Brian and Ruth on holiday: Chester and Betws-y-Coed

On Friday we drove down the M6 to Chester. After a bit of a run around and asking directions, we found our way to a parking building right beside stairs up onto the city walls. We walked right around the walls, looking at major landmarks such as the railway, the racecourse, the River Dee, The Queen's School (a private school for girls complete with bras hanging from the flagpole and girls playing tennis) as well as the high street and byways, including the backyards and courtyards. We had lunch in the bar of the Albion, an Edwardian pub. The only other customers were men and the pub is unashamedly "family hostile" but the food was good and the loud conversation between two of the men was very entertaining.

After lunch, it was off to Wales, along with crowds of others heading to the beach or the ferry to Ireland. We literally crawled along the A55 until after the Holywell turnoff - some people may have decided to take alternative routes. After reaching Colwyn Bay, we took the A470 to the picturesque village of Betws-y-Coed and found a B&B, Bron Celyn, overlooking but out of the village. Our hostess, Lillian, made us very welcome and gave us directions and advice on the mountain railway and other local attractions. She was also keen to chat about Wales and New Zealand.

Ruth had been trying to text Hazel on and off all day, as she hoped to meet up with us at Llanberis to ride the mountain train, but the messages just sat in the Outbox - very frustrating! It may have had something to do with loss of service at Ravenglass and trying to send texts there. So phoned Hazel and left a message on her phone and eventually, on the advice of a girl at the Information centre, phoned Tesco and got the texting sorted.

We walked into the village for dinner and, after reading some menus outside various pubs and restaurants, found ourselves at the Royal Oak Hotel where many others were eating and drinking. We had an excellent and reasonably priced meal - fresh trout followed by the most amazing apple pie for Brian and butterfly salmon steak followed by bread and butter pudding with yummy custard cream for Ruth. During dinner, Hazel phoned and we arranged to meet at Llanberis the next morning. It poured with rain most of the time we were inside but had stopped by the time we set off for the B&B.