Day 1: London - Bath: Wednesday - 23 March 2005 In order to avoid the morning traffic we depart London at 11pm, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the big city. Driving for 2.5 hours, we turn off the major freeway for the road to Bath where we find a nice spot to spend our first night (a Truckee stop - although not as bad as it sounds!) Day 2: Bath - Bristol - Cardiff: Thursday : 24 March 2005 Fantastic night sleep! Woke up around 9:30am to the country fresh air and sunshine! After breakfast, we headed into Bath. Bath is a wonderfully compact city with some of the finest architectural and historic treasures, including the Roman Baths and the Pump Room/Thermae Bath. However unfortunately our short visit did not allow us enough time to soak up the relaxation in one of the thermal spas! Leaving Bath we drove through Bristol on our way to Cardiff. Bristol is one of England's largest cities filled with a huge university population. Apparently it is a happening city that hits a high note with clubbers (a scene we are probably way past!). Due to the incredible amount of traffic we decided not to stop and keep going. Leaving England we cross the Bristol Channel on the Severn Bridge (like the westgate but much bigger). Unfortunately there was a toll at the other side, in which we were put into the Truckies category! (almost double the car price!!!) The weather changed dramatically & we experienced a huge downpour - although only lasted for about ½ hour and then the sun was out again. Arriving into Cardiff at 3pm we find a caravan park to spend the night, driving in we were a little out of place compared to the other flash vehicles that were there (we were about to meet the fouckers!) After a quick shower we headed into town and enjoy a 50 minute guided tour of Cardiff Castle. Contained within its mighty walls is history spanning nearly 2,000 years, dating from the coming of the Romans in the first century AD. Entering the Castle grounds & noticing the similarities to other castles we were shocked when we saw its inside. The Victorian interior decorations are quite elaborate, although very creative. Each room is filled with different colors & the children's room had pictures on the walls which told stories. Definatley worth a visit just to see the interior! We then headed to the pub for a quick drink before heading out for dinner. It was only 6pm & people were dressed up ready to go clubbing! Much the opposite to London that's for sure. Finding somewhere to eat dinner turned out to be an extremely difficult task - all the pubs stopped serving meals at 6pm!!! Very frustrated we decided to head back to the campsite & try our luck at the pub close by. Luckily they were still serving meals until 9pm - so we both enjoyed a Welsh beef burger & a pint! Getting back to the campsite we jump into the van, try to turn the interior light on & find we had left the lights on and had a flat battery! Great start to our first road trip! Day 3: Cardiff - Brecon Beacons - Dolgellau/near Barmouth: Friday 25 March 2005 Getting up this morning we realise just about everyone in the entire Caravan park knew that we had left our lights - with a few people walking past - "Did you manage to recharge that flat battery of yours???" We decided to knock on the old guys door next to us and see if they could help us out with a jump start (had noticed the occasional sticky beak out the window - should have called them the Mangles!) Unfortunately this did not work so we had to call the professionals - 'Dragon Rescue'. The big van got us starting in no time (photo in the album). Leaving Cardiff at 11am we head north towards the Brecon Beacons in Mid Wales. Within ½ hour we reach the massive Caerphilly Castle, which lies in the centre of town. The fortress sprawls over a huge area - 30 acres in all - making it easily the biggest in Wales and one of the largest in Britain. Caerphilly, built in the late 13thC, is a example of the concentric 'walls within walls' system of defence with the elaborate water defences, including lakes and islands which surround it. To reach the inner court, attackeers had to cross three moats, pass six portcullises and go through five doors. Quite amazing! Heading further north through the Brecon Beacons National Park we reach Hay on Wye, an eccentric border village famous for books. We then continue on to Builth Wells to stop for the traditional Good Friday - Fish & Chips! Where we enjoyed dinner along the picturous banks of the River Wye. From there it was time for Shezza to brave the driving - or should I say Andrew to brave my driving! First time driving the van went very well until we reached quite a few narrow street towns, one of which I accidentally drove the wrong way down a one way street (although in my defence Andrew told me to turn into the street). Luckily the locals were quite friendly and had quite a laugh to themselves! From there we headed west towards the Snowdonia Coast where we found our next sleeping spot - car park along with several other caravans. Day 4: Barmouth - Harlech - Carnarfon - Llanberis : Saturday 26 March 2005 Driving along the spectacular coastline we stop for breakfast overlooking a lake, which leads into Tremadog Bay. Absolutely gorgeous scenery - the coastline alongside the mountainous terrain. We then hit Barmouth, an amazing seaside village with an outstanding 2-mile long beach. We then travel to Harlech, where we visited the castle and experienced some of the most breathtaking views in Wales, views far and wide across Tremadog Bay and Snowdonia. Travelling further north along the coastline to Criccieth, we visited yet another castle. Situated on top of a hill, the castle offers more amazing views overlooking the coastline. Later this afternoon we reach Caernarfon, a county town steeped in history, with its bustling streets, set amongst the wonderful backdrop of the mountains of the Snowdonia national park. Here we enjoy a 50 minute guided tour of Caernarfon Castle, which was built by Edward I, and was the largest of his 'iron ring' of fortresses built whilst conquering North Wales. It is undoubtedly one of the most impressive castles in the country, with a strong Eastern Roman influence. Edward I's firstborn son was born in the castle, hence why it is now customary to call the first born son of a British monarch the Prince of Wales. This tradition still lives, and the castle was the venue for Prince Charles' investiture in 1969. The walls extend four streets wide, which was originally built to protect the town people. Certainly a great castle to visit last! After the visit to the castle we look for a Caravan Park to spend the night & take a shower! Unfortunately everywhere we try is booked out. Our luck came good when we came across a park set amongst the mountains - but unfortunately the reception was closed for the day. The nursery next door told us just to park the van and pay in the morning, so we ended up having a shower & feeling great afterwards so decided to hit the road again! Thank-you very much for the free shower! We then drove to Llanberis, located in a beautiful valley setting of Snowdonia National Park. Here we had dinner and then got a early night. Parked along the lakeside with lots of other vans (photo in the album). Day 5: Llanberis - Llangollen - Stratford upon Avon: Sunday 27 March 2005 We had planned to get up at 7:30am to go up the mountain on the Snowdon Mountain Railway, however this was not the case. We slept through the alarm and woke up at 9:30am! In fact it was actually 10:30am due to British summer time (day light savings). We didn't realise at first and only just realised when we got to the train station and saw the next train was not until 12:30pm! Rather than waste another hour we decided to continue our journey, the whether wasn't the best, so figured it wouldn't be the best view at the peak anyway. Driving down towards Lllangollen, we stop at Swallow Falls (photo's included in the album). From there we travelled through Betws-Y-Coed and onto Llangollen where we stopped for lunch and enjoyed a short walk through the charming rural town, followed by a breathtaking drive along the Horseshoe Pass. It was then time to say goodbye to Wales, head back into England & hit the Shakespeare's country town of Stratford upon Avon. Tonight we were in luxury - we booked a 4 star hotel through our wotif gift voucher -the gang had given us for our engagement. (Thanks guys - we loved it & still have more credit left to use elsewhere) We enjoyed a pub dinner with a few belgium beers (I know we are in England now but they taste so good!!). Day 6: Stratford upon Avon - London : Monday 28 March 2005 Today we explore the lovely Stratford upon Avon. But first its time to feast on a traditional English breakfast at our hotel - freshly cooked eggs, bacon, tomato, hash brown & mushrooms along with fresh fruit! Why is it that when its provided for you - you always eat far more than you should? It was lovely & kept us going almost all day! Stratford-upon-Avon offers a magical blend of heritage and drama in and around Shakespeare's home town. Here we enjoyed a open-top bus tour, visiting three of the five houses with Shakespeare connections including Anne Hathaway's(Wife) Cottage, Nash's house (bought in his retirement - grand-daughter Elizabeth lived there) and Shakespeare's Birthplace which gave us a fascinating insight into his life and times. We also enjoyed a picnic lunch along the River Avon and walked the gorgeous town. When we left the hotel at 10am there was noone in sight, however come 1pm - it was unbelievably crowded with tourists, would really hate to see it in the summer peak period. By 4pm we decided it was time to leave, although we really didn't want too. The holiday was over once again & it was back to London in the evening.