#CountryKids on Freshwater East, Pembrokeshire

On the day that was forecast to be the best weather we headed to Freshwater East to let the children try out their bodyboards and wet suits. It is one of the safer of the beaches along the coast although the waves are not as big as on other beaches. It is certainly a beautiful setting:

The water was lovely and clear for swimming and for messing about on the water. The advantage of being in a large group was that there was always an adult willing to be in the water with children allowing the others to chill on the sand. 

It was pretty good sand for fun too, especially when you have a willing volunteer to be buried in it:

It was good for making sand castles too:

#CountryKids Broadhaven South beach

In August my son and I went to Stackpole in Pembrokeshire as co-ordinators for Single With Kids. We were staying in National Trust group accommodation close to the coast:

On our first day we had a group trip to the beach at Broadhaven South which required a walk through the woods:

Then we walked passed the Bosherton Lily Ponds with the 8 arch bridge at one end:

Oakwood Theme Park, Pembrokeshire

On the second day of our holiday the group all headed to Oakwood Theme Park which a popular destination for thrill seekers. We were a mixed group and most of the families found something to suit them. My son had paired up with a boy a similar age and my daughter vanished off with her new chum and his mum. Our day started fairly sedately with the bob sleigh:

I love these rides having been on the one in Robin Hill Country Park but it was my son's first ever. He got a bit more than he bargained for as the ride was paused when he was nearly at the top as the next sled hadn't engaged on the chain.. 

#CountryKids Broad Haven beach Pembrokeshire

One of best things about our holiday was the beach at Broad Haven itself. It was just 100 metres from our hostel:

As soon as we reached the village the first thing my children wanted to do was head straight to the beach:

A lack of swimming gear and towels was not a deterrent to my son heading into the surf:

Single with Kids in Broad Haven

I got back last night from co-ordinating a Single With Kids in Broad Haven, Pembrokeshire. Having been on a variety of their trips to hotels and camping it was exciting to be left in charge for a week! We were staying at the Youth Hostel and had exclusive use of it for 6 nights.

It took me back to have to make my own bed in the room! We were in a 7 bunk room with just the 3 of us an en suite wet room/toilet. The hostel was really close to the beach:

We had so much fun including a sunset walk on the beach:

Family History Friday: Jones Family

With the 6 nations show down between Wales and England tomorrow its time to celebrate my Welsh ancestry! My great grandfather Owen Evan Jones was born in the town of Trefriw in the Conwy valley in North Wales in 1875.

His father Llewelyn Robert Jones had worked in the wood yards and the iron works as well as a lime burner. It must have been a tough life in this part of Wales and Owen left sometime after 1891 as a qualified teacher. His father had disowned him for teaching English which was the only language allowed in the schools so he moved to Lancashire.

This must have been a very strange place to a young man whose family had been in Caernarvonshire and Denbighshire for generations. Luckily he found love in the form of my great grandmother Hannah Honorah Audrey Spencer and started his own family.

Despite moving to England he was always proud of his Welsh roots and taught his grandson (my dad) how to pronounce the town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (and he can still say it!). It was partly the pull of this Welsh blood that led me to choose Swansea university and loved spending 3 years enjoying the culture and rugby! 

This summer I finally got my first visit to Trefriw even though it was very brief. Some of it looked like is must have done when he was there in the 19th century:

Original chapel

Parish church

Methodist church

School - was this where he went?

One day I will get back and do more research to find out more about my Jones and Roberts ancestors and my Welsh roots..

North Wales Part 2: Industrial Heritage

Finally got time to follow on from Part 1 of what we got up to in Wales. That was all about castles this time we its about the parts of the Welsh Industrial Heritage we visited on our holiday.

Ffestiniog Railway

This was a day out for all 3 generations as the Ffestiniog Railway takes you on a steam journey up through Snowdonia from Porthmadog on the coast to Blaenau Ffestiniog in the heart of slate country. There are some lovely views on the way including a distant view of Snowdon itself:

The journey took about an hour and 3/4 and has a few stops at little stations on the way. Many of them looked tempting to get off and explore the wonderful woods and walks in the National Park but we were on a mission to visit the slate caverns at Llechwedd outside Blaenau. 

When we got off the train in the pouring rain and used a mini bus taxi to get to the slate caverns.

Llechwedd Slate Caverns

Llechwedd is a working slate operation but they have opened up the old underground workings as a tourist attraction. You can wander around the surface for free but to go underground you have to buy a ticket. We opted to do both the tramway and the deep mine tours.

The tramway took us into the old workings so we could see the conditions that the Victorian miners had to cope with for 12 hours a day 5 days a week (only 6 on a Saturday!). They gave us a talk on how they extracted the slate and the lives of the quarrymen who generally died by their early 40s due to the lung diseases caused by stone particles. It was cold and damp in the mines and it must have been a very tough job.

We then explored the restored little village on the surface and had lunch in a pub made out of 2 former miner's cottages. There was a little quiz for the children that needed answers from many of the buildings in this area including a sweet shop:

Then we queued for nearly an hour to take our Deep Mine tour, luckily my daughter made friends with the children behind us and my son played games on the iPhone. It was well worth the wait though as we descended deep down approximately 500 feet below the ground. It was even colder and damper down here and they keep the lighting to a minimum to show you what it was like:

Down here there were more factual displays about miners lives and events. It all made for an interesting tour and there were also some lovely water filled areas. 

It was then back to the station for a return train ride:

This time we had a good chance to look at the steam locomotive which pulled our train as it needed to re-fill with water after a fast ascent up from Porthmadog:

They are double ended as they needed the extra power to pull the loads of slate down to the coast from the slate works. It was a drier journey back down to Porthmadog with more lovely views of woods, mountains and even Harlech castle in the distance. A lovely journey back in time and the railway and the stations have been wonderfully restored by the volunteers:

All in all a wonderful family day out for all the generations and a peek at the industrial heritage of North Wales.

Reasons to be Cheerful: Wales edition ( #R2BC )

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It is with great pleasure that I am hosting this week's Reasons to be Cheerful whilst Michelle has some well earned family time. Next week the host will be Angie so don't forget to go there! And now here are my reasons to be cheerful this week:

1) Family Holidays

I have had a lovely week away camping with my children and my parents at a campsite at Cim near Abersoch on the Lleyn Peninsula in north Wales. It was wonderful to be on a quiet little tucked away campsite with my family. Camping has to be the best way to spend a relaxing family holiday (apart from putting up and taking down the tent!). The campsite was about a 20 minute walk from a very quiet and beautiful beach:

2) My Children

They can be such a delight to be with when we are having a holiday together. Sharing the pleasures of new and exciting experiences with them really puts a smile on my face.

3) Welsh Family History

For the first time I got to visit the place (Trefriw) where my great grandfather Owen Evan Jones was born in 1875. Walking down the roads and seeing the church where he may have worshipped as a child was a wonderful feeling. Not enough time to try and find any of the homes he or his ancestors lived in but at least I have a feel for where he spent his early days:

So what is making you cheerful this week? Please join in!

North Wales Part 1: Castles

The north west of Wales is chock full of wonderful medieval castles built by Edward I to suppress the Welsh and control Snowdonia. They are amazing examples of the high point of castle building. We were lucky on our holiday to visit and see a few of them.

Caernarfon Castle

Caernarfon Castle is one of the most well known of Edward's castles as it is associated with Princes of Wales. The castle is maintained by CADW and so free to English Heritage members.

The castle has 13 towers to explore with plenty of spiral staircases to exercise the legs:

Passages to explore:

And battlements to discover:

There is also the museum of the Royal Welch Fusiliers with plenty of fascinating facts and memorabilia:

All in all a brilliant castle for all 3 generations to enjoy, we will be back!

Criccieth Castle

We didn't get a chance to get into this castle but we passed it several times and had one chance to stop and get some photos:

Definitely on my hit list for a return visit!

Beaumaris Castle

Built on Anglesey to guard the northern end of the Menai Strait and the grain crops on the island this is a double ringed castle:

The castle was never completed to its full height as money ran out but the outer battlements were still high enough for defensive purposes:

The castle must have been very impressive when completed with its Inner Ward on a scale like this:

Another great trip for all the family.

#WordlessWednesday