Tag Archive for Wales

Can’t you read the signs: Driving in Wales 2.0

May 1, 2013 Travel, Uncategorized No comments
Reduce speed now!

Reduce speed now!
Photo by L L Melton

Once you get used to the hairpin turns and the sheer rock shoulders, driving in Wales is — well, something to write about. For many reasons.

We’re about to have our second driving experience in North Wales. When we drove those highways in 2006, we marveled at the Welsh-first, English-second highway signs. When the painted lettering says “now,” it means right now: there’s a 360-degree turn inside a rock tunnel ahead. No time for please and thank you.

By the side of the highway in Wales

North Wales highway
Photo by L L Melton

We stayed in a self-catering cottage then, and the owner told us Welsh is the first language in schools again too. Some 80 percent of North Wales residents speak Welsh as their first language. Since speaking Welsh could get you beheaded some eight hundred years ago, when Edward I invaded, the resurgence of the language now says a lot about this tiny but invincible country. Bravo!

There were quite a few unusual signs for us to get used to, though.

Seniors crossing

Seniors crossing
Photo by L L Melton

For instance, coming from Saskatchewan, we were used to the yellow “Deer Crossing” signs that warn motorists of potential hazards on the road. But we weren’t prepared for hazards like these. I confess, sometimes it was difficult to keep my eyes on the road.

Temple Bar sign.

Temple Bar
Photo by L L Melton

Others seemed to suggest place names, but we couldn’t help agreeing with this one. I mean, if you’re going to put a temple and a bar in the same place, then the idea of proceeding slowly and carefully seems reasonable.

By and large, we didn’t have too much trouble understanding the signs along the highway, whatever language they used. But from time to time, we ran into a few that really impressed us.

Men walking children?

Men walking children here
Photo by L L Melton

Like this sign, for example. I have to say I think Welsh women have organized things pretty well. I wish there were more areas designated for men walking children here in Canada! The border around this sign should be green!

No one can fault the Welsh sense of humour either, on or off signs. And the friendly and helpful attitude is amply demonstrated on signs like this one:

Take a free hand

A free hand
Photo by L L Melton

How could you resist that smile?

Or the chance to drive through the beautiful countryside. I certainly can’t wait to go back to Wales again. Have you been to Wales — on or off the highways? Please leave a comment (on the comment bar above) about your experience.

A flatlander in the Welsh mountains

May 10, 2011 Blogging, Travel, Uncategorized 4 comments
Hairpin turn ahead

Hairpin turn ahead - L L Melton

I grip the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car, driving on the wrong side of the highway. It’s my first experience driving in North Wales, and I’m finding the hairpin turns to be more than a little hair-raising.

Contrary to the popular saying, knuckles don’t really go white: they stiffen around the steering wheel on fingers that seize like claws. I’m so close to the craggy mountain that my shoulders involuntarily seize up in a shrug to keep the rock face from scraping against the side of the car.

By the side of the highway in Wales

By the side of the highway in Wales - L L Melton

When we stop at a rest area and look back (left photo), it seems the highway has no shoulder room either.

Saskatchewan highway

Saskatchewan highway - L L Melton

Not what we’re used to on the TransCanada through Saskatchewan (right).

Still, the North Wales highway is in good condition. No potholes to swallow your tires, as we sometimes find at home, and very little in the way of garbage and litter on the roadsides. If the mountains unnerve me, it’s likely because I’m a flatlander by nature. On the other side of the car, past my daughter’s calm figure, I catch glimpses from time to time of the steep drop from the mountain highway past the cars that shave by us. Barely enough room for two cars to pass. I can’t help but wonder what it’ll be like once we leave the main highway.

Everything is moving too fast: the cars going by us on the right (instead of the left), the signs, the time on our three-week trip “overseas.”

That’s the tone for our first trip to North Wales. Getting used to the narrow highways was only the first part of the journey for me. It stretched me in ways I could never have imagined. The result? Travel articles, a young adult medieval fantasy novel, and a new perspective on my Welsh heritage.

I’m planning a trip back next year. Flipping through the pages of my journals and considering some of the striking photos we took, I find I can hardly wait. Over the next few weeks I plan to post an article every Tuesday. Many will detail our trip to Wales, as well as our family trips to other places of interest in Canada and around the world. Have you been to Wales? If you care to share your experiences, or comment on mine, please click “Read more” below.