Today we explored some of the history of North Wales and took in the fantastic scenery of mountains and valleys. We started with a tour round Caernarfon Castle, built in 1283 to keep the Welsh in line with its state of the art defences but 700 years later far more welcoming to visitors. The children asked lots of good questions and listened really carefully, before walking the battlements and up and down lots of steps.
Our second activity was a scenic ride on one of Wales' little steam trains, travelling on tracks precariously perched on the side of valleys. Our destination was Blaenau Ffestiniog, an old slate mining town built into the rock. We went 500m below the surface to find out how the mines worked in Victorian times, and try out a little bit of child labour. After walking up lots more steps to emerge blinking into the Gwynedd sunshine, we did a little souvenir shopping and headed back to Llandudno for tea.
Finally it was time for our session at the ski slope (no, not snowboarding. No, it won't be snowing. No, we won't have to jump like Eddie the Eagle. No, we won't be starting at the very top). The children were absolutely fantastic and picked up the basics impressively quickly! Future Winter Olympic Medallists? I'm not ruling it out. A tiring but fun packed day - off to Liverpool in the morning!
