Wales – Aberystwyth (En)
Aberystwyth is a university and coastal town and one of the largest in central Wales. The street names and architecture reflect the town’s history and growth since the Middle Ages. Of particular note is Harlech Castle, which was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1986.
Where to stay
We stayed in the car park of Morrison’s supermarket (Llanbadarn Fawr, Aberystwyth SY23 3TL) which is free and very large. There are no services but you can shop in the supermarket and there is a launderette. You can also use the toilets in the supermarket. We stayed overnight with another motorhome next to us without any problem. The bus to the centre is just outside the supermarket, it runs very frequently and in 5 minutes you are in the centre. Dogs are welcome on the bus.
What to see
We caught the bus which came straight away and where Asha got lots of ohhhs and cuddles from the local old ladies on the bus which I have to say I had a lot of trouble understanding. We got off in the centre and wandered through the streets until we reached St Michael and All Angels Church, the remains of the first St Michael’s church can be seen in the car park. The current church is from 1890 built from Yorkshire stone.
Next to the church through a gateway in a stone wall, you climb a hill of about 60 metres and come across Harlech Castle which was built in response to the First Welsh War in the late 13th century, replacing an earlier fortress located a mile to the south on the orders of Edward I of England and listed as a World Heritage Site in 1986. It has been nicknamed the Castle of Lost Cause as it was conquered several times throughout history. From 1637 it housed Charles I’s Royal Mint, which produced silver shillings. Oliver Cromwell deprecated the castle in 1649.
At the top of the hill, you will find a stone column, a monument to the Duke of Wellington built in 1858. The views of the bay, the promenade, the city and the church are stunning!
We then walked along the promenade to the pier which has bars, restaurants and gaming machines. At the back of the pier, there is a terrace with incredible views of Constitution Hill and its funicular, which opened in 1896 and is the longest electric cliff railway in Britain.
This ended our visit to Aberystwyth and the next day we went to Barmouth, a beautiful city on the west coast of Wales, overlooking Cardigan Bay, which you can see in the next post!
