A Rare Bit Of Wales

The next stage of The Tour was to visit family near Salisbury, after first visiting family in Bristol. Bristol is virtually due south of Church Stretton so we loaded up the car and headed northwest, to Wales. 

Because it was there. 

We can't detail exactly all the places we went in Wales because we can't remember the spelling of most of the names, and forget about trying to pronounce them! 

In general terms, it was to be a typical sightseeing drive. We intended to first head through Llangollen and the Dee Valley; then through Dolgellau and the lower stretches of Snowdonia National Park; followed by an early'ish dinner on Aberystwyth Pier looking out over the Irish Sea; and then spend the night in Carmarthen, made famous by the legend of the wizard Merlin. At various stages of the day we'd stop, walk around, take photos, have relaxing beverages and so on. 

Naturally, that didn't happen... 

We did stick to the route, but the weather didn't cooperate. 

Until we got to Aberystwyth, we had rain in various forms. It wasn't raining all the time, not at all. Only when Mary got her camera out. 

As a consequence many of the photos Mary took had to be timed to be in between the passing of the wiper blades. Sometimes that worked, sometimes not... 

Aberystwyth is quite rightly touted as a holiday destination, and this was the first day of the UK Easter break for schools, so we expected crowds. 

Again, the weather thought otherwise... 

That's great, we thought, the lack of people also means plenty of room in the seaside restaurants, especially on the pier. Here we were not disappointed - the pier restaurant was indeed empty. Because it was still shut for Winter. 

Yes, it is in fact not winter, it's the middle of Spring in the UK. 

Yes, it is in fact the start of the Easter Holidays when one would expect large crowds of holidaymakers. 

Yes, it was still closed... 

Ah well, nothing like a hearty pub meal instead on a cold, blustery day. Unfortunately, the only pubs that served food in the area were all bulging at the seams, and we were politely advised at each one that if one didn't have a reservation then one was out of luck.

Reservation? For a pub? 

True, there were a number of fast food joints that were open, and they were all empty. Hang on - empty fish and chip shops when the pubs are too full to take more dinner patrons? Our logic was 'if the locals won't eat there even when they had no other choice then neither would we', so we moved on... 

Carmarthen had a similar problem with restaurants bursting at the seams, and we were just about to give up when Mary noticed a small boutique restaurant that was busy but seemed to have a spare table. Why would this be? The multiple plaques and certificates denoting all the food awards won by the chef was a big clue, as were the prices on the menu... 

We were mildly concerned that it might be a repeat of the Michelin Star experience in Rome, but we had no other, palatable option, if you'll pardon the pun, so we went in. 

In fact it was excellent, with the herb crusted salmon that Mary ordered being simply sublime. I would hesitate to say it was excellent value for money, however equally it was not outrageously expensive either. 

The weather having conspired to spoil the Wonders of Wales, we packed up the next morning and headed eastward back to the warmth of England...