Backpacking around the World
Backpacking Around the World Chapter 2Part 4
Fishgard
Draco and Steve stayed at Swansea for the next two weeks. Steve decided at him would travel with Draco as they were getting along. After staying at Swansea they decided to go to Fishguard along the cost.
Fishguard and Goodwick
Draco a Steve woke up, the day was clear and so their picked up their things and went down to get something to eat; it was early so they decided to get something on the way. Fishguard and Goodwick were not to fair so they decided that they would talk. The two boys said goodbye to the manager of the hostel and lift.
They went down the road to the local milk bar where they got something to eat. Then they started to walk to Fishguard, had lunch at a tabbing and got to Fishguard around 4.00pm. They found the local backpacking place where they could stay. They decided that they would stay for a while as they were running out of money.
Fishguard and Goodwick was the location in 1797 for the last invasion of Britain when the French landed at Carrey Wasted Point, just around the corner from Fishguard.
Britain and France had been at war again since 1793 and on February 22nd 1797, fourteen hundred French soldiers landed in West Wales.
They went to the Royal Oak pub in the Market Square for lunch.
In more recent times Fishguard and Goodwick was the location for the filming of Moby Dick which was a book about a young man who wanted to go on a adventure where, him come across a captain of a ship, how had a problem with a white while.
Fishguard had good transport links locally.
The Strumble Shuttle and the Poppit Rocket coastal bus services link the town with St David's and Cardigan.
So Draco and Steve took the St David's where they had launch and had a look around
St David's
St David's, is the ecclesiastical capital of Wales, and is the smallest city in the world (with a population of just 1,600) and birthplace of the patron saint of Wales.
Perched at the forgotten tip of the Pembroke shire peninsula and saturated with the echoes of a largely mysterious and dark past, St David's can feel like the spiritual home of Welsh history.
This rather clandestine majesty is embedded in the sheer scale of the monumental Cathedral, the huge stone blocks, heavy with time, that are at odds with the tiny community that surrounds it.
According to legend St David was born here in around 500 AD and soon after founding a church and charitable monastery became the most influential clergyman in Wales during the hallowed 'Age of Saints'.
The monastery, despite frequently being raided by Vikings, became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Europe.
The cathedral that stands on the site of the monastery today is a Norman creation and welcomed successive British monarchs during the middle ages.
Next to the cathedral lie the ruins of the Bishop's Palace, which was once a magnificently grand estate but was desecrated during the Reformation.
St David's is one of the great historic shrines of Christendom. Nowhere in Britain is there a more ancient cathedral settlement, for it reaches back fourteen centuries.
Today the cathedral and the palace still draw thousands of visitors though not all come to practice their faith.
The rest of the 'city', is as charming as one might expect with a host of arts and craft galleries, a local market and quaint café's to keep the 'pilgrims' entertained.
St David's is also situated in the heart of the Pembrokeshire National Park and connected to some renowned coastal trails.
The aptly named White sands Beach is a haven for surfers and has recently been awarded Blue Flag status, whilst the newly opened Oriely Parc Gallery in the National Park Visitors Centre holds a fantastic collection of paintings by Graham Sutherland.
Information form; - .
Cardigan
Draco and Steve decided that they would like to stay in Cardigan for the week so they pickup their gear and move to cardian.
They found a place to stay…
Cardigan Bay is a good place has a fantastic variety of life and habitats of Cardigan Bay and the Teifi River which makes it one of the outstanding and internationally important environments. As a result, they have been declared Special Areas of Conservation.
Steve wouldn't to go fishing.
Draco had never done fishing before.
It's easy; we need to find a place where we can buy fishing gear.
So they went in to town to buy the fishing gear, they found the Guildhall Market place where there was more than 30 stalls under cover in a Grade II listed heritage building many offering local produce which including food, household goods, crafts, IT, hairdressing, souvenirs, computer games, greetings cards and plenty more.
They bort the things they needed to go fishing with. They fish most of the day, but they did not get any fish. Steve said that the best time is in the morning gust after the sun comes-up.
Draco liked fishing it was peaceful…
He did not have to think about that had happing in the past… he fleet that he was at peace with himself.
Draco and Steve stay for the rest of the week and fished every day...
"Fishguard has a railway station and is one of the major ferry crossing points to Ireland."
The next day they went to Aberystwyth Draco and steve stadyed for a week
Aberystyth
Aberystwyth is the principal holiday resort and administrative centre of the west coast of Wales. It is also home to the University of Wales Aberystwyth and the National Library.
The town is nestled between three hills and two beaches, and hosts some castle ruins, a pier and a harbour. The surrounding hills hold the visible remains of an Iron Age fort and also a monument to Wellington and once climbed offer stunning views of Cardigan Bay.
Aberystwyth is a University town with some seven thousand students, ensuring it a vibrant throughout the year and not just during summertime. Incidentally, there are now 'only' fifty pubs left in Aberystwyth!
The Castle
Long before the Normans began their castle-building program, Iron Age settlers used the hilltop called Pen Dinas to build a huge fortification, which still dominates the skyline as you approach Aberystwyth from the south and reminds us of the skills of its ancient builders.
The first Norman castle was a ring work affair castle, built in the early 12th Century. Inevitably, the earth and timber defences proved too vulnerable and a new site was chosen for a castle in Aberystwyth itself. This time it was the Welsh, led by Llywelyn the Great who built the castle and it changed hands several times before finally became useless against new weapons. The last castle built at Aberystwyth once ranked among the greatest in Wales but today, lies entirely ruined and offering only a faint image of its once impressive past.
How then did Aberystwyth Castle become such a ruin? Amazingly, as early as the 14th century, the concentric fortress began to decay. By 1343, large portions of the main gateway and drawbridges, and the outer bailey were falling down.
The closeness of the castle to the pounding sea causing much of the decay.
In 1404, Owain Glyndwr seized the crumbling fortress. Within a few years the English regained possession but after 1408, Aberystwyth Castle lost its strategic value to the monarchy, and only minor repairs were attempted. During the Civil War, the castle became a victim of Oliver Cromwell's ruthless policy of slighting because the garrison sided with the king, Charles I. Most of the castle stone was pilfered by locals to build their homes.
Caernarfon
Black Boy Inn
The boys stayed for 2 nights in the Black Boy Inn while visiting the area; it has a very interesting history, dating from 1522 and is just within the city walls. We were in room 30 which was all by itself above the restaurant and completely quiet, no rooms above or below. The room was large and very well...
Ate here the was great meal.
It was Great menu with large selection of dishes and specials on the board.
Fantastic old fashioned pub with lots of space out back to sit and relax and enjoy the sun.
Staffs were friendly and food far exceeded my expectations. Starter of mixed prawns and crayfish was delicious and very...
5