Wales – Tyler's Travel Tales

Caerleon, Wales | The Romans were there, an ancient history nerds dream! 🗡️

Wales’ Ancient Roman Gem!

Setting the scene

Caerleon has always been somewhere I have wanted to visit, however have never had the opportunity to do so. Some friends recently got married in Usk, which is a beautiful town nearby Caerleon, providing the perfect opportunity to swing by! Having recently visited Conwy (Post here) & Llandudno (Post here), I have absolutely fallen in love with Wales, it is an incredible place with such a rich history & fantastic people. In 2026, I will be visiting all over Wales. so any recommendations on hidden gems would be much appreciated ❤️

About Caerleon..

Caerleon is one of only 3 permanent Ancient Roman settlements in Britain. With the others being York & Chester. They did not have one in Scotland, so it’s either that the local tribes were too mental & couldn’t be defeated or the weather was awful & Scotland wasn’t worth the hassle. As a proud Scot, I would suggest its the former. However, it is more than likely the latter 😂.

The area was initially inhabited by the Silures tribe, who for years fought against the Romans, resisting their rule.

Eventually the Romans took over & built out their legionary fortress in Isca, later named Caerleon. The historical sites here are remarkably well preserved, considering how long ago the Romans ruled! You can visit an Amphitheatre, Roman Baths, Barracks & the National Roman Legion Museum.

The city has a strong links to King Arthur & his knights, which is mentioned in a few different texts. The Arthurian legend lives on, although whether he was real & at Caerleon in the early centuries remains to be seen. However, with the Romans having already built & left behind so much useful infrastructure, it would make sense for Arthur to have been there a few centuries later. One thing is for sure, is it is a very cool city & I would loved to have been there to see it back in the day!

Story time 📚

Within the National Roman Legionary Museum there was a cool little mock soldier’s quarters. They have plenty of props you can play with, such as shields, swords & helmets. Being the man child that I am, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity & it was pretty quiet so nobody around. I get myself kitted up to the hilt ready for war. As I was trying to take a series of selfies, I was getting really into the mood to start fighting the enemies of Rome. Using the Gladiator speech I was ready for my vengeance on the murdered family wife & kids that I don’t have. As I began swinging the sword around a couple of children came into the little room & started laughing at me. Usually, I don’t get embarrassed, it’s all in good fun. However, I think they thought I was a worker there as they started asking me all sorts of questions about the Romans etc. I managed to just about wing a best guestimate of a couple of the answers, but I am no Maximus Decimus Meridius, that’s for sure!😂.

This story I really thought to leave out as it will lead to me taking some fierce ridicule from my friends, however when I heard they had a Roman Baths here, I’d thought they were actual baths that you could swim in. Especially considering the website for the place explicitly highlights that it is an indoor attraction. As you are probably guessing already, you can’t swim in the baths. I felt like a right wally stood at the ticket office with my towel & trunks. However, it is still an epic place to visit!

Although my post is about Caerleon, I must give a special mention to Usk, the Town of flowers. My friend’s got married there & it’s truly beautiful, if you are driving it’s a short trip & you can combine it with a day out in Caerleon. You can take the bus if not, but double check the times as they are pretty infrequent.

Some photos of the trip… 🤳🏼

Roman Gardens
Amphitheatre
Roman Museum
My battle attire…
River Usk
Roman Museum
Roman Gardens
Roman Baths
Roman Museum
Usk Bridge

Useful information 🧑🏼‍🎓

Entry into the National Roman Legionary Museum is free, so is the remains of the amphitheatre & barracks. You do have to pay to get into the Roman baths. These tourist sites are all within walking distance of each other, there is plenty of space to park at the amphitheatre & you can have a wander from there. According to Google there is a Castle ruins, but I couldn’t find it 😂.

There are a couple of nice looking country type pubs but I didn’t go into any so can’t offer any real advice. In Usk I stayed in The New Court Inn, which is a cute little country pub & hotel. The food was really good & the owners are lovely, so check it out if you need somewhere to stay! The Usk bridge is really pretty & worth stopping by if you have time.

What is coming next? 🤔

Next up there will be posts about my mini Euro trip to Poland, up through Latvia, Estonia & Finland. I had the most amazing time & am so grateful for having had the opportunity to go!

I would love to take any trip recommendations, if I can get there by bus, boat, train or plane, I will go🤠. Hit subscribe to get notified when the next post goes live, thanks for reading through & as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

Llandudno | Sun, Sea & Seals 🦭

A beautiful location for a weekend away!

Setting the scene

For my 30th birthday (Plus VAT) this year I wanted to do something other than cheap beers with my friends until someone passes out! When exploring weekend trips, North Wales cropped up as my friend Terri had mentioned it a few times. Starting out in Conwy (Blog post available here), I made my way over to Llandudno for a couple of nights 😍

About Llandudno..

LLandudno is a remarkable place to visit on the North coast of Wales. Perched on the Irish Sea it boasts pristine beaches, wild seals, stunning topography/geology & lovely walking trails.

As far as seaside towns go, I don’t think you can get much more beautiful than Llandudno, however from the photos Anglesey looks pretty special, so will be visiting there in ’26 (any recommendations would be appreciated).

Whether you are visiting the Great Orme or Little Orme, you feel like you are in a fantasy novel. This is an analogy I have exhausted, so will have to get the thinking cap on for my next post. However, this time it is fully appropriate. Unbeknownst to me, some of The House of the Dragon (Game of Thrones spin off) was filmed in parts of North Wales. It wasn’t until somebody recognised it on my Instagram post (you can see here) that I realised. I did watch the first couple of episodes, but gave up after they changed some of the actors halfway, I couldn’t keep up.

Story time 📚

I love my friends, but you wouldn’t want them on your Team for a group health & safety Project! They talked me into going on the Big Wheel (It isn’t quite as big as the London one, but big enough to cause you a serious mischief should it malfunction). When I say talked, what actually happened was they cleverly used juvenile reverse psychology to make me go on it. You’d hope to be impervious to such childish behaviour, but I wouldn’t have heard the end of it. There was nobody else on it & all 3 of us in a small singular cabin. We got halfway up, so 9 on a clock & it began to break down, which did absolutely nothing to allay my safety concerns. The guy brought us back down & whilst I couldn’t work out what he was saying, it was most likely along the lines of “You are 3 fat numpties, the weight distribution needs to be more even”. My thinking was, ideal scenario I will hop out & my 2 mates can go at opposite ends. Wrong, given that I am the heaviest, I had to go in one carriage myself & my 2 mates at the opposite side, so we could get the ride going. I didn’t even want to go on the thing! By the time I get to the top, I notice that half of the metal beams are held together by cable ties & they were not looking all that sturdy. I really thought that was the end of my journey, my hangover was so bad the next morning, I was retrospectively wishing the cable ties had snapped 😂

We had booked a slick looking apartment on Booking, but didn’t realise it was above a first floor Curry House restaurant & they shared a stairway. When we were returning the first night, we convinced my friend that it was open 24 hours & we would pick up a curry on the way home from the discos. He stood in the hallway for about 5 minutes trying to catch a servers eyes to get in for a curry, for the avoidance of doubt it was not a 24 hour place. This was the same friend we convinced you needed a passport to get into Wales & that you could swim to the Isle of Mann from Llandudno in under 20 minutes. An empiricist might come to the conclusion that he is in fact a rather gullible fellow. He claims to read my blog, so when I next see him, we will see if he gives me a shake down for calling him gullible or not!

There is a beautiful little cove where lots of Seals live, to some people it may just be a Seal, but to see them in the wild hanging out on a beach was really special for me. The area they live is call Little Orme or Porth Dyniewaid on Google Maps. The walk here is stunning as you can see from the photos below. However, we were hungover & trudging along at a very slow pace, we didn’t notice some of the signs. When we arrived, we climbed down the side of the mountain onto the beach, which was pristine. After around 15 minutes though, we became aware of a commotion up above. It turns out you aren’t actually allowed down onto the beach in case you disturb the Seals, I felt awful but there were none there when we first landed or we wouldn’t have went down. We came back up & the Seals visited later, unfortunately I couldn’t get a good photo of them. Coming back up the hill was pretty tough, I slipped but thankfully managed to grab a rock sticking out of the terrain. Otherwise, it was a long way down!

Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to visit everywhere. But if you have time in Llandudno, there’s a plethora of things to do. There’s a cool Great Orme railway, cable cars, a zoo, wild Kashmiri goats, walks along the pier & scenic drives to take if you have a motor.

Some photos of the trip… 🤳🏼

Beach at Little Orme
Seal cove (there were seals that came a shore, but couldn’t get a decent photo)
Little Orme
Llandudno Pier
Seal cove
Llandudno Pier
Little Orme
Little Orme
Craft Beer Cave

Where to eat & drink? 🍻🍽️

Usually I would suggest a nice local restaurant here, but we didn’t go to many. There was a cracking fish & chip stall at the beginning of Llandudno pier I would recommend. Look for the one that has a slide in it, they cook the fish at the top & then slide it down. Great quality & at reasonable prices. The Palladium Wetherspoons was actually alright too. We got our food in under 10 minutes, they must have had all 15 microwaves running at full speed!

There are a couple of decent places to grab a drink. The Craft Beer Cave is awesome, you can try all kinds of different beers from across the UK & abroad. The people who own it are lovely & it’s a great vibe there. For general bars, karaoke or a boogie there is a couple of cool places on Mostyn Street 🫡

Useful information 🧑🏼‍🎓

The seal cove at Little Orme is awesome, but if you don’t drive it’s quite a bit away from the main pier at Llandudno. The buses are frequent & takes about 15 minutes to get there. I wouldn’t trust Uber, the app says it is connecting but it never comes. There are a couple of places you can rent bikes, the beach front would make a lovely cycle route.

If you have your heart set on spending the day at the beach, I would check ahead to see when the tide is going to be out. We also didn’t get the chance to go, but if you want to do the cable cars to the top of Great Orme, I think it is cash only, so definitely bring some paper! If you are getting the train and/or on a tight budget, I found it much cheaper to get the train to Llandudno junction than Llandudno.

What is coming next? 🤔

Next up there will be posts about more historical places like Caerleon, Chester, Edinburgh, York & Liverpool (mainly for the Beatles history). I have not yet built out my posting schedule but I am just back from a mini Euro trip to Poland, up through Latvia, Estonia & Finland. So, I’m keen to do the write up on them too.

Conwy | The most beautiful town in North Wales?🏰⛵

My first time in North Wales, a must visit for anyone living in the UK!

Setting the scene

For my 30th (Plus VAT) birthday this year I wanted to do something other than cheap beers with my friends until someone passes out! When exploring weekend trips, North Wales cropped up as my friend Terri had mentioned it a few times (Thanks T). After a quick Google of Llandudno, I was instantly sold on the trip. Then I was subsequently delving further into the area & towns round about I randomly discovered Conwy. Massive Castle, beautiful Quays & city walls to explore, need I say more?

About Conwy…

Conwy is a stunning market town sat on the river Conwy with city walls surrounding it. The river itself is rather large, which results in really beautiful sandy beaches & a Quay that you can spend all day relaxing on.

Besides the enchanting scenery, the town is very historical & one of the top 2 or 3 coolest medieval towns I have seen, although admittedly I do still have so much more exploring to do!

Wandering around Conwy you feel like you are lost in a moment in time, where things are more slow paced & life is simpler. Being from Scotland, I have a unique affinity with historic Castles & Conwy’s is truly special. In addition to this, there is so much more to experience. You can take boat safaris out to see sea lions & dolphins, the town has a plethora of quaint local independent shops, there’s an awesome suspension bridge, the smallest house in Britain, Plas Mawr & the Conwy estuary trail is a must visit!

Story time 📚

Usually my adventures are solo, however as it was my birthday a couple of friends travelled down with me, one of them coming all the way from Scotland. He had never been to Wales before so we convinced him that you needed a passport to enter (For my non UK readers, you can move freely in UK without a passport). In order to really sell the prank, I brought my Lilo & Stitch passport holder, whilst ensuring my oblivious friend saw me bringing it. After alighting the train, I handed my passport holder to him & sent him up to the help desk to find out where passport control was. The gentleman working at the station was perplexed to say the least, but he saw the funny side once he realised what was going on. My friend then threatened to throw my passport across the rail tracks, still unaware that my passport was at home & he was walking around with my prop, Bazinga!

As alluded to above, the Conwy Quay is a wonderful place to spend time, just be sure to avoid the seagulls if you are eating! You need a PhD in Takeshi’s Castle to fight them off. We were eating some fish & chips down by the water front in an outdoor seating area. I was telling a story about a parent I saw in Egypt, whereby a youngster was running feral & his Mum grabbed him by the earlobe to move him along. It was done very tenderly & without any real force or malice, it just made me chuckle. Whilst I was telling this story to my friends, I stood up to give them a demonstration, with me acting as the Mother, I didn’t realise there was a small step / kerb behind me. So walking along, dragging my imaginary child by the ear, I slipped and went flying face first into the ground. The fall was only 0.5-1 meters so wasn’t high enough to do any major damage but did scrape my arms & legs. Much to the amusement of other people sat there, it resulted in a few cheers from the nearby pub beer garden. Although this was a fairly calamitous incident, it could have been so much worse. 😂

Once we had completed the tourist sites on our itinerary, we had to work out how to get over to Llandudno, which was where our apartment actually was. So we decided to stop by the first bar we saw, freshen up & devise a strategy. Subsequently, the first bar happened to be a comrades club. With some trepidation we went in, keeping an open mind. The club itself was actually lovely & the staff were really friendly, so I would recommend a visit. However, when we entered they were insistent upon getting our contact & address details. My first thought was that I would end up in some mad American McCarthyism trial one day if I signed away my details. However, everything seemed above board so I signed up. It wasn’t until we left that my friends told me they put fake details, so if I suddenly disappear & get carted off somewhere, it’s my own fault for being too honest with the comrades about my identity!

Some photos of the trip… 🤳🏼

Conwy river & Estuary trail in distance
Conwy Castle
Conwy River
Conwy River
Suspension Bridge
Conwy Castle
View from Estuary trail
Conwy Castle
Conwy River/Quay
Conwy Castle
Comrades club…

Where to eat & drink? 🍻🍽️

For food, you can get lovely fresh caught fish products down at the mongers on the Quay. Or if you are looking for something more quick & easy I would recommend the aptly named “Fishermans Chip Shop”, which is only a few minutes from the Quay. The fish & chips from there was awesome, although they do cook the fish to order, meaning it’s really fresh but does take a bit of time to prepare. Like most places these days, you also get charged for the sauce sachets too, capitalism has gone rogue when you’re paying for ketchup pots!

If you are looking for some drinks on the waterfront, the Liverpool arms was decent & has a big beer garden. Ye Olde Mailcoach doesn’t look much from the outside but also has a nice big beer garden out the back & is reasonably priced. I wouldn’t stop there for a cute date night, but if you want to watch sport & don’t mind a place with a bit of character, this is the one for you! Then of course, the Comrades club is a nice bar, just give them fake details or you could sign up if that is your thing, you’ll probably end up on the same hit list I am on somewhere! 😊

Useful information 🧑🏼‍🎓

The city walls are beautiful to walk round & you get some lovely views of the town & surrounding hillside. However, there are certain sections of it closed off & it isn’t so easy to tell which parts you are allowed on. There is a little tourist information centre you can pop into & they will explain which sections are open. Conwy Castle is awesome, however it’s important to call out that the towers & staircases are very narrow, steep & can be dangerous. So take every precaution you can when climbing the steps. When you reach the summit, you are in for a real treat, the views are breathtaking, almost spellbinding. The backdrop could have been a scene from Harry Potter, it is that magical!

Conwy isn’t massive, so it’s easy to get around, however if moving between towns, do not trust Uber. The app says it is on it’s way but never comes, a couple of locals also said they didn’t think Uber was a thing there. Conwy does have a train station, although services are infrequent, if you time it well, it makes for an efficient exit.

What is coming next? 🤔

My next post will be on Llandudno, where I almost died (slight exaggeration but it was terrifying), then there will be posts about more historical places like Edinburgh, Chester, Caerleon, York & Liverpool (mainly for the Beatles history). I will be taking a small break from posting in September as I have been very lucky & am getting the chance to do a mini Euro trip from Poland, up through Latvia, Estonia & Finland.