I think it's becoming a trend that I'm doing sporadic blogging - but for now, it can't be helped much, especially when so much is happening!

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So as I mentioned in my previous post, I went on a little trip to Wales to see Waterfalls! We saw fall after fall after fall after fall! A total of 5.5 waterfalls in 2 days! :)

We started early on the morning of 11th June, setting off at 5am - arriving at our first stop, Pistyll Rhaeadr, which is the highest waterfall in Wales at a height of 240 ft (~73 metres).

Pistyll Rhaeadr (Pistyll means Waterfall in Welsh if I'm not mistaken).

Kenny at the top edge of Pistyll Rhaeadr - if you look at the previous photo, I will be somewhere on the top right... Yes, it would have been a descent of 73m if I went over the edge....

Next up, we made a drive to Lake Vyrnwy, which wasn't quite on our itinerary initially, but stumbled upon it on our road atlas (I live by my road atlas!). Lake Vyrnwy is a man-made reservoir which supplies water to Liverpool apparently... It's a really picturesque lake with a "Disneyland" castle-looking structure on one side of the lake. The lake is also a wildlife reserve, home to many different species of animals and birds. We had the chance to visit of the RSPB's hide where we got to observe birds upclose.

This is a Great Spotted Woodpecker pecking away at some nuts. We also saw Siskins, Bull-finches and some other bird species which I can't quite remember/identify.

An added bonus was that we also got to visit a waterfall at Lake Vyrnwy, which was the most up-close-and-personal one we managed to get to.
Waterfall @ Lake Vyrnwy.

Following that, we drove to Aberystwyth where we saw Swallow Falls (£1 admission).

Kenny @ Swallow Falls.

A nice reflecting pool at Swallow Falls.

Finally, we checked into our hostel/hotel/guesthouse, before ending the day at Conwy Falls (which I have no nice pictures to show for) - and not before I smashed my thumb while trying to close the window. (it's one of those raise and lower ones... trust me, the whole thing came down on my thumb... ouch... edit: for the best experience, try slamming a car door on any of your fingers..). We did have great fun at Conwy Falls though - skipping stones across the pools, and playing "hit the stone in the middle." Conwy Falls is somewhat deserted now cos the Cafe which used to operate at the falls is now closed, and the falls are in a sense "abandoned" as well....

The end of the day was Sausage & Chips at Aberystwyth, where we ate beside the rapids, surrounded by Black-Headed Gulls who were really amusing to watch. Not to mention smart too - stealing chips we've dropped right under our noses....

Day 2 was another early start with a French toast breakfast and coffee/tea at our hotel before leaving for Mynach Falls. While we were at Lake Vyrnwy, we were told of this Red Kite sanctuary en route to Mynach Falls, and we thought we'd check out this magnificent & rare bird. Photos will hopefully come out good on film, which I haven't yet developed.

Next and final stop was Devil's Bridge (£1 admission) and Mynach Falls (£2.50 admission).

Devil's Bridge is a set of 3 bridges built one on top of another, with a Devil's Punchbowl in the ravine - which if i'm not mistaken is just a weathering effect of limestone. Devil's Bridge....

Mynach Falls was our final destination on our trip to Wales, which involved a million steps, and not too magnificent views of the falls, but nonetheless one which was worth visiting. And with that, our trip to Wales was completed, and we drove back through the scenic countryside back to Cambridge, having a nice KFC restbreak, and getting caught in some stupid traffic jam.

Labels: Travel, Wales, Waterfalls