Monday: Dinas Bran and Sabre

Castell Dinas Bran


Pete was woken up at 7am by a dog running into the side of the tent. Half an hour later (because I can sleep through anything) I was awake too, and we lay there for a while contemplating getting up. We did eventually, mainly because sleeping mats are not very comfortable, did the usual camping wash and wake up in the shower block and wandered down to the town for breakfast. One full cooked breakfast each later and we were ready to go for a walk.
Castell Bran Dinas (to give it it's proper Welsh Name is a ruin that sits on top of a hill overlooking the Dee Valley. As Pete pointed out it would have been a kick ass place for a castle. And so we set off on a guide book walk to go and see it. It was quite a slog (for me cos I'm sooo un fit) to the top, but well worth it when we got there, the views were amazing and we sat there for ages looking at the town spread out below us, and the awe inspiring view down the Dee valley to the Cheshire plain. Pete spent some time exploring the ruins (being a medieval history geek) while I was more interested in what it was built from and on (being a geology geek) - I won't bore you with the details lol.
Going down was hard on the legs, there is a road that goes straight past the campsite down the side of the hill, but going down steep hills always makes my legs wobbly.
Tea was packet soup, then we wandered down into town again for some bacon for breakfast and a drink at the local pub. We met a few of our fellow campers in there - our next door neighbour, who ignored us completely, and the couple (Tony and Leanne) who were camped by the gate, and who had woken Pete up at 7am with their dog. Sabre (The dog) was the most well behaved Alsatian I have ever met, also the cutest, and we spent the night talking and exchanging Quavers for Kisses with Sabre.
We eventually got to bed at about 2am after sharing beer and stories with our new friends by their tent.