Br’er Rabbit’s Briar Patch

Wales is covered in blackberry vines.  If the land were not cultivated or built upon, it might be one enormous berry patch, border to border.  And the berries are getting ripe.  Big, black, and shiny, these berries are the best money can buy, but they are free.  They have only tiny seeds, have a hint of vanilla in the sweet taste, and are available just for the picking.  Recently, we completed two significant hikes, each between seven and eight miles in total length.  That’s how we found the berries.  We have seen miles and miles of vines along the roads, but on our hikes, we learned that the first crop is ready for harvest.   

Earlier this week, before we left the Trearddur Bay apartment, we stretched our legs hiking from our apartment to the Holyhead Mountain prehistoric village of stone circles.  On this spot, 2500 years ago in the Iron Age, a clan of people lived and built about 50 wooden huts on circular stone foundations. Some huts were for housing, some for storage, and some for animal care.  They farmed barley and wheat, hunted small animals, kept cows and sheep, and gathered seafood from the ocean’s tidal pools mere steps away.  They had everything to sustain life. 

At one time, there were at least 50 circular structures in this place from that time, but archeologists have found only about twenty rings that remain today. 

We made it to those rings on our walk, and on the way, I found a discarded paper bag from McDonald’s in fairly clean condition.  I dusted off the dirt, and as we walked home, we picked a bag full of berries.  We also met horses and sheep along the way and stopped to scratch the heads of those that would let us.. 

That night, we had bowls of berries dusted with a little sugar.  Never have I had so many berries that I could eat a big, decadent spoonful with every bite.  Now, that is summer! Rare and sweet.

We are now at our second stop in Wales, Bryn Derwin.  It is the entry to Elan Valley, said to be the heart of the beautiful Welsh outdoors.  Only here for two nights, we selected our trail among the network of hiking and walking trails that cover this country, and set out intending to circle the Garreg Ddu reservoir lake at the base of a dam completed in about 1900.

The first half of the hike was easy, fairly flat, with a spectacle of scenery to see.  For this hike, I did some planning and brought along a gallon ZipLock bag.  Sure enough, the Elan Valley Trail was bordered on both sides with ripe berries. They were so huge and plentiful that they literally called to us.  We picked a half-bag full and ate at least that many along the way. 

We got our workout on the second half of the 7-mile hike. We trudged up and down rough trails, through a quiet and peaceful forest, and zig-zagged through gated meadows, sometimes guessing where the path lay. 

Stan says I am like a stabled horse.  Near the end of the day, the closer I get to the stall, water, and a bag of oats, the faster I walk. 

While we have been keen to think Wales is wet, they are in a long, long period of drought.  One look at the steep banks on the reservoirs told us they need much more than the drizzles we have seen; they need serious rain. The reservoirs here supply water to Birmingham, England, 118 Km away via an aqueduct. I hope they are seeking alternative water supplies.

Still, this is an incredibly beautiful place.  And like Tasmania, Wales does not promote tourism.  With zipped lips, they keep this lovely place to themselves and the Brits next door. 

There are so many lovely towns here. 

First and foremost, visitors should make a week’s stop at Llandudno.  There’s a celebration going on there every day.  It is like going back in time with a roudy boardwalk stocked with fish and chips stands, souvenir shops, music, arcades, and rides for the kiddies.  Plus, there are lovely grand hotels along a beautiful golden beach. 

Another spectacular town is Menai Bridge. The town sits on the Menai Straits just at the foot of Snowdonia and the Carneddau mountain range. It is known for its stunning 1826 suspension bridge, the Britannia, and the best wild-caught mussels in the world. We had a pot of them, steamed in white wine and cream. They were fabulous!

Holyhead is not much of an attraction, but it’s the gateway to hiking from the North Stack Fog Alert Facility over the huge granite stone to the South Stack Lighthouse.  Stan and I did that hike as well, logging another six miles.

Oh, and Betws-y-Coed, another town, between two rivers, is a wonderful village attracting outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. Don’t you just love the town’s name?? We had pizza there — some of the best ever at Hang In Pizza. This place not only makes amazing wood-fired pizza but also supports jungles all around the world with its profits and funky customer purchases. The owner employs 22 young people who serve, make pizza, dress pizza, and clean up — “while this place is beautiful, there’s not a lot of opportunity for good jobs around here,” Ebony told us. She mentors these kids, acts as a second mom or aunt, and runs a very happy restaurant, a fun place to be. We had a good chat — and as Stan and I left, she boxed up and presented us with 6 canolies she imports from Italy. Yum! Italian canolies in Wales.

One of the most important sites in northern Wales is Eryri National Park and its Snowdon Mountain.  It is the tallest peak in Wales and the fourth tallest in Great Britain.  We got up early to make the 40-minute drive to Llanberis to arrive the recommended 45 minutes early for our 10:30 steam engine train departure time to the top of the mountain.  It takes an hour to reach the top and an hour to return.  Many people hike to the top.  The easiest trail is 7 miles round trip and takes about 3 hours up and 3 hours down.  That’s why we opted for the train. 

It rained and rained that day.  All those knock-your-socks-off views of mountains, valleys, and waterfalls were obliterated by the clouds and rain.  But that’s ok,  so what if the tickets cost $178?  So what if we couldn’t see anything?  So what if rainwater blew in the train windows?  A young woman with three kids sat across from us. Except for the youngest, who was about 7, they were perfectly behaved.  The seven-year-old caught my attention hardly before we left the train station.  He had pretty green eyes, curls, and a bunch of odd permanent teeth just coming in.  I thought to myself, “what a cute little jack-o-lantern face.”  His big sister kept him quiet and occupied by playing paper, rock, scissors. 

When we arrived at the top, we were ever so thankful that we paid that $178 for the train ride. Hikers just finishing the hike up the mountain were soaking wet, dripping, and cold, blue lips, wet hair and all.  Many were stripping off wet clothing to put on pricey new dry sweatshirts and pants they just bought at the handy top of the mountain gift shop.  Ewwww! 

The ride back down the mountain was a whole different animal.  Those kids had had enough. Little cute jack-o-lantern face was the instigator.  Soon, the three were punching and grabbing and wrestling.  It was a sweat and slobber fest.  It reminded me of when I was young, I had two younger brothers and like these kids, especially on Sunday mornings after we had quietly grabbed the Sunday paper from the front yard, and finished all the comics, our bout might start with a rib poke, a tickle, or a fall off the bed.  We would wrestle, slap, grab, and giggle, gradually getting louder and louder while our shift-worker parents were trying to sleep late just one precious day in the week.  We knew we were going to get in trouble, but we couldn’t stop gouging, tickling, and head-locking each other, even though we were sweaty, secretly ready to stop.  Sure enough, finally, the door would swing open, and there was Daddy!!!   He might have been the Hulk.

On the downhill train ride, even the big sister and big brother across from us got into the action. Their hair all mussed, and their clothes all in disarray, they were almost deliriously entangled in their fight with each other and boredom.  Poor mom, there was nothing she could do to stop it.   

I could not take my eyes off those kids.  I laughed until tears rolled down my face.  Oh, I remember those times!!!