Midway up the coast of Wales sits the town of Aberystwyth—pronounced Aber-ist-with, with a soft “w.” Welsh is an amazing language. I had the fortune of overhearing a table of gents in a pub speaking it, and I’m not even going to attempt a phrase.
I arrived in the evening after a rather long bus ride. My accommodation was a guest house right on the water, just a short ten-minute walk away. That night, I went for dinner at a local pub called The White Horse and planned the next day’s exploration of the town.
I managed to see everything I wanted in the span of about four hours, Aberystwyth isn’t a huge place. I started by walking up Constitution Hill, which sits to the north of town and has a funicular you can ride to the top. Bit too pricey for my taste, especially since the walk was actually quite lovely.
Next, I headed south to Pen Dinas Hill and Fort, which looks back north over the town. The original fort is long gone—only a watchtower remains—but you can easily see how defensive a location it would’ve been. Steep slopes on all sides, with natural embankments providing great cover higher up.
I wandered through the old town, visited Aberystwyth Castle and the nearby Victory Monument. The castle ruins have been turned into a park, with winding paths snaking through the broken walls and turrets. A guy flying a drone gave me a look at the place from above, pretty amazing to imagine how massive the castle must’ve been back in its day.
I had a beer on the pier, because why not, and then heard about a great kebab place in town. That became my dinner destination—and it was pretty bloody good.
On the walk back to the guest house, I passed a bandstand built along the waterfront and heard a brass band playing. I’d lucked into a performance by the Aberystwyth Silver Band. I caught the last few songs before they finished, and it was a really lovely way to end the day. Hearing live brass music made me miss playing.
Next stop: Llanberis, in Snowdonia. I’ve got a mountain to hike.
