Walled cities, castles, mountains and seashore

We were surprised at the beauty of Snowdonia in North Wales. The mountains are peaked and stunning, harbouring lakes within and dropping down to the sea on their outskirts. Mountaineering is a passion here, and we can see why. As are water sports in the Menai Straits, the body of water separating mainland Wales from the island of Anglesey.

We walked the town and Castle of Caernarfon, using the reasonably priced and popular Black Boy Inn as a base. We loved the Black Boy Inn. We had a lovely spacious room in the restored old of part of the Inn. The bed was very comfortable and the bathroom was large and nicely appointed. The room overlooked the courtyard and we were able to leave our car in the parking lot at the Inn. The location was fabulous. Their pub and restaurant were very good. All contained and easy.

We toured the castle and walked the town. The weather was lovely and we sat outside drinking ale in the shadow of the castle walls. Caernarfon Castle was neglected until the 19th century when the state-funded repairs. In 1911 and again in 1969, the Castle was used for the investiture of the Prince of Wales. It is part of the World Heritage Site designated as "Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd". There is much history here.

But we thought we'd seen most of what there was to see and were anxious to get in some other activities. So in the morning, after breakfast, we headed out to Anglesey. We'd heard that there were some nice walking trails along the coast. More about that tomorrow.