4/26/18
Our itinerary for
today is to take advantage of yet another sunny day and drive to Conwy to visit
a restored Elizabethan home, walk along the top of the city walls that connect
to the Castle, and tour the National Trust gardens.
But first, we
ventured onto the A470 towards Betsw-y-Coed to enjoy breakfast with a return
visit to the Alpine Village cafe.
When we arrived in Conway, we passed by and entered the Smallest House in Great Britain....room for only one person!
Then we continued up the A470 to Conwy and after parking the car, we walked along the river front to to the edge of the great wall that surrounds the city and climbed up ancient steps to reach the top of the wall and proceeded to walk it's entire length, reaching dizzying heights above the houses below.
Then we continued up the A470 to Conwy and after parking the car, we walked along the river front to to the edge of the great wall that surrounds the city and climbed up ancient steps to reach the top of the wall and proceeded to walk it's entire length, reaching dizzying heights above the houses below.
Back on the ground, we venture down the High Street to the finest
Elizabethan restoration project in the country, Plas Mawr.
Plas Mawr (English: Great Hall) is an Elizabethan townhouse
in Conwy, North Wales, dating from the 16th
century. The property was built by Robert Wynn, a member of the
local gentry, following his marriage to his first wife, Dorothy Griffith. Plas
Mawr occupied a plot of land off Conwy's High Street and was constructed in
three phases between 1576 and 1585 at a total cost of around £800. Wynn
was known for his hospitality, and the household was supported by Wynn's local
dairy herds, orchards and gardens.
Architecturally,
Plas Mawr is almost unchanged from the 16th century, and is considered to be the finest surviving town house of the
Elizabethan era.
The house still
retains much of its original plasterwork, which incorporates symbols, badges
and heraldry, which is described as the most perfect and the most complete
memorial to Elizabethan Wales.
After
stopping for lunch in Llandudno at the Rabbit Hole cafe, we continued on A470
to Bodnant Gardens at Eglwysbach, Colwyn Bay.
This National Trust garden boasts sweeping lawns,
grand terraces and verdant woodland, to create many gardens in one at Bodnant.
Created over 150 years, with plants collected and
brought to Britain from far afield, and the incredible vision of generations of
the McLaren family and Puddle head gardeners, this haven of rarity and beauty
with a stunning backdrop of the Carneddau mountains of Snowdonia is a delight
for the senses.
