When in Wales
Please bear with me as I gather my thoughts regarding the topic I’m about to discuss. During my adventure to Manchester via Virgin Atlantic, I got to experience driving through the countryside of Wales and into Snowdonia. This was a bucket list moment for me and to say I was in heaven is an understatement.
This 100 mile scenic love fest made me feel like anything is possible. Why, you ask?! It’s one of those jaw-dropping beautiful places that you just can’t believe is real. It’s so indescribably charming that if this mass of land were a human, they wouldn’t even know how wonderful they were.
Considering 80% of my time was spent taking photos either moments after jumping out of the passenger seat or just straight up out the window, I had to put together a travel diary of this day. In between capturing everything I could, I was laughing and bonding with my new friend Jade who just so happens to be the best road trip buddy AND left side of the road driver.
Let’s start from the beginning when it was POURING rain as we were moments from leaving a gas station just outside of Snowdonia. Our fingers and toes were crossed for sunshine and let me tell ya...we manifested it! The second we started driving deeper into the countryside, the clouds parted and my heart felt like a giant butterfly.
We were determined to find a vine covered tearoom called Tu-Hwnt-I’r Bont in Betws-y-Coed. This was originally a residential dwelling built in 1480. There are some sentences in my life that I can’t handle and that one is in the top 10.
Making our way back towards the main road we passed so many picturesque homes and little villages.
We were driving towards our hotel for the evening and Jade pulled over to get a photo of this insane mountainside. What we didn’t know is that 15 seconds up the road the view was even MORE insane, as there were dozens of sheep roaming alongside a bridge that looked like it came out of a storybook over a deep blue river. Oh, and the lighting almost made us cry. All we could say is: “It’s so beautiful.” Over and over.
After that perfect pitstop, we started to see more mountains and bigger lakes as we were getting closer to our destination. I was shooting out the window every 5 seconds because I couldn’t handle not doing so. The light, the stone walls hugging the road, the bodies of water in conjunction with the mountains we were passing through...it was all just surreal.
We landed at The Royal Victoria which immediately charmed my pants off. It opened in 1832 and PS there’s a tower (that we referred to as a castle) that sits above the hotel. We walked there within five minutes and three different times (to be exact).
It was built in 1230 and I think we went at the best time of day.
We took a detour through the woods down to the lake (Llyn Peris) to catch the sunset. The colors showed up, showed off, kept getting better, and had me climbing into a tiny boat (totally Jade’s idea and I loved it).
The day ended with a nightcap at hotel and we were off to bed...not for long!
I definitely had to take advantage of my only sunrise in Snowdonia. With a sleepy grip, I took my drone to the tower, and flew over the lake as the sun came up.
This 24 hour adventure felt like 3 days of bliss in a place that I’ve always wanted to visit. Wales has a way of making you feel like you were always meant to visit. I can’t even express how refreshing it felt to just get in the car and go, let alone through the countryside and into one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting.
