On May bank holiday Saturday, a last-minute decision led us to visit Caernarfon Castle. We had initially intended to have lunch in Caernarfon but as we travelled along the A55 we remembered my recent purchase, a book called ‘The Extra Mile’, which leads the traveller of the motorway and bland service station catering to nearby independent cafes and farm shops. Our journey was a last-minute decision so I didn’t pick the book up as we left but I remembered the book has a website. From there we were able to find the delightful Betty Berkins coffee shop which is situated near Holywell in the middle of nowhere.

The coffee shop looked rather small from the outside, but like ‘The Tardis’ it is bigger on the inside! We knew it was going to be good when we were asked if we had booked. We were seated on a cosy table by a window and when the food arrived, we weren’t disappointed. Comfortably replete we re-joined the A55 and continued on our journey to Caernarfon.

We enjoyed the newly installed viewing platform (the reason for our visit), which allows disabled access to the roof area and the spectacular views that can be seen from that height. Despite the easy access we did encounter one of the very narrow spiral staircases that I remembered from our previous visit, many years ago. Not a pleasant experience for me, it was a bit like looking down off the top of a cliff.

Feet firmly back at ground level we enjoyed a refreshing alfresco drink in the afternoon sunshine. The hawk display added to our experience as we watching it fly backwards and forwards, sometimes settling on the low roof above us. On one occasion, much to the surprise of its handler the hawk deciding to land on the head of someone near to him.

We then visited The Royal Welsh Fusilier Museum which is situated within two towers within the castle. The museum is very informative and we spent a longer time than expected, causing us to rush the later parts of the museum before it closed for the day.

We set off home via the scenic route through Snowdonia, intending to stop off for an evening meal on the way home. The timings didn’t quite work which led to us dining in our local Miller & Carter instead.