Snowdonia

Well we loved Snowdonia... but Snowdonia didn't really love us! It has rained non-stop since we have been here!

Twice we have tried to go for a walk on Snowdon. The first time the car park was packed and every possible inch of space had a car on it. And every layby for miles around was also full. They don't call this the busiest mountain in Britain for nothing.

The second time the car park was empty, but for good reason as the winds were so strong the car was getting rocked about. I saw a woman try and walk across the car park and she was literally being blown sideways. I really didn't fancy getting blown off a mountain. Then we realised I had left my waterproof trousers in the tent and that was the end of that attempt!

So we have been enjoying the beautiful autumn colours of the forests and the valleys. Much more pleasant if not as dramatic. The colours are so stunning.

We are camped in a lovely farm with views over the forests and distant mountains.

The mountain summits have been constantly shrouded in cloud so we haven't quite had the awesome views you expect in Snowdonia. For example you should be able to see Snowdon in the distance from this viewpoint:

But once you get lower into the river valleys the visibility gets much better and the waterfalls are all gushing violently from all the rain.

On our final morning it stopped raining and snow-topped mountains looked picturesque. However our tent was also covered in ice!

Unfortunately the cold and damp has also stopped my DSLR from working, GRRRR! Hopefully once it warms up again it will start working, fingers crossed.

Aberaeron & Aberystwyth

We left the lovely Pembrokeshire and headed up the west coast of Wales. The roads were very steep and hilly so to be honest we were glad to have the car rather than the campervan. There were some pretty little harbour villages up the coast, we particularly liked Aberaeron with its rainbow coloured Georgian houses.

The original plan was to head straight on to Snowdonia, but for the last couple of nights Nick has had a really bad back, where he kept waking up in agony so we thought we'd better do something about it. Plus the weather had turned horrendous so we decided to splash out on a B&B for the night in Aberystwyth, and booked Nick in for a session with a local chiropractor.

Oh the luxury of a warm bed and bath!

Thankfully the chiropractor was able to give Nick's back a good crack and he said it feels much better now. So it's on to Snowdonia, where unfortunately we are in for more bad weather!

Pembrokeshire

UK readers may have noticed a slight drop in temperature over the last few days?! We certainty have!

We have been staying at a lovely site overlooking Caerfai Bay in Pembrokeshire. We have been blasted with some pretty strong winds but the tent seems to be holding its own, luckily. And, the campsite has an indoor kitchen with a toaster and microwave that we have been making use of!

On the way here we visited the lovely little seaside town of Tenby.

It's a bit sad coming to seaside resorts out of season, with all the beachside cafes and shops closed for the year. But you know that come next spring, they'll be open again. Well hopefully.

We liked Tenby, with its colourful buildings and windy streets and could have spent longer there I think.

Solva was another colourful little place we passed through, a small harbour village on the way to St Davids.

From our campsite we have direct access to the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. Apparently Lonely Planet recommended it as the top place to visit in the world in 2012, up there with the Inca Trail or Mount Kilimanjaro. While I can't vouch for the latter two, the coastal trail here in Pembrokeshire is pretty spectacular.

Look how blue the sea is here! We walked for a couple of miles around the coast path and it was all stunning. Wish we had time for more!

We cut inland during our walk and headed for the city of St Davids. Britain's smallest city, less than 2,000 residents! More like a village really, but it does have its own cathedral. And a Fat Face store! They get everywhere!

We stopped for lunch in the square where we found a pub with a very welcome open fire going. It's getting pretty chilly outside.

Although it's been cold, luckily its been mostly sunny and stayed mostly dry. We've got a little heater for the tent and plenty of blankets so hopefully we will stay warm enough.