It was Mum's birthday and so she was the director of the days adventures... also, Dad and I had been out climbing mountains much of the day yesterday so it was only fair! She chose to go to Bodnant Gardens, a National Trust place not too far from where we were staying.
Like me, my parents like to get to places early and we were one of the first groups in the doors when it opened. We were there for the laburnum arch (famous because it is the longest arch in the UK), so we went straight there. Unfortunately, we were slightly too early for it to be out, another day or two and it would have been warm enough for the flowers to have come out. But it was a very brilliant shade of green, so it was pretty anyway!
The other plants that Bodnant is known for are its azaleas. These were incredible - there were so many azaleas and rhododendrons out that there was colour everywhere. The garden covers 80 acres, and has a bit of everything, so once you're sick of the azaleas (as if you would be!) you can move on to the meadows and water gardens and both informal and formal gardens. It went on for such a long way.
We left Bodnant Garden shortly before lunch and drove to a nearby riverside town called Conwy. We found a park after driving around for a bit, and popped into Aberconwy House, a National Trust place on the high street. There wasn't much inside, but it was rather interesting, being an old merchant's house that was constructed in the 15th century. It even had wattle and daub walls! But it was time for lunch so we went to a lovely little cafe and had lunch, before going for a walk around. There was a castle in Conwy, and a suspension bridge, as well as some amazing old city walls around the perimeter.
It was a lovely day - definitely needed after the hike to rest my weary bones!
