Ireland/UK 2009 - Days 7 & 8 Wales and travel to Scotland

Day 6 sees us leaving the Brecon Beacons and heading north to the Snowdonia region of Wales; specifically the Swallow Falls area within the Snowdonia National Park.

We stopped at a town called Blaenau Ffestiniog which is located in the middle of the park (the parks are like that over here). The town is essentially made up of abandoned slate mine(s) however has a really cool railroad that climbs into the mountains around it (which are beautiful in their own right).



On our way to Swallow Falls we stopped at Dolwyddelan Castle in northern Wales. This castle turned out to be one of the most beautiful due to its locatoin as well as the views it provided.





It also turned out to the the windiest and most rugged (read: pretty trick to scale and VERY precarious at the top) lending to its coolness.



Just a view from the side of the road when we stopped randomly to get something out of the back.



On Day 7 we traveled out of Wales *sigh* and back into England to Birmingham to catch our flight into Edinburgh. On the way as we drove up and over the hills we stopped off to climb to a peak (dont know what else to call it on a hill) and get a view/take a family pic. Again, it was very windy up here.





There was an old slate mine here too, see James at the bottom of one of the huge waste piles for reference?



We stopped for lunch: Packaged Samitches (our favourite) and juice at some random little picnic area which suitably zonked the kids out for the rest of the ride...YES!







We then proceeded to drop off the rental car, catch a flight, get another rental find the hotel and then check in...most of it in the rain :) But I dont really feel like typing much about that part!