biwmares (Beaumaris Castle). The most interesting aspect of this castle was that Edward I ran out of money when he started it in 1295, and it was the last castle he built (sort of built). So, what you see is about 80% of a real castle and they took shortcuts. For example, two of the main gates ended up not being completed and they simply walled them in. It still has many turrets, is partially surrounded by a moat, and is in a beautiful setting.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales - If you get this far, you would know we are in the town with the longest town name in the world, right here in Wales and on the Isle of Anglesey! Except for the name being posted on a couple buildings, there is nothing much more exceptional there. But you can check it off your list, well, I can anyway (again). Now, by popular demand (and thanks to Angel Radio), you can all learn what the name means and how to properly pronounce the town name. By the time you finish reviewing our trip, I want you all to know How To Say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
On the far western coast of Anglesey Isle is the fairly uneventful town of Holyhead. Stop there. I will now correct you. It is pronounced 'holly-head, not 'holy-head'. I know, right? The real main reason to go there is to get to the coast, and also to see the perfectly positioned South Stack Lighthouse. It is perched on a beautiful small island, Holy Island, with a dramatic coastline all around, and a narrow footbridge you cross to get to it from Anglesey Isle. The coastline is rather jagged and has high cliffs that drop down to the sea. We were able to get a private tour of the lighthouse, which was built in 1809. We spent several hours soaking in the incredible scenery, walking along the cliff edge, and getting up and down to the lighthouse.
Our time in Wales was coming to an end, but wait, not so fast. Before we crossed the Welsh border back into England, we went to one more really nice Edward I castle. The 13th century Castell Conwy (Conwy Castle) in the town of Conwy, but that's just part of the story. The town actually is surrounded by a medieval wall, mostly still intact. We spent about 45 minutes walking on top of the walls of the town and around the city. Right on the Irish Sea near the Castle is Great Britain's smallest house according to the Guinness Book of World Records, measuring 3.05 metres x 1.8 metres (10 feet x 6 feet). It has been in the same family since the 16th century. I guess it was not a very large family.
Crossing back into England (sadly, no Tom Jones sighting in Wales), we spent some time in the City of Manchester. It was also one of the few times we encountered any rain. There were a large number of really beautiful buildings (like the Town Hall and Manchester Cathedral), but also a great number of new and modern buildings in the city. Otherwise, the only other interesting point about Manchester is that it is the home of black pudding. Yum!
Manchester was our base to catch our early morning flight to Belfast, Northern Ireland. We touched down at 08:15 a.m., and then again about 08:20 a.m. For some unknown reason, the plane touched down and without stopping immediately took off again. They 'calmly' announced (so British) we were going to circle around again. And we did. Job done. We flew into the George Best Belfast City Airport, which is located just minutes from the Belfast city centre. From the airport we caught a famous black taxi to the Titanic Quarter. Here, we started our Belfast visit at the Titanic dry dock and pump house, where they worked on building the Titanic. We walked along the River Lagan to the Belfast Titanic museum, it outlined a lot of the Titanic history. Next door is the last remaining White Star Line ship, The Nomadic. You are able to walk through it and see a bit more history.
We then walked over to the Allstate Belfast building, it was recently built and opened last year so I had not been there. Last time I was here in 2017, it was under construction. One of the guys I work with took us on a tour of the building. I was able to see a number of people that I work with but don't get to see very often. We then got a group of us and went out to lunch. What did a majority of them order? Fish and Chips!
After lunch, we continued walking around Belfast since our return flight did not leave until early evening. The first place being the Belfast Peace Wall. This is what separated the Protestants and Catholics during The Troubles. Walking around more central Belfast, we also went to the Victoria Square Shopping Mall which has a glass panoramic viewing dome at the top providing great panoramic views of Belfast. There is also a monument, Prince Albert Memorial Clock that is their version of the leaning tower of Belfast. You also can't help but run into The Big Fish, although why they didn't call it The Big Blue Fish I will never understand. It's big, it's blue, and it's a fish. The Belfast City Hall is also a pretty spectacular looking building, and they have free tours. Fortunately, the flight back to Manchester was uneventful (no extra unplanned air miles) and we drove to Liverpool that evening where we will be spending tomorrow. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
We spent an entire day in the beautiful city of Liverpool. Not what I expected, as I was expecting a grittier city. It has really incredible architecture, and I found out it actually has more Georgian Architecture than even Bath (and Bath was pretty impressive). There is a huge pedestrian zone in the town centre, where you can wander all day. But you'll also want to get to the waterfront for their river walk and a number of museums. One of those museums was The Beatles Story. Glad I did it, but I was not impressed. They could have had a lot more personal items (they could have also taken a lesson from the ABBA Museum in Stockholm, great!). Speaking of The Beatles, what was spectacular was The Cavern Club tour. They provided loads of information about the history of the club, the performers, backstage access, and the Merseybeat sound. It was 45 minutes of riveting and fun stories, not just Beatles info but of all the other greats that have performed in this historic place. For those in the know, we did take the 'Ferry Cross the Mersey' and back again (the flipside)... Another item to cross off the list, and great memories every time I now hear that song.
'Allo 'allo 'allo, so what's all this then about all the rain they get? For being the UK, we have had incredibly beautiful sunny warm weather this trip. As we headed across England and in the direction of London, we had a couple more stops. The city of York is a walled medieval city, with most of the wall retained. It has many ancient buildings, and part of Harry Potter was filmed here in an area called The Shambles. You pretty much just walk around that area and keep taking photos of the various buildings that stand out, including many half-timber buildings. The most famous York landmark which you would recognize, probably just by name, would be the 13th century York Minster Cathedral. They were doing a bit of restoration on part of the cathedral, and inside they were refurbishing the organ. Its central tower is an incredible 235 feet (72 metres) tall, and you can walk up to the top of the Minster and actually walk outside for great views of the area.
Our last night was going to be in the town of Windsor, which is only about 10 miles (16 kilometres) from Heathrow Airport. We had plenty of time to spend the last night and following morning walking around Windsor the town and Windsor the Castle. The castle is actually right off of High Street in town, and in all directions are mostly shops and restaurants. The castle has a large park area behind it that is part of the castle grounds, as well as a more public park area off to the side, Windsor Great Park. There are tons of tourists, but it is amazing that you can get so close to the castle. Unlike Buckingham Palace which is cordoned off and so far away from the common folk.
It's a good thing this trip is coming to an end, since my tan is getting way too dark on this sunny Isle. Overall, great trip, great weather, great fish and chips, great Welsh cakes, great driving, great scenery, great historic sites, and it goes without saying, great commentary by me. Next stop, across the pond as they say, and home.
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