Day trip to Wales
Posted by Anura Samara, 28 March 2015
A weekend in The Wirral is the perfect opportunity to drive across to Wales.
I have to admit that The Wirral is one of my favourite places. It’s close enough to Liverpool for a trip to the shops and attractions of the big city but is sort of tucked out of the way from the bustle of the cities. It’s location means that a trip to Wales, Chester, Manchester or even the Lake District isn’t out of the question. It has all of the things I love about England – open fields and farms, villages with great pubs, quiet seaside villages – and most of it is within walking distance.
Of course, you do have to put up with English weather!
Driving to Wales
As I had hired a car to get from Liverpool Airport, it made sense to use the car for a day trip. With some friends in tow, we decided to head across to Wales with a basic plan to see Port Meirion but stop along the wherever if we wanted to.
The first part of the journey, as far as Conwy, skirted the Dee estuary. Just before Conwy – within sight of its famous castle – we headed inland and into the hills. The road was narrower and alternated through forests and open fields. Our stop for lunch was at Betws-y-Coed – one of those great Welsh names that you just know you’ll mispronounce. After driving through sleepy villages, it was a shock to realise that Betws-y-Coed seems to be a major launching point for hikers – despite the wet day, there were car-loads of people packed with all of the right gear to head off into the hills. It also has lots of outdoor shops and adventure activities, plus the requisite souvenir shops to support the tourists.
From there, we drove straight across to Port Meirion. This little village is one of those quintessential English eccentricities. It was originally a private estate that was bought by an architect who turned it into his tribute to the Italian atmosphere of Portofino. Yes, it’s every bit as bizarre as you would imagine. There’s the coloured buildings, piazzas, statues and imposing facades that you see in Italy, but transplanted to the lush forests of northern Wales instead of the dry and dusty Mediterranean coastline. It works, but only when you accept that everything is fake and deliberately so.
After looking around the village – and meeting the local retained firefighters – we set off back to Heswall. Somehow, the GPS took us on a different route up over the moors through the rain and fog along narrow, winding roads before hitting the main A roads we had arrived on.
Despite the rain, the day delivered just what I was looking for – the opportunity to get behind the wheel again and see some new places.
Categories: UK
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