Part 1

I was born, educated and married in the Rhondda Valley, and I was seventy two years of age when I left Treorchy and went to live in Athelney in Somerset. It surprised me that Athelney was not better known, because, although it is now a hamlet, it was the place where King Alfred had lived in the ninth century - which is a fact; and where he, reputedly, had his ears boxed for burning the cakes - which I believe is fiction. The hamlet is about 10 miles from Taunton and the bus passed the house at 9.05 on Saturday mornings only, so it was essential that I should continue driving.

When my grand-daughter, Lowri, had twin boys, - Dafydd and Rhys - I decided to return to Wales so that I could enjoy watching them, and their brother Daniel, grow up. They were living in Neath Abbey, so I went to live in Bryncoch, Neath, which is not very far away.
By this time my eyesight had deteriorated and I realised I could not drive safely for much longer, and I had no idea how long I would have to wait for the cataracts to be removed. But I was very lucky, because during the six years I was in Somerset the over -sixties had been issued with free Bus Passes, so as soon as I had settled in Bryncoch I applied for a Bus Pass and sold my car.
It was a new lease of life! I no longer had to worry whether I was turning into the wrong road; I didn't have to worry whether there would be a Parking space when I reached my destination; I no longer vexed over the increase in parking costs; and I was delighted I no longer had to bear the frustration of the spiralling cost of petrol. So I cheerfully used my Bus Pass.
I had told my friends in Somerset that I could travel anywhere in Wales without paying, but until we went on the Big Trip I had only travelled to Neath and occasionally to Swansea, once to Llanelli and once to Port Talbot.
But I was sitting and thinking one day where could I travel using my Bus-Pass. I thought to myself, "I could travel around Wales." And that was the beginning of the special journey.
I decided that I would go through the original thirteen Counties which were formed when the Act of Union of England and Wales was passed in 1536. The first thing I felt I had to do was have a clear picture of Wales in front of me. I explained to my friend, Mrs. Jean Jones-the Neath branch Librarian-what I needed, and I was very grateful and delighted to receive a map of Wales with the outlines of the Counties only.
I worked out the direction I would take, and I decided to start from Glamorgan, then go clock-wise through Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire, Montgomeryshire, Merionethshire, Caernarfonshire, across to Anglesey then on to Denbighshire, Flintshire, down through Montgomeryshire for the second time, through Radnorshire and Brecknockshire, on to Monmouthshire and Home.

Now I had to work out where I was going to stay and how many nights I would spend in each place. When I had a rough outline of the journey, I told my friend Miss Margaret Lewis of this idea I had, and she was so enthusiastic I asked her if she would care to come with me, and so I had company to go.
I thought perhaps we could go in September 2006, but Margaret was hoping to have a knee re-placement in September, so the adventure had to be postponed, and I put all ideas and planning away until after the New Year 2007. I then planned to go in May 2007. But Margaret was now looking forward to having the other knee done in May, so I thought we could go in April, then I remembered that I was going to Rhyl to a Conference with the W.I. after Easter, so April was out. "Right Margaret", I said, "we must go in March and cross our fingers that the weather will be kind to us."
I settled down to really planning the tour. I got out the blank map and firstly, marked the position of Neath. Next I marked Swansea, Carmarthen and Haverfordwest - our first stop. Then I marked Cardigan and Aberystwyth where we were stopping for two nights; Dolgellau and Caernarfon where we would stop for two nights; Holyhead and Rhyl for a one night stop; Wrexham two nights, Welshpool two nights and our final stop for one night - Abergavenny.

What was the next thing I had to do? Well I had to work out the times of the buses and the changes we would have to make. Now this is where I was most fortunate. Another friend, Mr. Mark Jones, gave me a copy of the " Wales Bus, Rail and Tourist Map and Guide" which was invaluable. This guide contains information about places, routes and times of all the buses throughout Wales.
The first day I had to make sure we were in Carmarthen in plenty of time to catch the only bus that was going to Haverfordwest and that was going at 12.15pm. I worked out that we should leave Neath in plenty of time to change buses in Swansea and catch the 9.35 to Carmarthen where we would change buses and have enough time to have a break for tea and a sandwich before leaving on the 12.15pm for Haverfordwest. And so on.

ITINERARY

I had hours of enjoyment looking at the Computer and Time-tables and working out the itinerary which was as follows:

Friday March 23rd
Neath 159 8:25 am arr Swansea 9.10 am
Swansea x11 9.35 am arr Carmarthen 11.0 am
Carmarthen 322 12.15 pm arr Haverfordwest 1.14 pm

Sat. March 24th
Haverfordwest 412 10.05 am arr Cardigan 11.35 am
Cardigan x40 hourly arr Aberystwyth
All day Sunday in Aberystwyth

Mon March 26th
Aberystwyth x32 9.45 am arr Dolgellau 11.05 am
Dolgellau x32 1.15 pm arr Caernarfon 2.45 pm

Tues March 27th
Caernarfon x5 9.30 am arr Bangor 10.03 am
Bangor x4 10.30 am arr Holyhead 11.37 am
Holyhead x4 3.35 pm arr Bangor 4.46 pm
Bangor x5 5.05 pm arr Caernarfon 5.35 pm

Weds March 28th
Caernarfon x5 --- Llandudno every 30 minutes on the hour etc.
Llandudno 12 --- Rhyl every 10 minutes

Thurs March 29th
Rhyl 11 9.15 am arr Holywell 10.15 am
Holywell 126 10.50 am every hour arr Mold 11.15 am
Mold 26 11.35 am every hour arr Wrexham 12.21 pm

All day Friday in Wrexham

Sat March 31st
Wrexham 2abc 9.07 am arr Oswestry 10.08 am
Oswestry D71 10.20 am every 2 hours arr Welshpool 11.07 am

Sun April 1st
All day in Welshpool

Mon Apr 2nd
Welshpool 775 9.40 am arr Newtown 10.11 am
Newtown 704 10.20 am arr Brecon 12.18 pm
Brecon x43 12.25 pm arr Abergavenny 1.15 pm

Tues Apr 3rd
Abergavenny x4 1.05 pm arr Merthyr Tydfil 2.30 pm
Merthyr Tydfil 775 2.45 pm arr Neath Station 3.25 pm

Having planned the itinerary now we had to find Hotels and B&B's. I asked Margaret if she would do this task and we were soon ready to go.

Hotels

Haverfordwest 1 night Mariners Hotel
Aberystwyth 2 nights Queensbridge Hotel B&B
Caernarfon 2 nights Bron Menai B&B
Rhyl 1 night Kilkee Guest House B&B
Wrexham 2 nights Lemon-tree Hotel
Welshpool 2 nights The Royal Oak
Abergavenny 1 night The Angel

I'm sure Hercule Poirot would have been very pleased to know that I was using my "little grey cells."

When I had first told my daughter, Lynwen and family they all thought it was a brilliant idea. Some of our friends thought we were very brave, some said they wished they could come with us, and others said that they were determined to do something similar later on.
Two days before we started, the President of Bryncoch W.I., Mrs. Dianne Browne, rang the local paper- the Evening Post- and told Paul the reporter, of our trip round Wales. He rang and asked me if I would mind being interviewed over the phone, and I said, "No," of course. Then the day before we left, John the photographer for the Evening Post rang and asked if he could come to take photos of Margaret and me. So Margaret came with her trolley and we walked to the Bus Stop where we had our pictures taken, standing at the Bus Stop, holding out our arms to stop the Bus, and on the steps of the Bus. Margaret and I thought it was hilarious and the happy tone of the forthcoming trip was set.
Also on the Wednesday before we left, I had phoned the Secretary or President of the Soroptimist Clubs in some of the towns where we were staying, to let them know that we would be stopping either for coffee or stopping overnight in their town. Soroptimist International is a world-wide organisation for women in management and professions working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women. The Neath Club will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2008, and having been a Soroptimist for 35 years, I knew we would have a warm welcome wherever we went. I also tried to contact Women's Institutes but I had left it too late and disappointingly, I failed.

Part 2 - Day One

Day One
I went to open the door for my daughter as I thought, but there on the doorstep were three WI friends who had come to wish me well. Then two other friends came along and took photographs. My daughter had also arrived and we all went into Neath. When we got to Victoria Gardens Margaret arrived at the same time, and there were about twenty ladies altogether from the Soroptimists and the WI, and even a few husbands were there as well. While we were waiting, there was much laughter and talking. I couldn't believe how much interest our trip had engendered. We shall never forget the wonderful send-off we had.
We left Neath with loud cheers ringing in our ears. Only a few passengers were on the bus and the driver was interested to know what was going on, so we told him about our trip. He thought it was a great idea and when he very kindly helped us with our luggage in Swansea, he told the driver of the bus alongside about our trip and he, too, thought it was a great idea.
The day was fine, and it was such a pleasure to look at the beautiful countryside. Looking from the bridge which goes over the river I never get tired of the beautiful view of the Neath Valley, whatever time of year. When we left Neath behind us we soon saw the sea on the one side and the hills on the other; very different from the Neath Valley but just as lovely. We very soon arrived in Swansea.
People who are not familiar with South Wales would, perhaps, find Swansea an ideal centre to use their Bus Passes. Travelling from Swansea the whole of the Gower Coast would be attractive - specially for the younger "oldies" who still enjoy walking. They would see such beauty. Also from Swansea there are buses which take you through delightful countryside to Brecon, Builth and Abergavenny; and day trips to Pembrokeshire would not be impossible.
The scenery changed as we made our way to Carmarthen. It was lovely to look at the luscious green fields stretching away as far as we could see, and very soon we arrived in Carmarthen.
We found a cafe near the bus station and ordered a coffee and sandwiches. We had just started eating when my phone rang and it was Paul, the reporter from the Evening Post telling me that the article and pictures of us were on Pages one and three that day. Margaret nearly choked on her sandwich when I told her. What a laugh! About ten minutes later the phone rang again. This time it was a young man called Nick who worked for BBC Wales News. He had seen the article about us in the Evening Post and asked if he could come to interview us there and then. I told him he would have to be quick because we had to catch the 12.15pm bus as it was the only bus going to Haverfordwest that day. A young man kindly helped us down some steps with our luggage, and Nick got to the bus stop almost as soon as we did.
He took a picture of us, interviewed us and said that he would be reporting it on the Web Site. We were both laughing our heads off, but really we were very flattered and very pleased. Later on I phoned Lynwen to tell her what had happened, and very soon she was ringing me back to tell me she had seen it all on the Computer and had phoned my grandchildren to tell them to look on their Website.
When we arrived in Haverfordwest we found our Hotel, and after a short rest we went for a walk around the town. Haverfordwest is in the middle of Pembrokeshire and ideal for exploring places, and Margaret and I wished we had had more time to visit St. David's Cathedral and other places of interest.
In the evening we met a few ladies from the Soroptimist Club. It was lovely to meet old friends. We chatted away catching up on some news. Four of the ladies had made arrangements to go to other events but had taken the trouble to come to meet us first, which was so kind of them. One of the ladies, Norah, had nothing arranged so she joined us for dinner.

Day Two

After breakfast we went to the Reception desk to pay our bill and the owner of the Hotel was busy working on the computer. We told him how we had been interviewed the day before and that we had appeared on the Web site. We explained that we hadn't seen it ourselves and please was it possible for him to show us. He immediately brought it up on screen and also printed it out so that we had a copy to keep. This was an example of the kindness shown to us throughout our Trip.
We left the Hotel and made our way to the Bus station where we were catching the bus which would take us to Cardigan. While we were standing at the bus stop a lady came along, and after a while she asked us if we had been shopping or were we going on holiday. We told her what we were doing, and immediately she said that she had a Bus Pass too and could she come with us. Her name was Annie Phillips and she was catching the bus to a Garden Centre where she would have a coffee, have a walk around the Centre and then catch the bus home where she lived in Sheltered Accommodation; but where she lived an independent life and where she looked after herself. Annie was 92 years old.
The bus came and we soon arrived in Cardigan having again travelled through more beautiful countryside. We were met at the bus stop by a Soroptimist, President Kitty, who took us to the Mwldan Theatre where we had coffee with four ladies. During the conversation I discovered I was related to one of the ladies - through her husband Dick Jones the famous Welsh Bard, who is the present Archdruid of Wales. Jean called him immediately on the phone, and we had a long conversation. I was delighted.
We then caught the bus to Aberystwyth. What a pleasant journey - the sea on the left and fields and hills on the right, and what a beautiful leisurely run.The bus didn't keep to the main road only - it went to different villages; down the steep hill to Aberporth, and then down another hill to New Quay, on to Aberaeron and eventually to Aberystwyth. Travelling on the local buses we saw so many little villages throughout Wales which we would never have seen otherwise. When we arrived in Aberystwyth we had a taxi to our B&B Hotel on the sea - front and so ended an enjoyable day. Margaret was as enthusiastic as I about all the events and experiences and neither of us really felt our ages. We were thoroughly enjoying ourselves.

Day Three

Today started off with still more excitement. The President of the Aberystwyth Soroptimists rang to say that she hoped that we would join a few ladies for lunch. During the conversation Ann said that we had been mentioned in the Western Mail on Saturday. Well! we thought, to have been mentioned in our National Paper - fame at last.
We left the Hotel, walked to the end of the Promenade and kicked the Bar - a custom which has gone on for many years. We then climbed a short hill to the Cliff Railway that went up a very, very steep incline to the top of Constitution Hill. Oh! What a view when we got to the top. We looked down on the whole sweep of the Bay and the town itself. Magnificent!!! When I was a little girl I used to go every year to stay with my Grand-mother for my summer holidays in Penllwyn, Capel Bangor which was about five miles out-side Aberystwyth, but this was the first time I had been up Constitution Hill. How I regret the missed opportunities.
After arriving back at the bottom of the Hill we took a leisurely walk along the Prom and met Mrs Ann George, Mrs. Chris Southern and Miss Beryl Thomas for lunch which took a long time because we talked so much. After lunch Beryl asked us if we would like to go for a trip to Devil's Bridge. I was delighted, because Beryl drove us along familiar ground. Leaving Aberystwyth we drove through Llanbadarn Fawr where my Father was born, on through Penllwyn, Capel Bangor where my Mother was born, and on to Goginan.
Just before we came to Ponterwyd, we drew in to a local centre of interest - Bwlch Nant Yr Arian where there is a silver lead mine Museum. In this area there is an increasing number of Kites. The Kite is a large bird of the Falcon family which flies so gracefully for such a big bird, and in the nearby lake we saw ducks with tufts on their heads. The Centre must be a very interesting place to spend some time and walk about; and fortunately accessible by the 501 bus. We drove through Devil's Bridge and down through the Rheidol Valley and back to Aberystwyth. The trip had been wonderful and a mere "Thank You," seemed so inadequate for such kindness.
We returned to our Hotel and decided that there would be no more walking today, so we rested ready for tomorrow's long trip to Caernarfon.
Reminiscing about the day I thought that Aberystwyth would be a good centre with buses going to Cardigan, Machynlleth, Clarach Bay and Llandudno - to name but a few towns.

Day Four

We left Aberystwyth at 9.45 and travelled up to Machynlleth and on to Dolgellau. What marvellous scenery. The further north we went the higher the mountains became, and looking eastwards there seemed to be layers and layers of them.
Arriving in Dolgellau we were met at the bus stop by three Soroptimists. Dolgellau Soroptimists are in the Northen Region whereas we are from the Southern Region, so we had never met these ladies. Mrs. Beryl Clark, the President, welcomed us, and we were taken across the road to a Cafe which had once been an Ironmonger's Shop. It was a Listed Building, and an interesting feature of the room was the rows of shelves which had been left on the walls. We had a most welcome coffee, which was followed by a very tasty lunch at the nearby Hotel and the time flew. Having met the very friendly ladies in Dolgellau, I was so pleased that I had had the sense to make contact with the different Clubs, because we met as strangers but parted as Friends.
Dolgellau was another place I was loathe to leave. Because we had to move on to our next resting place we had no time to explore the town, and I know Margaret regretted this as much as I. And we both felt that here was a lovely place as a centre for touring by bus, walking and seeing more of our luscious countryside.
It was soon time to leave, and we continued our journey through this beautiful country of ours. Soon we came to the estuary and crossed the Toll Bridge into Porthmadog. The town appeared to be very busy and Margaret and I promised ourselves that we would return to Porthmadog because we wanted to explore the area using our Bus Passes. We could spend some time in Port Meirion - "The Italian Village"- which is nearby; buses go to Caernarfon, Bangor and Bedd Gelert to name just a few places; a steam engine carries you up to Blaenau Ffestiniog known as "The Slate Town"; and the familiar names whetted my appetite for further investigation.
Leaving Porthmadog the scenery became more rugged and the mountains much higher and we were so lucky to be able to see the landscape so clearly on such a bright day. In no time at all we arrived in Caernarfon, found our B&B opposite the Bus Stop, made ourselves a cup of tea and rested before we went out to look for a place to have an evening meal.
Nearby there was a big Hotel and we decided to go there for our Dinner. Today was rather a special day. It was Margaret's Birthday. So we decided to celebrate in style. And why not. Margaret was 83 young.