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00:27Raise your travel dreams
00:29to their upright and locked positions.
00:31Join us now as we discover
00:33the ins and outs of travels in Europe.
00:47I'm Rick Steves.
00:49I write travel guidebooks.
00:50We're sailing the Irish Sea to waves,
00:53a land of mighty castles,
00:55heroes, scenic wonders, and song.
00:57We caught this ferry in Dunleary,
01:01near Dublin.
01:01And now we're coming into North Wales.
01:05For our 3,000-mile tour of Europe,
01:07we began in Ireland.
01:09After Wales, we'll go to Scotland
01:11and the Cotswolds,
01:12across the Channel to France,
01:14and south to Spain and Portugal.
01:18In North Wales, we'll explore
01:20the Isle of Anglesey,
01:22then Canarfon and Harlech,
01:24Snowdonia National Park,
01:25and then east to Rithyn.
01:29We'll visit a village known
01:30for lifeboat rescues,
01:32ride a train deep into a slate mine,
01:37listen to winds of the past
01:39in rugged castles,
01:42climb the country's highest mountain,
01:46feast at a rowdy medieval banquet,
01:49and get comfortable driving in Britain.
01:57This ferry ride was a pleasant way
01:59to approach North Wales.
02:05Wales greets you with historic sights.
02:08For an extra fee,
02:09our car rental agency
02:10is delivering our car right to the dock.
02:13We'll return it before we leave Britain
02:15at London's airport.
02:19We're hardly off the boat
02:21and already we're face-to-face
02:23with Welsh history.
02:24The hordes that shuttle
02:25from London to Dublin
02:26through Holyhead
02:27hardly notice this ancient fort.
02:30It was built in Roman times
02:32and protects the old
02:33St. Cubby's Church,
02:34rebuilt in the 13th century.
02:36They say St. Cubby
02:38and St. Serial
02:39sort of home-based here,
02:41traveling around Wales
02:41to heal the sick.
03:04And now we're off
03:06around the sleepy,
03:0825-mile-wide island of Anglesey.
03:10Each Welsh village has a story.
03:49You wouldn't know it today,
03:51but Amlach used to be
03:52one of Anglesey's busiest ports
03:54for exporting copper
03:55and a rough-and-tumble boom town.
04:03And this is the village of Mulvra.
04:06That's it.
04:07Almost all of it.
04:08I'm taking my glasses off
04:09and then I look better.
04:12Good morning, darling.
04:14We're staying at
04:14Mr. and Mrs. Hackett's
04:16bed and breakfast.
04:17Good morning, sir.
04:17You're welcome.
04:18Yeah, thank you.
04:20Mulvra's story
04:21is about lifeboat rescues.
04:23Britain is dotted
04:24with about as many
04:25lifeboat houses
04:25as castles.
04:26And Mulvra's reputation
04:28for rescues
04:29is the pride of the village.
04:31During the time
04:32I was in the lifeboat service,
04:3337 years,
04:37I was, well,
04:40took part in the rescue
04:42of 300 lives,
04:44which is quite a number, really.
04:46Evan Owens
04:47was the lifeboat mechanic
04:48here for over 20 years
04:50and he showed us
04:51around his town.
04:53I'm not blowing
04:53my trumpet now.
04:54I can look back today
04:57on many years
04:59of rescue
05:00and remember
05:01most of them,
05:03the serious ones,
05:05you cannot
05:08delete from your mind.
05:09you can relive
05:11every second
05:12of the dangerous ones
05:13but he could
05:14disappear like that.
05:16But you don't think of that.
05:18You think of getting
05:19the job done
05:20and getting back.
05:23The most famous
05:25rescue from here
05:25happened over
05:26100 years ago
05:27with the wreck
05:28of the Royal Charter.
05:30Right on those rocks,
05:32450 people drowned.
05:34They were miners
05:35coming from Australia
05:37with belts of gold
05:38and to this day
05:39people scout
05:40at low tide
05:40looking for treasure.
05:46Clonalgo Church
05:47is a memorial
05:48to the victims
05:49of the Royal Charter.
05:51It's a very sad story
05:52of people
05:54having been away
05:55from home
05:55for years,
05:56husbands coming home
05:58after years
05:59in the gold mines,
06:00rough life,
06:01made a good pile
06:02of money
06:03and were going
06:03to build houses
06:04and so for their families
06:05and then in the last
06:08three hours
06:09they were caught
06:10by this awful hurricane
06:11and battered
06:13to bits
06:14off my line.
06:16And the people
06:16actually were not
06:17drowned,
06:18these poor victims here.
06:19They were killed
06:20by the sea
06:21most of them.
06:30Wales is part
06:32of the British economy
06:33but it has
06:34distinct
06:34and healthy
06:35Celtic roots.
06:53A vigorous campaign
06:54to save Welsh,
06:55one of Europe's
06:56oldest languages,
06:57is part of the recent
06:59and sometimes prickly
07:00revival of Welsh nationalism.
07:02Evan and his wife
07:03Nan are a part
07:04of Mulver's pride.
07:09We asked Evan
07:10about the Welsh language.
07:11Well, it's a language,
07:13probably the oldest
07:13language in the world
07:16and they have
07:17an inherent feeling
07:20of belonging
07:22to a nation
07:23which speaks
07:24the oldest language
07:25in the world
07:26and they're proud of it.
07:28On Anglesey,
07:29reminders of Welsh
07:30history abound,
07:32like prehistoric
07:33burial grounds
07:34and the remains
07:35of an ancient village.
07:38The island's
07:39star attraction
07:40is Bulmaris.
07:47I bet Wales
07:49has more castles
07:50per square mile
07:50than anywhere in Europe.
07:52That indicates
07:53a hard-fought history.
07:54For centuries,
07:55locals here,
07:56Celtic-speaking farmers,
07:58shepherds,
07:59and forest dwellers
08:00defended their homes
08:01against Romans,
08:03Saxons,
08:04Vikings,
08:05and English.
08:08We'll see four
08:09of the castles
08:10which were built
08:10by the paranoid
08:11King Edward I
08:12of England.
08:13They formed
08:14an iron ring
08:15of fortresses
08:16around North Wales.
08:18Carnarvon,
08:19Cricketh,
08:20Harlech,
08:20and this one,
08:21Bulmaris.
08:23Bulmaris,
08:24from around 1300,
08:25was the final
08:26and some say
08:27the finest.
08:29The architect
08:30was inspired
08:30by state-of-the-art
08:32Saracen castles
08:33he saw during
08:33the Crusades.
08:41Legend tells
08:42that in his effort
08:43to silence Welsh culture,
08:45Edward invited
08:45a group of Welsh poets
08:46and musicians
08:47to the castle
08:47and massacred
08:49them all.
08:57Now we leave
08:58the island of Anglesey
08:59and head south
09:00to Carnarvon
09:01and more of
09:02King Edward's
09:02story in stone.
09:07Like Bulmaris,
09:09the history of Carnarvon
09:09goes back
09:10to the 13th century
09:11when King Edward I
09:13finally beat the Welsh
09:14and put them firmly
09:15under English rule.
09:16He built fortresses
09:17like this
09:18to defend his conquests.
09:21The castle
09:22comes alive
09:22with a local guide.
09:24They explain the castle
09:25from the medieval plumbing
09:26to the investiture
09:28of Prince Charles.
09:30But why here?
09:31Why at Carnarvon?
09:32Why do we have
09:32the investitures
09:33in this castle?
09:34Well, there's a long
09:35tradition linking
09:36this castle
09:36with the birth
09:38of the first
09:39English
09:40Prince of Wales.
09:42Edward did not want
09:43to provoke the Welsh.
09:44He could not afford
09:46a rebellion.
09:46So the story has it.
09:49The king did a deal
09:51with the Welsh leaders.
09:52He promised them
09:53a prince
09:54born in Wales
09:55who could speak
09:56no English.
09:58Luckily,
09:59the queen was pregnant
10:01in a heavily pregnant state.
10:03She was brought
10:04from the south of England
10:06up to Carnarvon.
10:07She promptly gave birth
10:09to a boy.
10:10Now that was extremely
10:11fortunate for the king.
10:13He now had a prince
10:14born in Wales
10:16that was beyond dispute
10:17and his young son
10:19couldn't speak
10:20a word of English
10:21or for that matter
10:22a word of anything.
10:24And then the story
10:24has it further
10:25that the prince
10:26was presented
10:27from the queen's gate
10:29here.
10:29He was presented
10:30by Edward I
10:31on his shield
10:32to the people below.
10:33This is your native
10:35Prince of Wales.
10:37And ever since
10:37that time
10:38the heir apparent
10:39to the throne
10:40has been crowned
10:42or invested
10:43as Prince of Wales.
10:49Like most famous
10:51Welsh castles
10:51this still stands
10:53as a symbol
10:54of English control
10:55over the Welsh.
11:09It took more
11:10than castles
11:11to defeat the Welsh.
11:27In the 15th century
11:28the bold and daring
11:29Welsh hero
11:30Owen Glendower
11:31temporarily freed Wales
11:33from English rule.
11:35After he became
11:36a lawyer in London
11:37he returned to Wales
11:38and stirred his
11:39countrymen to arms.
11:45Crickith Castle
11:46could have looked
11:47pretty much like this
11:48when Glendower
11:49and his men
11:49were finished
11:50attacking it.
11:51They captured
11:52and sacked
11:52the fortress
11:53in 1404.
12:10Crickith stands
12:12like a bulldog
12:13on the horizon.
12:20Now we're
12:21at Harlick Castle
12:22another powerful
12:24medieval castle
12:25experience.
12:48Glendower staged
12:49a triumphant siege
12:50here in 1404.
12:51He held a Welsh
12:53parliament at Harlick
12:54for five years.
12:56Then the castle
12:57fell to a force
12:58of a thousand
12:59Englishmen.
13:00That was Wales
13:01last popular uprising
13:02against the British.
13:06Glendower refused
13:07to accept England's
13:08offer of a pardon
13:09and remained an outlaw
13:10for the rest
13:11of his life.
13:21In North Wales,
13:22castle buffs
13:23of all ages
13:24can have a field day.
13:28My little boy Andy
13:30would love
13:30a romp
13:31on these ramparts.
13:35Imagine,
13:36under attack
13:37600 years ago.
13:39You know,
13:40traveling in Europe
13:40with children
13:41is more popular
13:42than ever.
13:58Castles,
13:58hotels,
13:59restaurants,
14:00pubs,
14:00and freeway rest stops
14:01welcome the
14:02on-the-go family
14:03on a budget.
14:08The joys
14:09that you get
14:10from them,
14:10the thrills
14:11of showing them
14:12a monument
14:13or something like this,
14:15far out's way
14:16is the difficulty
14:16incurred.
14:17So we'd
14:18recommend it thoroughly.
14:20Trying.
14:24And bookstores
14:26at castles
14:26and cathedrals,
14:27especially in Britain,
14:28are filled with books
14:29to make history
14:30fun for kids
14:31and their parents.
14:35When Andy was here,
14:36we bought this
14:37Gaelic picture word book
14:38and we both learned
14:39a little Welsh.
14:41Sisa,
14:43pel,
14:45car,
14:47pel,
14:48sponctio.
14:51It's really
14:52not as difficult
14:54to learn
14:55as many
14:56think it is.
14:57For example,
14:59you'll find
14:59that many
15:00of the names
15:01start
15:02with
15:04places
15:05like
15:06Porth.
15:07Now,
15:07Porth
15:08is a port.
15:10Now,
15:10the name
15:11Brin
15:11means really
15:12a hill.
15:14The word
15:14Pendrin
15:15is really
15:16a peninsula.
15:17So there we are,
15:18we've got
15:18Porth,
15:19we've got
15:19Brin,
15:20we've got
15:20Pendrin,
15:21and then
15:21Unis.
15:22Unis is another one.
15:24Now,
15:24Unis means
15:25obviously
15:26an island.
15:27Don't worry.
15:29Everyone functions
15:30with English.
15:33These romantic
15:34castles
15:34and pretty
15:35villages
15:35make Wales
15:36look like
15:37a fairy tale land.
15:38But there's
15:39a harsh reality.
15:41The local economy
15:42is pretty bleak.
15:44In the last
15:4550 years,
15:46the economy
15:46has shifted
15:47from farming
15:48and mining
15:49to farming
15:50and tourism
15:50as the mining
15:52industry slumps
15:53with the rest
15:54of Britain's
15:54economy.
15:55But for the visitor,
15:57the Welsh
15:58countryside
15:58is rich
15:59and lush.
16:09we're in
16:11Snowdonia
16:11National Park.
16:15That's
16:16Swallow Falls.
16:24This area
16:25is no secret.
16:30Most tour groups
16:32go to predictable
16:32places,
16:33like Betse Ekoed.
16:35It's a popular
16:36jumping-off point
16:37for pony trackers
16:38and hikers.
16:39And it doubles
16:40as a shopping depot
16:42filled with goods
16:43from Welsh cottage
16:44industries.
16:47This woolen mill
16:49welcomes tourists.
16:50Industrial Revolution
16:52technology
16:53still gets
16:53the job done.
17:09Let's head
17:10for the mountains.
17:12Any British
17:13national park
17:14will have
17:15a We Try Harder
17:16information center.
17:18Anywhere in Britain,
17:19for a map
17:20that shows
17:21every sightseeing detail,
17:22I invest
17:23in the
17:24ordinance survey maps.
17:28Much of England
17:29comes to Wales
17:30to commune
17:31with nature.
17:32And this is
17:33one way to do it.
17:34Hop a miniature
17:35steam train
17:36to the summit
17:37of Snowdon.
17:39King Arthur
17:40was mortally wounded
17:42about 300 yards
17:43from where
17:44the summit station
17:45is now.
17:45There's a
17:46pass up there
17:47which is called
17:48Bulked Saipii,
17:49which means
17:49pass of the arrows,
17:51where King Arthur
17:52was mortally wounded.
17:56At 3,560 feet,
17:59this is the highest
18:00mountain in Wales
18:01or England.
18:03The whole of Wales
18:05measures about
18:06130 by 70 miles.
18:13The whole of Wales
18:44on a clear day,
18:45you can see Ireland
18:46way over there.
18:48And regardless
18:49of the weather,
18:50a trip to the summit
18:51of Snowdon
18:51is a high point
18:52on any visit
18:53to Wales.
18:56Some people
18:57take the train
18:57up and hike down.
18:59Hardy souls
18:59like to hike
19:00both ways.
19:01To save time
19:02for a stop
19:03along the way,
19:03we're taking
19:04the train today.
19:11Shakespeare was born
19:12about 120 miles
19:14over there.
19:15And the Industrial
19:16Revolution started
19:17about 70 miles
19:18that way.
19:19The Beatles
19:19made music
19:20for their first time
19:21just 50 miles
19:22over there.
19:28back to our rented
19:30car.
19:30A good time
19:31to talk about
19:32driving British.
19:34I used to call
19:35this the wrong
19:36side.
19:36It isn't.
19:37It's the British
19:38side.
19:40It's not that
19:41difficult once you
19:42remember to stay
19:43on the left
19:43and once you've
19:45mastered the
19:45roundabouts.
19:49I love the
19:50roundabouts
19:51compared to
19:51our intersections.
19:52You merge
19:53carefully into
19:54the center
19:55without stopping.
19:57I give myself
19:58one time around
19:59so I can consider
20:00all my options.
20:01Then my navigator
20:02and I wing off
20:03on the exit
20:04of our choice.
20:13rental cars
20:14include the
20:15legal minimum
20:15insurance.
20:16That means a
20:17very high
20:17deductible,
20:18sometimes the
20:19value of the
20:19car.
20:20The supplemental
20:21CDW or
20:22collision damage
20:23waiver coverage
20:24is worth the
20:25steep price for
20:26the peace of
20:26mind.
20:30The legacy
20:31of a once
20:32thriving slate
20:33industry is
20:34clear in
20:34towns like
20:35Blanau-Festiniog.
20:37A hundred
20:38years ago,
20:39slate changed
20:40this area
20:40from a
20:41community of
20:41scattered farms
20:42to an
20:43industrial center.
20:45Many of the
20:45slate roofs
20:46in Europe
20:46were mined
20:47here in
20:47Wales.
20:48It was
20:49big business.
20:52Today,
20:52however,
20:53the old
20:54slate towns
20:54are more
20:55gray than
20:55ever.
20:57Let's put
20:58on our
20:58hard hats
20:58and descend
20:59into the
21:00underworld
21:00of yesterday's
21:01Welsh slate
21:02miner.
21:03The legendary
21:04men's choirs
21:05of Wales
21:05began over
21:06a hundred
21:06years ago.
21:08Miners
21:09practicing for
21:10chapel competition
21:11sang as they
21:11worked deep
21:12in the mines.
21:24mari
21:32THAT MIGHT
21:35UNLIS
21:36WELL
21:36SAVED
21:36są
21:39WORK
21:43What you have, my father, cast it on the heart in me, I will live.
22:00Oh, my God, my God, my God, my God, my God, my God, my God, my God, my God, my
22:14God, my God.
22:18People have been splitting slate around this town for over 200 years.
22:22Even today, it's all done exactly the same way as at that time.
22:26Nobody's found any sort of machine to do that splitting work properly at all.
22:29It's all hand split even today.
22:41An interesting way to slow down and smell the Welsh roses, barge down the now quiet industrial canals.
22:51You can hire a barge for an extended vacation or park your car for a horse-drawn mini-cruise.
23:04We're going to the Valle Cruces Abbey.
23:07Ruined abbeys like this are all over Britain, destroyed by Henry VIII in his fight with the church.
23:36Since medieval times, Rithin has been the gateway to North Wales.
23:44It's castle is now a hotel, but we're enjoying as royal a house down the street for half the price.
24:06Well rested and ready for action, we've been invited to a medieval party.
24:11My lords and ladies, I'm sure that most of you, well, some of you, well, both of you have heard
24:20of the Bard of Avon.
24:23And we're particularly proud of the way he translated from the original Welsh.
24:30Rithin Castle hosts a medieval banquet.
24:33You'll find these rowdy nights of music, jokes, and feasting all over Britain.
24:39But Rithin's my favorite.
24:41You get a dagger, a bib, a pewter mug of mead, that's medieval honey wine, and plenty of fruit.
24:47Bring up my lord's chicken roast for the noble baron.
25:10The music of Wales is a big part of any visit, and an appropriate finale for our visit.
25:17Clangathlin bustles during its July music festival, when the town is packed with men's choirs and music lovers.
25:24Even outside of festival time, Clangathlin hums with music.
25:29Where else are visitors welcome to enjoy a weekly choir practice?
26:01And then follow the choir.
26:03the choir into the pub for a sing-along.
26:17Today you still hear music in the mines, in the lilting local accent, in the medieval banquets, and in the
26:25pubs.
26:28For travelers, the world is one huge sing-along.
26:31Join us next time as we head north to Hadrian's Wall and Scotland's most exciting city, Edinburgh.
26:38Until then, I'm Rick Steves, wishing you happy travels.
26:44Home videos of destinations in this series are available for $24.95.
26:49To order the 80-minute, three-program tape on North Wales, Edinburgh, and the Cotswolds, or any other destination tapes,
26:57call 1-800-866-7425.
27:01Also available, Rick's 422-page Europe Through the Back Door book for $17.95.
27:07To order, please have your credit card ready and call 1-800-866-7425.
27:13The Cotswolds are available for $17.95.
28:00The Cotswolds have been three different ones that have a number of different things.
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