Saturday 30 August 2014

A Week in Wales :: getting there

Hello Lovelies,
I'm back from another holiday......I know.
I do feel a bit embarrassed about blogging this week away, coming as it does, so quickly after our fabulous week in Dorset. But I'm sharing it here again as I  love being able to record these family times that are so precious to me.

I really hope you enjoy my pictures and tales from another beautiful part of the U.K.

This holiday was just the five of us, plus Grandma (my Mum). Mr BM drove the boys in our car, following the quickest roads. I drove Mum and myself in her little car....following the slow roads :0)

 This photo was taken just after we had passed through Llangollen ( a stunning place with lots to see)......

It was raining (as it often does in these hills) but I had to stop the car and photograph the beautiful landscape.

Mum chose the route and remembered a place to stop for our picnic lunch. This photo is taken from inside the car.............

What a view!........across the vast expanse of Bala Lake to the mountains of Snowdonia in the distance.


It's the largest natural lake in Wales, over four miles long and a mile wide. It is obviously a popular place for all sorts of water sports............


and a haven for wildlife too.............



I loved the cute little Black-headed gulls. There were adults and lots of juveniles around too..........


After lunch, while I wandered about taking photos, Mum did a sketch .............


Soon it was time to carry on. We climbed even higher into the mountains, stopping to try and get a clear view of the purple slopes that surrounded this reservoir.........


Patience eventually paid off ...........

Another wow.

The landscape of Snowdonia is so different from home............


Wild and rugged with Heather that reminds me of the Yorkshire moors of my childhood...........



We travel on increasingly narrow and winding roads, climbing higher. Above the tree line now........

Maybe you can see the road on the far left?


Then we are gazing at the mountains, the view constantly changing as the clouds part and illuminate different areas...........

Look, is that a bridge? No, it must be a dam?


We gaze down into steeply sided valleys............


And stop yet again to take in the dramatic views, with rugged hills fading through all shades of blue, into the distance.....and the sea!


Twenty minutes later we are down at sea level.......gazing back at those mountains and loving the flower filled boat in the sunshine :0)..............


We are at Criccieth..........just look at that sky.............


and the amazing 13th century ruined castle that looks down on the beach...........

 It proudly flies the Welsh flag and seems a prefect welcome to the Llyn Peninsula. An area we are looking forward exploring over the next seven days.


Time to meet up with the rest of the family, who arrived a couple of hours earlier:0)
We do a food shop and head off to our holiday home.

This was the first thing my eyes landed on as we entered our cottage...........


a gorgeous old Aga cooker. Wow.

Thankfully there was also an electric cooker, something I understand how to work!

Then I found a lovely metal jug for my  supermarket chrysanthemums............

We settle in and I hope this week, which I've been looking forward to since we booked it right back February, doesn't fly by too quickly.

I do hope you will pop back soon for part two.
Jacquie x


28 comments:

  1. Thank you for that, I was born in Llangollen.... The scenery is lovely. I hope you enjoyed your holiday and look forward to another post with more photos of seaside and mountains.

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  2. it's a lovely trip you took. I'd be cranking the aga! Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Looks beautiful! Love your mum's sketch, too :) x

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  4. It looks beautiful and I'd be having that aga on, we had one in the last house we lived in and I miss it since we moved. Your mums sketch is lovely too
    Jackie

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  5. Stunning scenery, reminds me of holidays in the Highlands of Scotland when I was little. Your mum's sketch is perfect :) That must be where you get your creativity from :) xxx

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  6. I used to Sail on Bala lake ! It always was stunning ! Love your mums sketch!
    Frankie
    http://knitwits-owls.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/knit-till-yarn-quits.html?m=1

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  7. Oh those purple mountains! I would definitely try out that Aga. The more I see of your part of the world the more I want to visit. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. The aga! The views! It all looks wonderful. I don't know Wales very well but I think I need to visit it, it looks stunning. x

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  9. such a beautiful place. my mum & dad loved wales when i was young often viewing cottages as my parents once wanted to move there. My cousins lived there and we often went exploring in the holidays with them. such a lovely cottage you stayed in, happy memories with your mum. i loved her sketch. xx

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  10. I spent 10 years of my childhood in Bangor - your photos brought back a lot of happy memories :)

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  11. Another beautiful break away. You are so lucky to be able to share this with your Mum taking the slower route - which would be far more interesting! Have a wonderful time x

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  12. Beautiful countryside. Have a lovely week :) x

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  13. Lovely pictures, greetings from Stavanger, Norway!

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  14. Wow, what stunning scenery. I visited Bala Lake years ago, it's beautiful there isn't it. The cottage looks absolutely delightful. I'm glad you had a good holiday, I shall look forward to seeing more of beautiful Wales. CJ xx

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  15. I so enjoy your holidays! Such a lovely country and I am amazed at the diversity. Please flood us with photos. Have a wonderful time.

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  16. Hi Jacquie, I just started following your blog--really enjoy it! Love the patterns-really user friendly-well written! Thank you!

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  17. Stunning photos, can't wait for Parte the Seconde!

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  18. Thanks for sharing Jacquie. Your photos brought back happy memories of family holidays in Wales when I was a child. Hope you are having a good weekend. x

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  19. What a wonderful area! I really like the landscape!

    Glad you had such a wonderful time there!

    Take care
    Anne

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  20. We are going to Caernafon, not sure on the spelling,, in late September. Looking forward to seeing some of these lovely views.

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  21. Lovely photos, i'll look forward to part 2.

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  22. We went to Snowdonia a few years back just for a day trip. It was so stunning. I want to train up and walk down. I think when you walk you really see things. In the car you tend to miss all the beautiful sites around you. The pictures are absolutely amazing. I wish I could sketch like your mum, its a wonderful talent to have, documenting everything in picture...

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  23. Wow! Such beautiful photos! I loved looking through them, thanks for sharing!!
    Kate :}

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  24. Hi Jacquie! I love your travels post, I feel I 'am there with you in the car and I can discover your part of the world so far than mine! I really enjoy reading your blog and learning some tips from your beautiful tutorials!

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  25. I have only been to Wales a couple of times but was really impressed with the beautiful scenery. We will definitely go back again. When we moved to our current house we had an Aga installed. It took a while to get used to but now I love it. It's so convenient to use. When I go on holiday and there's an electric cooker I find it hard to go back to that way of cooking again!

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  26. Forgot to say - your mum is very artistic; it's easy to see where you get your artistic skills from.

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  27. That's a paradise, I love that lanscape, thanks for sharing these photos. I want to visit Wales! Those skyes and clouds...!

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