Ramblings in Wales and England

We had a few days on either side of our narrowboat adventure to explore northern Wales and a bit of England. Our first stop was in Oxford, England, a couple hours north of London. Other than enjoying the architecture and history of the city, we didn't have anything planned for our two days there. Getting there was an adventure in itself. After realizing that train travel in the UK is not the economical option like it is on the continent, we picked up a one-way rental car in London. Pete braved the London traffic and narrow Oxfordshire roads while I tried to navigate us through the sometimes incredibly confusing stacks of roundabouts. Our B&B in Oxford was a bit outside the city centre and well situated for evening strolls along the River Thames and to all the main Oxford attractions. 

As we wandered around the town marveling at the loveliness of the buildings and spring gardens, Pete was picking up pieces of passing conversations about an event happening the next morning. After a bit of internet searching, we realized people planning for May Morning, the annual May Day celebration in Oxford, which was taking place the next day. May Morning celebrations were cancelled the previous two years because of covid and May 1st was a Sunday that coincided with a long bank holiday weekend, so the crowd was expected to be quite large. We were not quite sure what we were getting ourselves into, but we woke at 5 am and joined the gathering  stream of pedestrians heading toward Magdalen Bridge. We found a spot on the edge of the gathering crowd (estimated to be over 12,500 people) where we had a relatively good view of Magdalen Tower. The Magdalen College Choir stands atop the tower and sings a hymn promptly at 6 am, a tradition going back over 500 years. As the bells tolled at 6 am, the susurrus of the crowd immediately stopped. It was silent when the choir sang the first note. It was incredible. Everyone stood in silent awe as the voices rang out from the tower. After a prayer for "town" and "gown" (Oxford City and Oxford College) and another selection from the choir, the bells began to peal as the crowd processed up High Street where Morris dancers and musicians of all types carried on the festivities. We watched the merriment for a bit and then walked back to our B&B for a short nap before heading north to visit friends.  

Christ Church

Spring in Oxford was lovely 

(photo by Pete)

Bodleian Library

Bodleian Library - imagine attending lectures in here!

Radcliffe Camera

Magdalen Tower (singers on top for May Morning)

Morris dancers

Morris dancers in action surrounded by a large crowd

After our week on the narrowboat, we headed to northern Wales. Our first stop was Llangollen, where we stayed at an amazing hotel situated between the River Dee and the head of the Llangollen branch of the Shropshire and Union Canal. Because we were no longer cooking most of our meals, I had to be on the lookout for places that could cater to my gluten- and dairy-free dietary needs. One of the traditional English foods that I knew would be difficult for me to find was fish and chips. During a bit of pre-trip sleuthing, I found a place in Llangollen that came highly recommended from the gluten-free crowd and fish and chips were on the menu. The setting and the food were delightful! 

view of the River Dee from our room 

Chainbridge Hotel and connecting chain bridge

(photo by Pete)

Our real reason for the stop in Llangollen was to see the nearby Pontcysyllte Aqueduct that is one of the World Heritage structures along the Llangollen Canal. The Aqueduct (bridge of water over water) was completed in 1805 and consists of 18 stone arches that rise 126 feet above the River Dee, the tallest aqueduct in the world. The cast iron trough that sits atop the arches is 337 yards long, 12 feet wide, and 5 feet deep. There is a (very narrow!) tow path on one side of the canal and nothing but a very long drop on the other. We walked across multiple times and watched many narrowboats pass through. It is a beautiful structure to behold, particularly from vantage points further afield that let you see the whole thing at once. 

trough of water over the River Dee

narrowboat traveling across the aqueduct 100 feet above the ground

within about 10 years of the aqueduct's completion, steam trains
took over much of the goods transport so the railway bridge

in the distance saw much more use than the aqueduct

We next stationed ourselves in the bustling town of Betws-y-Coed on the edge of Snowdonia National Park for a couple of days. From there we explored two of the many castles dotted around Northern Wales from the days of King Edward I (late 1200s). The heavily fortified castles in Conwy and Caernarfon, two of the four included in the World Heritage listing for their military architecture, are still quite intact, featuring my favorite medieval defenses - barbicans and murder holes. The two castles were also naturally defended on two sides by their respective rivers and estuaries. While strategic, these also made for beautiful settings with views of water and the surrounding hills from every vantage point. The town walls are also still largely intact, particularly in Conwy, which were fun to explore. Caernarfon was the only one of the castles properly lived in by King Edward I's family. The other three were still being completed when they were besieged by the Welsh during the early 1300s. Caernarfon was also seized but was taken back by the royal family in the 1600s and eventually taken over by the government for maintenance and repairs. In recent times, the castle has the site for the investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1911 for Prince Edward VIII and 1969 for Prince Charles.

Eight towers of Conwy connected by walls and spiral staircases

(photo by Pete)

standard photo of Pete at the archer station

the medieval public toilet block

town walls and towers surround the center of Conwy

Caernarfon on the River Seiont

one of the many splendid towers at Caernarfon

internal hallway connecting the towers, a rare 
feature not seen in most defunct castles

Pete wishing someone would make him a Prince
(or at least a knight)

the town walls in Caernarfon are used as roads in some areas

We also managed a few hikes while we were in the north. There are many trails around Betws-y-Coed in Gwydir forest, which were great for a morning run or late afternoon ramble, even if they are steep. In one section of the forest, there were dedicated mountain bike routes. As a runner, I loved this idea. There have been may times where I have nearly been run over by mountain bikes racing down a hill that are not expecting to encounter me coming around a corner. Between Caernarfon and Betws-y-Coed, we hiked around Llyn Idwal, a beautiful glacial lake at the base of a hanging valley. It was our only up close glimpse of the beauty of Snowdonia and the slate landscape that dominates the western side of the park. The slate was put to good use on the Llyn Idwal walking path, with giant slabs used to make small bridges across streams. 

the sign that greeted us at the start of our walk to Llyn Elsi

(photo by Pete)

the final sign...there were a few signs in between with updates 

on distance and corresponding changes in facial expressions

(photo by Pete)

morning run in Gwydir

view of Tryfan from Pont Pen-y-Benglog

the light wasn't fantastic, but the scenery was

trail to Cym Idwal

when in slate country, you may as well use

a massive slab of slate for the bridge

(photo by Pete)

Our final day in northern Wales was spent riding the oldest narrow gauge steam train in the world from Porthmadog to Tan-y-Bwlch. I had hoped to get tickets on the train that went all the way to Blaenau Ffestiniog, one of the centers of slate mining, but the trip was sold out. Our drive from Betws-y-Coed, however, took us through Blaenau Ffestiniog, so we got to see the slate quarry and hillsides rising above the town anyway. Porthmadog is a lovely coastal town next to the edge of the estuary, with the hills of Snowdonia rising to the northeast. Our coal-fed steam train chugged up the hill through woodlands and small villages for about an hour before we disembarked at Tan-y-Bwlch. We had about 45 minutes there before the return trip, so we walked down to Llyn Mair, keeping our eyes out for otters (no such luck). The steam engine was quite lovely and a fair bit smaller than the ones operating on the narrow gauge tracks a couple miles from our house. The rail line was originally built to move slate from the quarries around Blaenau Ffestiniog to ships in Porthmadog. The line was graded such that the journey from the quarries to the port was all downhill because horses were originally used to pull the carts. There were some very narrow sections where cuts in the hillsides were made just wide enough for the carts to pass through. Steam engines replaced the horses in the mid-1800s as production at the quarries continued to increase. The standard gauge railway eventually surpassed the narrow gauge in transporting slate; the narrow gauge tracks have predominantly been used for tourism since the 1950s.   

Our lovely engine for the day, Prince

lovely woodland views from our carriage

very tight spaces!

Wales and her people were lovely. I look forward to returning and getting a different take of the country than the very colonist-centric view we got this time. While the Scottish get most of the props today for their views on independence from England and the crown, the Welsh also have a long history of fighting for independence and a unique culture that is quite different from the rest of the countries in the UK. While in the States we only need to look back a few hundred years to delve into the history of our traditional people and cultures, it requires a much, much longer trip to the past (3500 BC) to understand the history and the many shifts in culture that have occurred on that small island in the North Atlantic. 

On our way back to London, we decided on a route that took us through Bath, England, to see the Roman Baths. We stayed outside the city proper at a guest house and pub that turned out to be perfectly situated for catching the bus into Bath. Navigating the narrow streets and parking situation were not high on our list of travel goals! 

The baths were built in the 1st century AD by the Romans using the natural thermal properties of the area to create a spa and temple. The city of Bath is centered around the old city of Aquae Sulis, which has been largely preserved. The hot water stills flows into the largest bath as it did 2000 years ago. Kind of spectacular! The Georgian architecture found all over the city, which was a much later addition in the 1700s, is beautiful and much more reminiscent of cities in Europe than the UK. We had a nice time exploring the baths and the city. This last stop brought our World Heritage site count for the trip to seven. Besides the Roman baths, most were focused around the country's industrial landscape (coal, slate, iron). While interesting to see, those sites have a bit less appeal for me than the sites of culture or natural significance we usually visit.    

Pulteney Bridge, built in 1774 and one of the few in
the world that has shops built into the bridge on both sides 

(photo by Pete)

the main and largest bath from above

original hot spring feeding the bath

Bath Abbey - most recently updated in the 1830s but on 

the site of some form of church for over 1000 years

stained glass panel devoted to King George, who played a large 

role in putting Bath on the map as a major center for the arts

lovely ceiling architecture

Support for Ukraine was everywhere, from London to the 

smallest villages. It was heartening and heartbreaking. 

Our drive back to London was uneventful and we passed our covid tests so were allowed to travel home. That hurdle had given me some anxiety during our travels, particularly in our last week when we were around more people than we were on the narrowboat. Fortunately for us, the omicron wave had gone through the UK before we arrived and the BA.5 variant had yet to arrive. Yet another international trip where we managed to get in and out just in time... 

Narrowboating in Wales

For all of the years Pete and I have been together, he has been insistent that he would never own a boat because they are the ultimate money pit. As a boat captain, he is quite aware of the cost to maintain boats, so I have never questioned his stance. So imagine my surprise when, after stumbling upon a show about narrowboats during the pandemic, he started talking about buying a narrowboat and retiring to the English countryside. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a narrowboat is a very narrow houseboat built to travel the canals found in the UK. 

While trying to come to terms with this rapid shift in thinking, I suggested we try it before we buy it. Before long, he had picked a canal, a rental company, and a boat, and made a reservation during the week of his 46th birthday. Pete is not usually the travel planner, but the sudden loss of multiple friends and colleagues over the last few years, in addition to the pandemic, inspired him to seize the day and make it happen. 

For our inaugural narrowboat adventure, we spent a week on the Monmothshire and Brecon Canal, shortened to the Mon & Brec, in southern Wales. The canal is 36 miles long and is one of the few in the UK that is not connected to any other canals. The extensive canal system throughout the UK fell into disrepair when rail surpassed barges as the dominant means of moving goods around the country. Over time, however, the Canal and River Trust (C&RT) has been restoring the network of canals. Without a direct connection to any other canals, we assumed the amount of boat traffic on the canal would be less than some of the other canals, which sounded nice for our first outing. Pete was also drawn to the Mon & Brec because it runs through Brecon Beacons National Park, providing us lots of opportunities for walks in the countryside and beautiful vistas. The area around the canal is a World Heritage Site because of its prominence as a major center of coal, limestone, and iron ore mining and iron production. The canal was used to move a lot of those goods and limestone kilns were quite prominent along the canal. 

lime kiln along the canal

Our rental company, Beacon Park Boats (BPBs), is located roughly in the middle of the 36-mile canal, which meant that we did two out and back legs to travel most of the canal. The recommended itinerary had us going to the north first. After looking at the weather forecast, though, we decided to head south so we would hopefully avoid having to navigate the flight of locks in the rain. We hoped that a reverse itinerary would also make for less competition for mooring spots at the end of the day.

We were allowed to pick up the boat at 2:30 pm on the first day. This in itself was a spectacle. When we were dropped off by our taxi at the gate of BPBs at about 2:15, there was a line of cars waiting to get in. Promptly at 2:30, the automatic gate opened and the cars streamed through, everyone eager to get on their boat and start their holiday. We had dropped our bags off earlier that morning and the amazing staff had already loaded our bags AND put away our groceries, which meant we had a head start on most of the others. After watching a safety video and getting some additional instruction about the boat, a staff member hopped on board and off we went for our training drive. Within about fifteen minutes, Pete was deemed a worthy boat handler, so the staffer stepped off the boat at the first bridge and we were on our own for the next seven days. 

Our home for the week was Heron, a beautiful 57-foot long, 7-foot wide narrowboat. We spent 10 days on a canal boat on the Canal du Midi in Southern France in 2017, but this was a completely different experience. First, the boat was 20 feet longer and about half as wide. This made maneuvering the boat very challenging and took some getting used to. Thank goodness for bow thrusters! Second, the boats in the UK have septic tanks, which was a welcome change from our previous experience (yes, that means the Canal du Midi is filled with poo!). Third, there are no paid C&RT staff on the canal, so we got to operate the locks and drawbridges ourselves. Occasionally volunteers were around to help make sure people were operating the locks correctly and to direct traffic when boats were coming up and going down through the locks. Finally, the Mon & Brec was a much narrower canal than the Canal du Midi, with many stretches barely wide enough for two boats to pass. There were also a lot of blind sweeping turns, so we used our horn frequently to alert others to our presence. Similar to the Canal du Midi, there was a tow path along the entire length of the canal. This path exists because barges were originally towed by horses. Now they are a fantastic recreation path for walkers, runners, and bikers. 

tied up along the tow path for the evening

a very relaxed skipper

a less relaxed skipper

a resident on the canal took our photo and airdropped
it to us while she was walking alongside the boat.
Look how long that boat is!

dinner on the back deck

scenery on the northern end of the canal

we had some really lovely mooring spots

from the helm station, you walked down stairs inside the boat
and proceeded through the salon, galley, head, bedroom, and bow

I think one of the things that was attractive to Pete about narrowboats is the speed at which you travel. The maximum allowable speed on most canals is 4 mph. Our average speed for the trip was 1.4 mph and I'd guess our max was no more than 2 mph. Suffice it to say, narrowboating is akin to a very leisurely stroll. And still, when navigating curves, bridges, and tunnels, 2 mph felt much too fast when I was on the tiller! Over the course of the week, we covered 60 miles in 42 hours of steaming. Our typical day would entail me going for an early morning run on the tow path so we could leave our mooring between 8 and 8:30. We'd usually steam along until midday and find a nice spot to tie up for lunch and a hike. We would then move farther along the canal and try to be tied up for the day by 4 or 5 pm. We usually stopped at a water point every day to fill our water tank. They recommended filling the tank every day, mostly as ballast so the boat would not hit the decks of the very low bridges. At the end of the day, we were oftentimes within walking distance of a village pub, so we'd amble over for a half pint and then cook dinner on the boat. We were trying to make our time on the boat as authentic as possible so we could assess what living on a narrowboat would feel like. In that vein, Pete wanted to cook an involved meal that required multiple burners and lots of dishes to give the galley kitchen a stress test of sorts. His coq au vin was a success, suggesting narrowboat life doesn't have to equate to uninspired, one-pot cooking for months on end. Hooray! 

remaining standing was not an option on most bridges

this was the lowest bridge on the canal - we cleared it by inches

all the bridges were numbered, which was helpful for

keeping track of where you were on the canal

the canal was barely wide enough for two boats to pass in some sections

making "elaborate" meals in the small kitchen

While the Mon & Brec is short, it has most of the features of a longer canal, including locks, drawbridges, aqueducts (bridge of water over water), and a tunnel. Most of these features are situated at the northern end of the canal, which was another good reason to go south first. We got to go through the tunnel, up a lock, and cross the longest aqueduct on Pete's birthday. We also got our only significant rainstorm that evening. Rain would have made for a quite different trip since you have to stand outside in the elements to drive the boat. We were prepared for that possibility, but fortunately did not have to put it to use. 

You can only turn the boat around in certain places along

the canal, called winding basins. We barely fit in this one!

coming out from under one of the 102 bridges that cross the canal

ready to use one of the handles to open the paddles on the lock

closing the gate on the lock

entering the lock on the way up the canal

a bridge and a lock all in one just to make me extra nervous

the 375 yard-long Ashford tunnel - no tow path in here 

and not a lot of room to spare in any direction

one of the drawbridges

the Brynich aqueduct over the River Usk

As we prepared for our trip, we (mostly Pete) watched vlogs from narrowboaters on various canals in the UK. One of the things that always made me laugh was their comments about all the "amazing" wildlife on the canals. This typically included mallard ducks and sheep. Because we were in a national park, I had slightly higher hopes for wildlife but my expectations were still pretty low. We did, in fact, see mallards and sheep galore (including babies of both), and also saw fox, herons, white-throated dippers, pheasants, moorhens, and an ornate and unexpected mannequin duck.

Communing with the locals from the breakfast table

mannequin duck

moorhen - we only saw them on the southern stretch of the canal

the public footpaths often cross through paddocks, where

we occasionally got visits from the animals therein

Brecon Beacons is a national park, but that designation has a slightly different meaning than in the US. While the US government tends to kick people out of areas designated as national parks, significant populations of people have been in these places far too long to remove them, in addition to Briton being a small island. In practice this means there are picturesque villages along the canal every 3-5 miles. Many are dotted with structures that are hundreds to thousands of years old, mostly stone, set on narrow streets and surrounded by green fields. The green fields are mostly sheep paddocks, but they were so beautiful to our drought-adjusted California eyes. It was also the height of spring, so trees and flowers were blooming, adding to the loveliness. 

vast expanses of bluebells lined many of the walking paths

wild ramps - the smell was so strong!

taking in the sunset from the middle of a paddock

stone bridge over the River Usk (and the sight of our 

first dipper sighting, one of my favorite birds)

Most canal-side villages provide long-term moorings for

people living on their narrowboats. Not a lot of passing room!

There were many old churches along the canal. The cemeteries told 

the history of the region; many of the graves were from the mid- 

to late-1800s and were mostly men from the mining pits.

Canal-side pub and oldest brewery in Wales

Halfway through our week, Pete was already researching the various ways to get residency status in the UK. While we are unlikely to qualify for any of them, we can get a six month visitor visa at any point. That seems like plenty of time to share a very small space with another human. And really, who wants to spend the winter in cold, rainy England?! Most importantly, Pete was really happy with our adventure and is already planning our next narrowboat adventure.