Conway 6 - a walk along the walls/the oppressive castles/fish and chips lunch/let's go out for the day

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The wind was blowing us about a bit as we stood on the corner of one of the towers that line Conways very impressive walls. We had huffed and puffed our way along the walls to this point having struggled to find a way on to the walls. Unlike Chester where there are numerous ways to get onto the medieval/Roman walls here all stairways up seemed few and far between. We had stopped to catch our breath and take in the stunning view of the castle to one side of us and the blue sea and harbour to the other. "Bit like the great Wall of Ston" we said as we reminisced on the first time we caught site of the this wall in Croatia. "Not quite as bad " we joked as we stood and waited for a couple to climb up the other side towards us with their dog . They too stopped at the crossing point . "Nice place to stand and take a breather " We agreed it was . The sky was blue, the air was clear and fresh . There was that tang of the sea . Slightly salty. The noise of seagulls overhead . Lobster pots stacked up. Spring felt in the air . They asked if we came often to Conway. We admitted not often . The drive on a good day was an hour and a quarter away . We should do it more often we thought . They asked if we were local . "No not really , but from not too far away , Wrexham " The knew Wrexham and thought it a good place with many things to see . They were on a weeks holiday from Loughborough. They came up regularly to tend the ladies fathers grave . She had been born in Conway so she liked to come home now and again . We talked about Loughborough and Lutterworth and the East Midlands . Living in Chesterfield we had something in common . Time flew and it was time for the couple and the dog to wander off. They laughed and told us they had to take care on the walls with the dogs . The trees were at the same height as the walls and the dog now and again would spot a squirrel . There was always the worry he would jump off the walls .

So how did we end up on the walls at Conway? You know those Winter days when you have exhausted everywhere local you want to visit and find yourselves wanting to visit somewhere but cannot think where to go? Where everything is just that little bit too far or the weather is a little bit too cold . Or you just cannot be bothered and sit around doing nothing . After doing nothing you feel a little ashamed of yourself for your inactivity and promise tomorrow I will think about somewhere to go. We have had so many of those since Christmas . Living here a little over two years we have exhausted the local walks, the local attractions , the local National Trust properties . Everywhere is closed up for the season and will not open up again for at least another two weeks. Easy to make excuses . Harder to force yourself to do something at this time of year .

Returning from an early morning swim I was confronted with a "Shall we go out today? " "How about Conway? " Well we had not been there for a while . Not since we had returned to Wales and we had always promised ourselves a walk on the walls . So perhaps today being such a fine day was the day to do it . My pull off thought for the day actually instructed me to "Flow with whatever may happen" Sounded promising didn't it? Chuang said " Stay centred and accept whatever you are doing " OK so Conway it is .

The journey was uneventful. We knew where we were going to park and it would be a thousand times easier than trying to squeeze a motorhome through some of the narrow gateways in the town walls. The car park we chose was within walking distance of the town, cost around £2.30 for two hours parking and £3.30 for four hours . There was plenty of room and I filled the machine with my loose change in exchange for the parking ticket . We knew we would need around 3 hours to walk round the towns, walk the walls and have lunch but there was no option for three hours . I thought perhaps the town needed to address that as two hours was never enough and four too much .

We walked slowly under the underpass and up the hill through the medieval gateways to the main street . It seemed a town of independent shops on the High Street . It was extremely busy for a weekday in early February. The lovely walled town sits at the west bank of the river Conwy facing Deganwy on the opposite bank . We headed downhill towards the harbour with one eye always on a restaurant for lunch as it was approaching that sort of time. There were a number of cafes and eating establishments. Some open . Others closed. A vegan restaurant and a number of fish and chip shops . Much as you would expect in a seaside town. However this seaside town was not full of kiss me quick hats and Conway rock. Instead there were tastefull shops full of classy welsh goods, artists painting the castle and the harbour with its busy boats and shoppers. Normal shoppers plus day trippers.

The castle dominates the town. You see it before you arrive in the town. Its grey massive bulk looms over every street and lane. It is such a prominent feature of the town. On the one hand a draw for visitors and on the other a story of the oppression of Wales and the dominance of the English over them. Whilst you can admire the structure and it is immense it is hard not to imagine what it meant to the Welsh at the time it was built . What it means in modern day Wales and what it must have been like living in the shadow of such oppression . I have a love /hate relationship with it . Thankful for the tourists it brings in but a sense of hatred for what it tells me about my own race.

As we ate our dinner fresh cod and chips in the local chippy we had a clear view of the castle . Built on the instructions of Edward I of England between the years of 1283 and 1289 as part of his conquest of Wales . One of his ring of castles built to strangle the welsh nation. We were not visiting the castle today as we had been inside a few years ago. We were just looking at it from afar. The combined defences for the castle cost around £15,000 which was at the time a massive amount of money. The castle withstood the siege of Madog ap Llewelyn during the winter of 1294/1295 and acting as a haven for Richard II in 1399. Its most famous stand was when Owain Glyndwrs forces held it for several months in 1401. During the English Civil War it was held by forces loyal to Charles I before falling to Parliamentary forces . It was slighted and fell into disrepair before becoming the darling of artists in the 18th and early 19th centuries . What a ruin it had become. What was described as one of the finest examples of 13th and 14th century military architecture in Europe became a world heritage site and a tourist attraction . I imagined the visitors loving it . It feels like a Carcasonne or an Aigues Mortes in France. But if you are fiercely proud of your heritage as a welshman or woman you just see it as the domination of one country against another and a case of early ethnic cleansing. The welsh language was banned and the right to work depending on you being English rather than Welsh. The feeling of it being french like was reinforced as its main architect was James of St George.

After our fish and chip lunch washed down with a reasonable coffee I headed for the local church which looked impressive . A massive high towered structure with strong wooden porches and very firmly locked doors . You know what it is like when you guess that the inside is probably wonderful and interesting but the doors are firmly shut . I thought what good is a church when you cannot enter and see what is inside . The old ancient church was giving up none of its secrets today .

We climbed the hill past Aberconway House a 14th century merchants house now owned by the National Trust . That too was firmly closed up for the winter . We were not too bothered as we had visited the house on our last visit to the town.

Our last visit was to the aptly named Smallest House in Great Britain . Named in the Guiness book of Records it was to be found on the quayside it measure 3.05metres by 1.8 metres . It was in continuous use up until 1900 The owner apparently was a fisherman and measured 6foot in height. He was forced to move out due to issues with hygiene as I guess it had no room for any form of toilet and washing facilities . It is still owned by his family and you can still visit it for a small charge . Although today like most things it was closed to the public .

I guess all these closed buildings were the reasons that we found ourselves high above the town looking down from the walls onto the roof of the house below us . We had a fine view of the harbour from the walls . Health and Safety perhaps needed to upped as the guard rail was open and for those suffering from vertigo then it was not the best place to be walking . The cobbles set in the path made for bumpy walking and the uphill stretches were quite strenuous. We found our way round and eventually found another metal staircase taking us back to the main street . It was time to return to the car . We had spent around 2 hours wandering the lovely streets of what is a lovely town . Would we come back ? Probably as there is a water garden nearby and a Dutch Pancake House . That is another good reason to drive to Conway again .

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