Diwrnod dau: Tro gan Gogledd Cymru; Arfordir a Chefn Gwlad ar Gefn Beic (2021)
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| Pastoral scenes above the A55 near Bangor in North Wales |
Day 2: Colwyn Bay to Bangor
At first light the next morning I had already been aware of one or two very early dog walkers crossing the park from the all-weather sports pitch towards the "hotel". I got up to inspect some of the shrubbery and decided to start packing up at the same time, taking my two phones and money out to the bike, putting them inside but leaving the zip undone so I could add other items later. I put some water on to boil and cleared up the tarp tent and got most things packed. Breakfast consisted of completing the bag of corn chips and tuna pasta salad from the night before. Yummy!
The park was starting to get almost busy even, though it was only 6.30 am when I was setting off, taking a detour further into Eirias Park where there were some bins next to the actual lake. I headed back up to the junction past Conwy Police HQ. Dropping down the hill on the main road towards the coast I noticed my top tube bag was still open but could see my phone and money so zipped it up on the go and continued on. I was soon back on the coastal trail and many walkers and cyclists were making good use of the dry, warm early morning stillness as I made my way toward Llandudno.
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| Approaching Llandudno |
On the approach to Llandudno I decided to stop and take a few photographs as it was around 8.20am and I had been rolling for almost two hours. Reaching into the top tube bag I was sickened by the realization that my main phone was not there! My back up phone and money were there but the main phone I was using for navigation was MIA. Also missing were the paper maps I had pulled from an old road atlas. I took some photographs with my back-up phone while I pondered what to do.
I had no practical means of navigation, other than to follow the NCN5 signs along the route. My back up phone was a pay-as-you-go job and connecting that to the internet would eat money and charge at an horrendous rate. That was for emergencies only. I had come a long way already that morning and I decided to carry on with my tour.
Psychologically that is what I was geared up for, not trudging back up over coastal hills and trails looking for my phone. My lost phone was not an expensive one, but as well as being my main navigational tool it also contained all my photographs from day one (go figure!) and a priceless set of photographs from rides and adventures from over the previous two years.
After crossing the suburbs and missing a turn (up a very steep hill!) I eventually picked up the trail again at the West Shore. The track passed through the dunes behind the beach and I had to stop at a few points along the way to admire the golden sand and turquoise water. Another nice surprise, much different from the Victorian seaside resort on the East Shore and neatly nestling between The Great Orme and Conwy Bay.
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| At the start of the gorgeous Llandudno West Shore |
The imposing features of Conwy Castle soon came into view and I crossed the bridge and entered the quayside in front of the walls of the old town. There is a public toilet built into the wall next to the gateway where a cobbled road leads away up to the main shopping area of the town.
After brunch I went along to the tourist information and bought a road map of Wales for £4 and I asked for the correct direction for Bangor. I had navigation again and it felt like the tour was fully back on after the earlier set back had dulled my mood considerably. Before setting off I liberally basted myself in factor fifty sun cream. The sun was out, the sky was blue; it was a proper scorching summer afternoon.
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| Quiet lanes keep you off the A55 |
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| Stone circle (1931 Eisteddfod) near Bangor Eisteddfod: The annual Celtic arts festival |
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| Menai Bridge |
The coastal riding between Llandudno and Bangor is outstanding, truly world-class even. Around Penmaenmawr the cycling infrastructure, put in to keep the cyclist off the busy A55, is quite staggering in its scale. The coastal route butts up against an impassable rocky headland. A lengthy and impressive system of bridges, boardwalk, gangway or rampart, call it what you will, carries you spectacularly over the A55 and has you clinging to the precipitous quarry-strewn cliff-face. It's a cycling fantasy theme park ride.
Sustrans really pushed the boat out here, presumably assisted by funding from the EU and/or the Welsh government. The boardwalk system eventually delivers you to the lanes connecting the villages and quarries/mines.
Further along there is a short (about 0.5km) stretch of the route that runs along a segregated lane beside the A55 itself, before feeding off onto another series of lower hillside lanes towards Bangor. The high position allows the geography to be fully appreciated : spectacular seascapes, the Menai Straight and Anglesey to the right and idyllic pastoral scenes to the left. The A55 below is hidden from view for much of the way.
The route drops down and crosses back over the A55 following some quieter back lanes into Bangor. I followed the route and stopped to take in views of the Stone Circle (not ancient but erected for the 1931 Eisteddfod) and then the Menai Bridge.
At a small car park near the stone circle I overheard a conversation in the Welsh language for the first time on the trip, the participants switched into English with one of the younger speakers declaring that he had understood most of it, but got lost towards the end. He did better than me! I get lost after beic.
Completed in 1826, the Menai Bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and it was the first major suspension bridge ever built anywhere.
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| Decision time: Angelsey or not? |
At Menai Bridge I decided that I would stick to the mainland and save the island of Anglesey for another tour, another time; it has to be worthy of a two or three day tour all to itself. Of course, NCN8 begins/ends on the island at Holyhead.
I headed towards Caernarfon but was now following NCN8, the route that runs from Holyhead all the way through central Wales to Cardiff.
I was getting quite tired and the scorching afternoon was now combined with a stiff gale blowing in off the Menai Straight. There was a campsite at Caernarfon that I had in mind (Riverside) but soon, not long after joining NCN8, I came across Treborth Farm Campsite. A working farm with a caravan and camping business attached. I decided to turn down the access lane and take a closer look round.
It was only 2.30pm but I had found a quiet campground with good facilities. The calm before the bank holiday weekend! After speaking to the friendly and enthusiastic manager, I decided to stop for the day (cost: £10 plus £1 for the shower). Setting up my tarp tent in the bottom corner of the field overlooking a rolling wooded valley above the Menai Straight, it was a relief to get out of the strong wind. I could relax and enjoy the rest of the afternoon and sunset over Menai.
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