Wales part 1, Snowdonia

While every family may have their own version of an ideal vacation, we have discovered (through trial and error) that it works best for our boys to wake up in a place where it's safe to explore on their own while we have a moment for coffee. And although all three will gladly visit museums and monuments or churches and castles, we are all generally happiest moving our bodies outside.

We stayed in three different areas in Wales, arranging a secluded lakeside cottage where the boys could grab fishing poles or chase sheep, a large modern home in a small harbor town to share with friends for a few days, and a tiny converted cow shed just steps away from the beach in Bosherton. Our two week trip was bookended by time in Dublin, Ireland and London, England, so recapping the adventure will require several posts!

The boys wanted to go to Wales for a variety of reasons: They are curious about ancestors, and interested in history, culture and cuisine. The country's industrial past is steeped in myth and legend, poetry and song. Wales is an international leader in sustainability efforts, and home to an intriguing array of wildlife. 

Plus "dragons, bro."

We made Lake Trawsfynedd in the middle of Eryri's retina-stretching mountain ranges our first home base, and got stuck in what the boys called "traffic lambs" more than once on the way to the Cae Adda cottage. We enjoyed fresh trout for dinner and charcuterie on the patio, but mostly ate bread and meat and fruit from the backpack. Our first hike was Cuenant Llennyrch, a Celtic rainforest adjacent to the lake, one of over 70 National Nature Reserves in Wales. Nearby, Harlech beach offered sunshine and a vast stretch of soft sand secluded by huge dunes. Watkin Path, one route up Snowden, was a huge hit -  a real sheep herding experience, thundering waterfalls and baltic swimming pools, wild goats and brunch at Caffi Gwynant were definite highlights. We were all charmed by Beddgelert, a lovely little village at the dramatic confluence of the Glaslyn and Colwyn rivers with a welcoming church from the 13th century. High on our list of places to explore was Dinorwic slate quarry, where nature has reclaimed much of what began in the 1700s. We learned later that Hank had filled his pockets with rocks all morning, which he thinks may have saved his life when we exited the train from Llanberis on Snowden's summit in what turned out to be the windiest situation we've ever seen.