Mountain Train and Other Adventures in Wales

By Brad Crane (age 7)

The post author riding the train to the top of Mount Snowdon in North Wales.

I went on a mountain train up to the top of Mount Snowdon. The mountain train was very slow but quite fun. There were really pretty views and the track was very windy. The train went up forwards and down backwards. It wasn’t that steep at all. The row In front of you has to put their feet by you because they would slip off their seat. We saw two waterfalls—big waterfalls. There was a hiking path right next to the rail. We saw a lot of people on that trail. Then there was a stream in between the mountains. 

Mountain Views on the train to the peak of Mount Snowdon. All this variety and beauty and no geologist handy to tell us all about it.  Where is a geologist when you need one?

After time to time we have to stop at a passpoint so the other train can go by. There was a big cliff on one side and another cliff on the other side at the start. When we were about to get to the top of the mountain, I was cold because the windows were open. It was a beautiful journey too. When we were pulling into the station, and getting out, it was a little cold, so I decided to put on my parka.

When I got to the top there was a spiral staircase and I was up there in the sky.  And there I was on top of the world. Then I went down into a crater thing. It was steep. I had to climb down it. We had Welsh cakes—that’s what they were called. It was really rocky up there. We took a couple pictures up there. It looked like the hikers thought it was a big accomplishment. I myself would think that Mount Everest was a big accomplishment.

Brad and Jeremy on top of the World (or at least Wales)!

The view from the top of Mount Snowdon

 It was really high and I was warm because I had my parka on now. It was time to get back on the train and start going backwards. I got into the train and started waiting for a few seconds before it started. They didn’t check tickets on the way down so the hikers could just get in if they were too tired. On the way down, I felt like I was falling backward. There was a guy next to us who wasn’t Welsh who we talked to. By the way, we’re in Wales right now. On our way down, me and Jeremy were arguing about sitting next to each other so I just sat on the other side of the bench .We enjoyed going down because we had the windows closed, finally .While we were going down, we saw the two waterfalls again. Then we just pulled into the station. Then we started to walk to the car. It was a really short walk. Then we got in the car and started driving to the Irish Sea. 

At the Irish Sea, we found lots of pretty rocks and I made a big block of sand. We picked up little rocks and threw them at the big field of rocks to see how much they bounced. It was really cool. Then we decided to hike up a big hill. At the top we could see Ireland. Me and Jeremy went to tell Sarah that we could see it, but we both slipped because it was steep and very wet. And then Dad decided for us to take the main trail. It was fun going down because we had a race. We had to dodge all the people who were hiking up too. 

The sky, earth, and sea meet on the Welsh shore.

Walking on water (almost) on the edge of the Irish Sea.  I think that something about the scarves on the beach suggests we aren't in Florida.

Exploring the rocks along the beach.

After the Irish Sea, we went to the longest town name in the world. It was called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogogoch. (My Dad helped me write the name.)  It has a very silly name. But it makes sense in Welsh language.  (Dad:  It means "The Church of Mary in the Hollow of the White Hazel Near the Fierce Whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the Red Cave.") Then we went to dinner. I had nuggets and ketchup and fries and peas. Then we drove home.  It was a very tiring day. Daddy and Jeremy were playing a game with the temperature. Daddy won because the temperature kept getting colder and Daddy was voting for cold. It got to be 42 degrees. While we were going home, the moon got very very bright. When we got home, everybody was supposed to carry everything in from the car but they didn’t--not quite everything. And then, Dad was trying to get everyone in bed. We all went to bed. It was a very great day.

Here is an old railway station in Llanfairpwllgw.....See below for a closeup of the full name.

Here is a closeup of the full name of the town.  Imagine that spelling test . . .

 Everybody was really tired and definitely not ready for Sunday. I was especially very late for Sunday. I wanted to sleep in and eat breakfast. I refused to take a shower I just really wanted to take a bath. At church me and Elliott played. It was very fun, except for going home because the moon isn't that cool. I like this day because it was very fun and great.

To Scotland and Back

By Jeremy Crane

My turn again! I get to write another post! What did we do recently... Well, we went to England, but I am pretty sure our blog has that covered. In that case, I guess I will write about our trip to the land of the Scots a few weeks ago. It was the moment we all were waiting for. We were finally leaving on the long-awaited trip (it was postponed 2 or 3 weeks) to the home of the bagpipes, kilts, tartan hats, and very small scoops of ice cream. We went to Edinburgh for just 2 days and a night.

Have minivan, will travel.  Given the smiles, either the trip is just starting or they think that there is some ice cream nearby.

 First we stormed Edinburgh Castle. It wasn’t easy, to get through the active military units still stationed there. After we made it in, we saw a lot of old musty stuff including where King James I of England was born, (maybe you’ve heard of him). Well he must not have been very important because the room he was born in is smaller than my bathroom. All he did was order the translation of a book called The Holy Bible. We saw the Scottish Crown Jewels, plus the stone that the first King of Scotland was crowned on top of. There was also a dog cemetery for the soldier’s dogs at the castle. Those soldiers sure must have loved their dogs.

Jeremy and Allison storming Edinburgh castle. 

Allison enjoying the view from the castle wall.

Afterwards, we went browsing through some shops. An hour or two later, we ended up with Scotland or Edinburgh sweaters for all of us but Brad, who got a pair of bagpipes for 15 pounds. Let’s just say that when we bought those bagpipes, we got what we paid for. They might not look too bad to the eyes, but those “bagpipes” are definitely not sweet to the hearing. Well, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that they weren’t quite as good as the 150 pound ones. By far, the best souvenir though was my tartan hat. Tartan hats are so cool. I would wear mine 24/7 if it didn’t make my head sweaty.  

We then thoroughly scoured the Scottish history section of the National Museum of Scotland. At least as thoroughly as you can search 6 floors in an hour. My favorite part was the witch torture devices, featuring the thumbscrews, which crushed the bones in your thumbs. Lovely! Well, unless those thumbs are mine.

Remnants of John Knox's house are still visible.  It is one of the oldest houses in Edinburgh.

The next day we saw the National Childhood Museum of Scotland. It was pretty much the home of a bunch of creepy dolls, old fashioned toys, and lots of manikins. We also went to another museum that will remain unnamed, because we forgot its name. It is not because I forgot, it’s because my parents forgot. They are very forgetful. So whatever the museum was called, it showed a lot of wax figures that depicted Scottish life throughout the ages. It was very interesting and detailed.

Then we went to get ice cream. The proportions were tiny. In fact, as Shakespeare would have put it, there was “not so much [ice cream]… as earwax” We definitely didn't get much, but what we did get was good. We also saw the café where J.K. Rowling wrote the first few books of Harry Potter. Apparently, my dad had seen it earlier but had not made it known. If we had not come across it again by chance our family might just have led a revolt against him. Well, I guess he got lucky.

Exploring the cemetery where Adam Smith was buried.

As we left Edinburgh, we started noticing many signs saying "Yes!" or "No!" for the Scottish Independence Referendum. There were also cool slogans like "Proud to be Scots, Delighted to be United." Even though "No!" had a better slogan, I was leaning toward "Yes!" because Scotland becoming independent would be awesome. Unfortunately, (spoiler alert) "No!" won. :(    

On the way back, we took the back roads so we could see Hadrian’s Wall. Hadrian’s Wall was cool, because it was built by Roman Emperor Hadrian 2000 years ago, but the best part was the countryside scenery. We so lots of rabbits, and some sheep. Thousands of sheep, that is. Out of all of those sheep, only a handful of them stuck out. That was because they were crowd surfing. One of the sheep had literally climbed on top of cluster of them and was walking around. Well I have seen stranger things. For an example, like the time when... uh, when, um… Well maybe not. We ended the evening by going to an Inn for tea (dinner for you Americans), and I got a fish pie that was really hot but was still good. The trip was a success and was definitely worth the 10 hour round trip. After all, I DID get a tartan hat! 

The author's tartan cap on display.  A section of Hadrian's wall is visible in the background.

Walking a section of Hadiran's Wall