Favourite Childhood trips: Beddgelert, Wales

When I was younger my parents didn't have much money and instead of going abroad, most of my holidays were spent on my father's boat in Wales and exploring the British coastline. In a way I was lucky because by the age of 10 I had already explored a large part of my own country and realised how beautiful the UK can be, rather than growing up believing that only the best holidays are had abroad. One of my favourite places to visit as a child was a little village called Beggerlert in North Wales.

Beddgelert is a beautiful, unspoilt little village in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd. The village is surrounded by deep valleys, acres of green countryside and has the river Glaslyn running through it which is popular with tourists, in particular hikers as there are plenty of countryside walks situated within the village.

One thing that kept me fascinated with Beddgelert as a child was the 'legend of Beddgelert' an old medieval story about a 13th century prince named Llewelyn. This prince had a faithful dog with whom he went hunting and one day, he decided to go with out. When Llewelyn returned, he found the dog covered in blood jumping at feet. On further inspected Llwelyn noticed the cot which once cradled his baby also covered in blood with his son nowhere to be seen and assuming that the dog had killed his son, he withdrew his sword and killed the hound, while the dog died it let out a painful cry. Not long later Llewelyn then discovered that his little boy was in fact unharmed, but nearby by the baby was a the body of a wolf laying dead, which the dog had killed. It is said that the prince lived the rest of his life in remorse for killing the dog that saved his sons life and in respect, he buried the dog and laid a plaque named 'Gelert's Grave.' It is quite a sad story, but it's a tale that brings many people to Beddgelert to visit 'Gelert's Grave' and ponder about what actually happened. There's no real evidence that this did take place, which makes this sign a complete mystery.

The Beddgelert village is a beautiful place to visit in the summer as there's so much to do from walking by the river, to strolling up nearby mountains and there's so many beautiful antique stores and little rooms in the most picturesque slate topped stores. It is a place that I have very fond memories of visiting when I was younger and it's a place I would not hesitate to go back to. If you're visiting North Wales, it's worth a pitstop.

Have you been to North Wales before?

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