On Friday I celebrated another birthday with a trip to North Wales. There are those who argue that once you get to a certain age, you shouldn't fuss over birthdays, but I take the opposite view. It's good to have a chance to reflect on the past twelve months, and perhaps to look ahead, if not too far ahead. So following my custom, I enjoyed my day out, and along the way mused on a hugely enjoyable year.
The icing on the birthday cake was the news that the British Library are already reprinting
The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books, only a few days after publication. Very gratifying, as are the early reviews - so I felt I was entitled to a day off from writing! I'd been very busy penning guest posts for the British and American bloggers who were kind enough to host my blog tour, and I was ready for a break.
I love boat trips, and for the first time in my life, I took a trip on the River Conway - both down river, and then out into the mouth of the river, where the views gave me a fresh perspective on a familiar and very lovely landscape. Conwy Castle, which I first visited as a small child, is of course the highlight, and the old town is full of interesting nooks and crannies. It's part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rightly so.
Then it was off to Anglesey, and a tour round another old castle, also part of the World Heritage Site - Beaumaris. I've seen it from the outside plenty of times,, but I'd never ventured inside before, and was duly impressed. Next stop was the seaside, and Benllech Bay, before the return trip to Lymm, and an excellent meal out. Great fun. And the next day, I was back at work on the new book, honest!.
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Happy Birthday! Looks like you had a lovely day. I've only been to England once (about a year ago) and wanted so badly to visit Wales but we just didn't have time. I hope to make it back some day. I'm a huge fan of the British Library Crime Classics.
ReplyDeleteThank you! yes, I do hope you make it back before long. There's a lot to see!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, and congratulations! North Wales was where we always went for days out as children, so I am very familiar with your itinerary, Conwy and Conwy Castle particularly. There used always to be terrible traffic jams at Conwy, but more recent visits (on the way to Holyhead to travel to Ireland) suggest they have improved the road system!
ReplyDeleteYes, Moira, the expanded A55, very controversial when proposed, has made a huge difference to travel in North Wales, and has made places like Llandudno, Conway, and Anglesey very accessible from Cheshire and Merseyside. And that's got to be good, because they are such great places.
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