Our first night in Wales was spent in Bridgend. After locating available accommodations with the aid of the information center (very helpful folks) in a mall just off the motorway, we headed into town to find Mair's B&B. It, like many small B&Bs is a renovated row house which boasts 'ensuite' accommodations (private bathrooms in the room instead of shared facilities down the hall). The typical 'full English (or Welsh, or Highland) breakfast' consists of fruit, various cold cereals, and juice as starters, then eggs cooked as you like, sausage, bacon (more like thick Canadian bacon or a small ham steak), grilled mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, black bread, toast, and tea or coffee. In the southern coast of Wales, they also have a unique extra - lava bread. Actually, it is warm seaweed that is so salty as to be virtually inedible! In any case, no one goes away hungry.

Further west along the coast, we went to Pembroke, site of one of the largest castles in Wales. After walking around the outer walls along the water (it was built on a spit of rock) we arrived at the main entrance in the outer wall. Although the current Pembroke Castle has been restored in many stages beginning in 1880, the original castle (built as a wooden fortification) dates back to 1093. It has undergone at least seven major reconstructions and enlargements over the centuries.

On this particular weekend, a group of folks were set up to show what life was like for inhabitants of the castle in the 14th and 15th century. The large tower on the left was the main residential area and was originally built beginning in 1204. The smaller tower housed the dungeon, and to the right are two great halls for entertaining (and to impress the less well healed).

We next headed inland to just north of Porthyrhyd to visit the Garden of Wales (the national botanical gardens of Wales). Along with an extensive array of outdoor gardens, theme areas, and outbuildings, there is also one of the largest domed greenhouses in the world.

Inside the dome, there are multi-level paved paths that take you through a variety of 'theme' areas. Ann is in the 'Native California' area - mostly scrub brush plants from central and southern areas of California (no Redwoods or Sequoias). Our visit coincided with a show of local crafts people and a group of improvisational drummers banging out complex rhythms that reverberated throughout the dome.

Heading west again, we went looking for a castle in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. We found it, but we were too early and couldn't get in. We did have a lovely time traveling through (literally) some very green, lush country lanes. For most of our time in Wales, light rain was always threatening and a few times actually in evidence, but we never really got soaked - just slightly damp.

In the western tip of Pembrokeshire lies the town of Saint David's and Saint David's Cathedral. It was built on the site of a monastery erected in 589 by St. David, the patron saint of Wales. The town and monastery were attacked and destroyed many times by marauding Vikings over the next four centuries.

The cathedral was built in stages from about 1185 through the 16th century. It has undergone a series of extensive restorations from 1862 through 1910. It continues to serve the surrounding community and hosts a yearly music festival that lasts more than a week. We could easily have spent days wandering and enjoying the many rooms and halls, each with their own unique flavor and purpose.

After a stay in Fishguard on the Irish Sea, and a ride through Snowdonia National Park, we arrived at Portmerion Village. We were told about the place by a couple of Welshmen we met at the Paignton harbor. If you look in the dictionary under eclectic, you may find the village referred to as the embodiment of the term!

Portmerion was conceived and built as a private resort by architect Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis from 1926 through 1976. It's many varied architectural styles have been the stage for a number of movies and television episodes, standing in for locations in Italy, China, and Austria. The most famous was as the outdoor settings for the 1966 television series "The Prisoner", starring Patrick McGoohan.

Throughout the village, the scale has been altered to suit whatever bits and pieces have been rescued from demolition projects. Things rarely are what they seem to represent. Double takes are constant as you look around - then look again to put things in perspective. It is not uncommon for a grand facade to have behind it either nothing, or a small guest room.

In many places throughout the village, if the architectural details didn't fulfill Clough's vision, they were added with paint. One building which had an entire blank wall on one side had six multi-paned windows painted on, complete with interior curtains, and shadows to give the painted casework a feeling of depth!

After leaving Wales behind, and skirting around Liverpool, we traveled north through the Lake District National Park. We stopped on High Kingate near Kirkstone Pass to stretch our legs and enjoy the scenery with it's lush sheep pastures enclosed in dry stone walls.

After entering our third country (Scotland), and getting horribly lost in downtown Glasgow (two GPSs notwithstanding), we finally cleared the major congestion and rode along the shore of fabled Loch Lomond. On the other side of the loch (either a lake or a long narrow bay or arm of the sea) is the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park.

A bit further north, in the west highlands, we stayed in Fort William at the top end of Loch Linnhe (a sea loch this time). Located at the foot of Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in the UK at about 4,400 feet), it is a popular area for outdoor tourist adventures. High street is closed to vehicles (except delivery lorries) and hosts a selection of shops and pubs with enough variety to satisfy most everyone.

Just outside of town is the Ben Nevis Distillery where they have been producing Uisge Beatha (the water of life) since 1825. The whiskey is made from a precise brew of water, barley and yeast, with a measure of peat smoke or reek thrown in during the process. Although we partook of samples (very small - we were riding) we both decided that scotch (even the good stuff) is not our libation of choice.

Right next to the distillery, was a small farm with a critter we had to get a better look at! Turned out to be a highland cow - one of the oldest known breeds of cattle anywhere. Apparently the hair length varies with climate, but in Northern Scotland it can get quite impressive.

Heading north again, we hooked a left when we got to Invergarry. Traveling along the edge of the hills, we had to double back a bit to get a good view of Loch Garry (and Glen Garry) with the 'Scottish Mist' settling in. We were headed toward the Isle of Skye, which Colin had told us was a wonderful place to grow up, had a rugged beauty, and was very sparsely populated. It also has the advantage of being accessible by a bridge from the mainland!

Originally fortified in 1220 to defend against the Vikings, Eilean Donan Castle sits on a part time island (tides run 15-18 feet) between Loch Alsh and Loch Duich - both sea lochs. Although reduced to ruins in the Jacobite War in 1719, it was rebuilt over the course of twenty years, beginning in 1912.