#Blogtober16 Day 20 - 5 Super Cool Things About the Place Where I Live

I live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, North Wales, just outside of Llangollen. I never tire of living here or of enjoying what's around me. So 5 things. Here goes:

1 - The Views

Panorama - Copyright Espresso Addict

The view on the right is from a scenic spot called the Panorama. It has breath taking, panoramic views from Shropshire to Snowdonia, on a clear day, and is about 10 minutes from where I live. It's one of my favourite places to be and I always feel very calm when I'm up there. It's a great place to gather my thoughts.





2 - Llangollen Railway

Llangollen Railway

Just down the road from where I live is the beautiful heritage steam Llangollen Railway (yes sometimes they run diesels but we won't mention that!). Trains run all year round and in the holiday they often have Thomas and friends. We rather enjoy the Mince Pie Specials over New Year when your journey is complemented with mince pies and mulled wine. Oh, and did I mention the views?


3 - Close to the Sea

Barmouth Beach

I love being by the sea. I would live by the sea if I could. We are an hour away from Rhyl, Prestatyn and Abergele, and an hour and a half away from Llandudno and Barmouth, two hours from Black Rock. There is such a wealth of beaches to choose from and we can just suddenly decide to spend the day there if it's nice in the school holidays. We often camp near Barmouth because the beach is soooo huge, you can find a spot and not be near anyone else.

4 - Welsh Language or Siarad Cymraeg

Before I moved here I thought Welsh was a dead language, but I swiftly learnt how wrong I was. If you go to the shops or the library you hear people speaking Welsh. In fact I thought they spoke Welsh a lot here, but if you go over to Caenarvon or Bangor, you hear Welsh more than you hear English. It's a beautiful language and I've tried to learn it but it is very complicated, although I know bits and pieces. The children all started off in a Welsh speaking school, although Missy refused to speak it and ended up in an English school. The younger two are still in Welsh speaking schools and Boy is fluent, sometimes more fluent than children raised in a Welsh speaking household. Bug is getting more confident in it and it's quite cute to hear them talking in Welsh to each other - except I don't know if they are plotting something! The only problem is all paperwork comes in duplicate, once in English and once in Welsh!

5 - So Much to Do

Although on the map it looks like we are tucked away, we are actually pretty central to a lot of things. As well as being near the sea, we are also near some major cities which means that I don't have to travel far to do some shopping or get the latest makeup products. Chester is 20 minutes away, Cheshire Oaks Macarthur Glen Designer Outlet is only half an hour away, and then Liverpool or the Trafford Centre are just an hour away. Alternatively Telford and Shrewsbury are also very near. There are lots of things to see and do, from historical abbeys, to UNESCO preservation sites, to stunning country parks. There is a huge range of play parks for the kids to choose from, which means we can ring the changes a little bit. Knowsley Safari Park is only an hour away, or if you prefer machines, Manchester Airport has a viewing area and several planes to explore. We also have Techniquest for more educational endeavours. So it's a really good mix, there is something for everyone here.

I love where I live, and these are the 5 things that I think make it special. Please follow the bat to see what the other bloggers taking part in #Blogtober16 found special about where they live.