Monday, 21 August 1944

Log of a Cycle Tour to North Wales, by Roy Spurgeon, with Leslie Lee.   20 August   22 August

Another peculiar morning. Very heavy clouds hung threateningly overhead but were too high up to shroud the mountain peaks. There were patches of blue sky, however, and apparently a high wind blowing at right angles across the valley and from which we were shielded by the mountains. Leaving the Hostel at 1030 hours, rather late owing to an extremely friendly chat with the warden, we faced the long climb back to the top of the Pass of Llanberis (see photo). We succeeded in climbing the whole of it without having to push up it on foot, but only just, for the road ascends from 340 feet to 1169 feet at the Pen-y-Pass, in about 3 miles (an average gradient of 1 in 20). At the top, at 1125 hours we had a brief 10 minute rest, then rounded the corner at the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel and ran down the long valley of the Nant-y-Gwrhyd river past Llyn Mymbyr to the pretty little village of Capel Curig. Here, in this valley, the wind hit us! We arrived at the corner and ran slap into a very cold, strong, north east wind right in our faces, forcing us to pedal downhill at times so that we did not reach Capel until 1240 hours (4254.7).

We stopped for lunch in a small cottage on the left going into the village and then retraced our path slightly to go down to the bottom of the valley to take a close look at the quaint slate and wooden footbridge over the Nant-y-Gwrhyd river where it leaves the Llyn Mymbyr lake to join the Afon Llugwy river. We spent some time on the side of a small stream cascading down the side of the valley into the lake and then we got back on the road again for Bettws-y-Coed at 1425 hours. Running down the valley on the Holyhead-London road (A.5), regarded by many as the prettiest beauty spot in Wales, with the swiftly flowing waters of the Afon Llugwy river (see photo), first on our right, then on our left, we passed between thickly wooded hills, stretching high above us on either side. Looking back down the valley behind us, we secured a wonderful view (see photo) of the three peaks of Snowdon towering above the surrounding heights, but shortly to be left behind as we turned a corner of the valley.

Shortly afterwards, we reached the famous Swallow Falls (4258.8), where in days of old, the London stage coach used to stop for the benefit of its passengers. All the way down the valley, the river dashes along over masses of rocks and boulders, but at this point it drops quite sharply in a wide cascade, forming a magnificent series of falls (see photo). Here we ate our packed lunches for tea, though only after a desperate hand to hand combat with the local wasp population. We set off again at 1540 hours and continued down the valley, going very fast downhill (except when my chain came off) amid gorgeous scenery, till we reached Bettws-y-Coed, the famous tourist, fishing and coaching centre at the junction of the Afon Llugwy and Conway rivers, at 1640 hours (4262.5). Still feeling a little peckish, we explored the village, a very pretty place with its 15th Century stone bridge and 12th Century church, and found a teashop to satisfy our appetites. After tea, we carried on into Denbighshire by the Waterloo Bridge over the Conway (see photo), a large iron bridge so called because it was built in the year 1815 by Telford. We then turned left just above the Fairy Glen on to the Conway and Llandudno road for our next Hostel, Llanrwst. Quite a short ride, first on the hill side overlooking the Conway, then beside it as the floor of the valley widened, brought us to the fair sized town of Llanrwst, very much larger than I had imagined it, at 1750 hours (4266.9).

We crossed to the left bank of the Conway, into Caernarvonshire again, by a quaint, hump-backed bridge (see photo), built and designed by Inigo Jones in 1636, fairly long but only capable of taking a single line of traffic. We rode across the rest of the valley and climbed (as usual) up the thickly wooded side to Llanrwst Hostel (4267.8). A good and fairly large building, commanding an excellent view of the Conway valley, it is interesting because its front door is actually on the first floor, though it is approached from ground level. This phenomena is easily explained by the steep slope of the hillside, the ground floor being cut into it and having windows only on the side facing the valley, the front door to the Hostel being on the opposite side. In the Common Room, there is a large wooden coat of arms dated 1622 and inscribed in Latin with the words, "Time is, time was", according to my informant, who was, however, unable to say why it is or was.

After supper, we went down into the town again and saw the rest of it, noting with regret that the Gwydir Castle, standing just below the Hostel, was privately owned and not open to the public and also rapidly falling to pieces. We amused ourselves for some time on our cycles and then returned to bed (4272.7).

Total cycling distance for the day - 30.3 miles.