Thursday, July 06, 2006
BANGOR. NORTH WALES
Bangor is an interesting town with a cathedral and university on the North Wales Coast. Having said that, I have to say that you can hardly call the water's edge a seaside sort of coast because Bangor lies on the Menai Strait.
If you would like to know more about the town and the Menai Strait I suggest you look at the following websites.......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangor_(Wales)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menai_Strait
On these sites you will find the facts. I can just offer my impressions on the days when we are there, visiting Ashley, Liz and Ekatarina.
I described it just now as "interesting" and it is; though there are few places for tourists to visit and the shopping centre is just now very bleak. A little 1960s development has been demolished to make way for something new, so at the moment there is a building site alongside the High Street. The High Street is steep and quite narrow and for the most part pedestrianised. There is a nice clock tower half way up the hill, which is close to Holland & Barrett, where Liz works.
It is a Victorian town which grew rapidly with the development of the railway and the building of the bridges which linked the mainland to Anglesey and the port of Holyhead where ships leave for Ireland.
This picture was taken from Roman Camp overlooking the Menai Strait and the bridges in the distance.
It is doubtful if Roman Camp had much to do with the Romans - it is more likely to have been a Norman fortification.
At the moment, Ashley lives in the area of Bangor known as Hirael which is at the bottom of the town and quite close to the Menai Strait. It is an area of narrow sloping streets with small houses built aroung 1900 for the workers in the mining industry.
Asley lives in almost the first street you can see crossing the picture from left to right.
This picture was taken at Roman Camp.
Ashley and Liz plan to move at some point from this area to Upper Bangor, which is close to Ekatarina's school.
Upper Bangor has even narrower streets, weaving in a haphazard manner at the top of the hill quite close to the station.
When the family move then maybe walks to the pier will be less frequent. It is only a few minutes walk from their present home. It is a long pier stretching out half way across the Menai Strait. It is normally quite bracing to walk out to the end in the wind that can blow from the west along the length of the water. There is a small cafe at the end offering cups of tea and buttered scones. There are a few small shops, in the little towers you can see along the length, selling craftwork and nick nacks.
Last Friday, whilst Ekatarina was at school we went for a walk with Ashley. It was an interesting and quite strenuous stroll firstly down to the water's edge and then climbing up to Roman camp. We enjoyed looking at all sorts of things from tiny black peacock butterfly caterpillars to a Celtic stone circle constructed for an Eisteddford.
I'll put the nature study pictures on the next bit of blog.
The next 2 pictures were taken on the beach - nothing like a sea side beach, although there were lots of shells and stranded small jelly fish.
The stones have not been rounded like the pebbles on a sea side beach. I am surprised at this because they are constantly being covered and uncovered by moving water - the tide comes in and goes out quite a distance. Here you can see the mud flats uncovered by the tide.
There are few buildings by the water's edge here, for it is difficult to have access for a vehicle.
The old Bangor Bath House is situated at this point, but now boarded up and unused.
By chance we met somebody else walking down by the water who had grown up in Bangor and she told us that she had learned to swim in the bath house.
If you would like to know more about the town and the Menai Strait I suggest you look at the following websites.......
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangor_(Wales)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menai_Strait
On these sites you will find the facts. I can just offer my impressions on the days when we are there, visiting Ashley, Liz and Ekatarina.
I described it just now as "interesting" and it is; though there are few places for tourists to visit and the shopping centre is just now very bleak. A little 1960s development has been demolished to make way for something new, so at the moment there is a building site alongside the High Street. The High Street is steep and quite narrow and for the most part pedestrianised. There is a nice clock tower half way up the hill, which is close to Holland & Barrett, where Liz works.
It is a Victorian town which grew rapidly with the development of the railway and the building of the bridges which linked the mainland to Anglesey and the port of Holyhead where ships leave for Ireland.
This picture was taken from Roman Camp overlooking the Menai Strait and the bridges in the distance.
It is doubtful if Roman Camp had much to do with the Romans - it is more likely to have been a Norman fortification.
At the moment, Ashley lives in the area of Bangor known as Hirael which is at the bottom of the town and quite close to the Menai Strait. It is an area of narrow sloping streets with small houses built aroung 1900 for the workers in the mining industry.
Asley lives in almost the first street you can see crossing the picture from left to right.
This picture was taken at Roman Camp.
Ashley and Liz plan to move at some point from this area to Upper Bangor, which is close to Ekatarina's school.
Upper Bangor has even narrower streets, weaving in a haphazard manner at the top of the hill quite close to the station.
When the family move then maybe walks to the pier will be less frequent. It is only a few minutes walk from their present home. It is a long pier stretching out half way across the Menai Strait. It is normally quite bracing to walk out to the end in the wind that can blow from the west along the length of the water. There is a small cafe at the end offering cups of tea and buttered scones. There are a few small shops, in the little towers you can see along the length, selling craftwork and nick nacks.
Last Friday, whilst Ekatarina was at school we went for a walk with Ashley. It was an interesting and quite strenuous stroll firstly down to the water's edge and then climbing up to Roman camp. We enjoyed looking at all sorts of things from tiny black peacock butterfly caterpillars to a Celtic stone circle constructed for an Eisteddford.
I'll put the nature study pictures on the next bit of blog.
The next 2 pictures were taken on the beach - nothing like a sea side beach, although there were lots of shells and stranded small jelly fish.
The stones have not been rounded like the pebbles on a sea side beach. I am surprised at this because they are constantly being covered and uncovered by moving water - the tide comes in and goes out quite a distance. Here you can see the mud flats uncovered by the tide.
There are few buildings by the water's edge here, for it is difficult to have access for a vehicle.
The old Bangor Bath House is situated at this point, but now boarded up and unused.
By chance we met somebody else walking down by the water who had grown up in Bangor and she told us that she had learned to swim in the bath house.
