Day 18: Caernarfon

This morning we visited Caernarfon castle which is a World Heritage Site. The castle is a brute of a fortress with its appearance being unashamedly muscle-bound and intimidating. Picking a fight with this massive structure would have been a daunting prospect. Most castles are happy with round towers, however Caernarfon has polygonal towers with the Eagle Tower being the most impressive of these.

Caernarfon Castle looking towards Eagle Tower

Looking towards Queens Gate

Individual chip marks made by stonemasons shaping the stone

In the afternoon we took a ride on the Welsh Highland Railway being a steam train. The train ride gave us a tempting taste of Snowdonia National Park with plenty of  stunning scenery.

Welsh Highland Train steam engine

All aboard

Bucolic scenery

Cottages in the valley floor

A hint of Snowdonia

I thought about wearing my shorts today however they seem to be getting tighter rather than looser even with all the walking we are doing. I think this may have something to do with the meals that are available at the local eating establishments. Most of the B&B’s we stay in offer a full cooked breakfast and well, you almost feel obliged to eat this given that you’ve paid for it in the price of the accommodation! Then nearly every meal offered in a pub or café comes with the obligatory serving of chips and the meals are all huge. The menus are predictable with either steak and ale pie, lasagna, fish and chips and burgers on the menu. So, Greg and I have decided that if we are going to eat out that we will just order an entrée each and share these. This is usually enough to satisfy one’s hunger cravings.