In the beginning!

And it’s a big, long-awaited croeso and welcome from Dee Valley tours! I am so pleased to be sitting here, writing this blog, and I hope some of you will read it!

In November last year, I started my Green Badge North Wales guiding course, run by WOTGA (Wales Official Tourist Guiding Association). The winter was setting in, the traditional Welsh rain was in full flow, and I found myself standing, each Monday, in Caernarfon Castle. Now, a soggy, wet castle with little shelter doesn’t sound like the best place of work, however, I was in my element! And, to be very truthful, compared to many of the other castles in North Wales, Caernarfon is positively bursting with the luxury of roofed accommodation and plenty of places to shelter, drink coffee, eat cake, and, most importantly, to learn about its very rich and wonderful history.

Following years in the classroom teaching English, I had recently decided that I really wanted to share my love of telling stories, of myths, legends, tall-tales, short-tales, and all things history! Having relocated from Lincolnshire to North Wales and learning about the Green Badge course, there had never been a better opportunity! And thus, the idea of becoming a tourist guide and setting up my own tourist business was formed, and, here you are (dyma ti!), I only went and did it!

So, back to the solid stone walls of castell Caernarfon for a moment, this was the first exam, assessing the ability to guide at a single site and, after many long hours of research, learning and practise, I passed, just in time for Christmas and a cup of mulled wine and mince-pie, in an 750 year old castle, and surrounded by a brilliant group of fellow student guides, our teachers and assessors. I have to say, Caernarfon still holds a very special place in my heart as it’s where I learnt to do what I love to do now!

The rest of the course saw practical exams leading tours and groups around medieval Conwy, from the impressive and impregnable town walls which encircle the original old town, to the finest Elizabethan town house of Plas Mawr, and the smallest house in Britain, which sits resplendent in red on the quay, watching many tourists pass, the waves and the ships roll in. Again, it rained. It really did! But it definitely made us stronger! Even to the point where we sat in the classroom on the day of the exam, trying to decide whether we could complete a rehearsal without going outside and getting wet, before getting wet again… Even on the rainiest days though Conwy is a wonderful place, full of  stories and jam-packed with history and sites to visit. I spent much of my summer there last year in glorious sunshine, and found that I never had enough time to show guests everything. The plus side to this is that they always wanted to come back again!

Again, after a successful exam, the final practical hurdle was learning to guide on a moving vehicle. No big deal… except it was tougher than I originally thought! With objects and places of interest in danger of passing in the blink of an eye, you really had to stay on your toes, making sure that the discussion point was always interesting and visible for everyone on the tour and often on a rather large coach (it’s a coach, not a bus!). Being handed the microphone for the first time, I have to admit, I felt the butterflies keenly, and my default of acting more confident than I really am and breaking into a rendition of ‘I Will Survive’, karaoke style, was really not an option… mostly because I really liked everyone on my course and I didn’t want to harm them irrevocably by inflicting them with my sonorous singing voice! Soon this became second nature and following lap after lap of the northern most part of Anglesey, I was ready for the exam and the final hurdles: three written papers and several pieces of coursework, all passed, with a great deal of hard work. Then the real challenge came… my first tour… all on my own!

A 5:30am start saw the early morning haze lift over the mountains as I drove across the Ogwen valley, across the Menai Strait and over to Holyhead. Nerves jangling, I have never felt so fortunate to work with such a wonderful and supportive group of people and I was quickly shown the ropes of how to find my coach, driver and group! The marina at Holyhead sees multiple bobbing orange tenders, racing backwards and forward from the cruise ship (it’s a ship, not a boat!) moored just off land and results in many, many people looking for their guide and tour for the day. The operations team there are miraculous though, seamlessly directing numerous people in the right direction, giving them the extremely important warm croeso and first impression of this beautiful country.

I soon found myself safely ensconced in the jump seat, driver by my side, and travelling down the centre of Anglesey, ready for the day’s adventure ahead. This is the bit I love about this job - the people. This group were mainly from Vancouver and many had not set foot on British, let alone Welsh soil before. As I said earlier, ‘selling North Wales’ is not difficult. It is such a stunningly beautiful place, so rich in history and culture, that groups really can immerse themselves as they explore, hopefully with the wish to come back for longer next time. Fortunately, all of my training flowed freely and I thoroughly enjoyed showing my group the beautiful Beaumaris; the wonder of the two bridges crossing the Menai Strait and on for an afternoon at Caernarfon castle. The sun shone, my guests smiled and saw sites which truly astounded them. Nowhere in North America can you see 800 year old structures and such historical riches. I think we often forget this if you live somewhere where ancient sites are a regular part of your upbringing and day-to-day life. I am sure we all remember school trips to churches, cathedrals, castles, to name just a few. This is the beauty of a tour, being able to have what we see interpreted for us to better understand, and this earned me my first happy coach and resulted with one very happy guide as I drove back through Snowdonia, with the sun setting behind me.

So, to the point of this blog, this was last summer: several cruise calls, school groups, walking and town tours later, we are on the eve of a new season. On Friday, the first ship comes into port in Holyhead and I cannot express the excitement I feel as I write these words. Every tour I take, the more I love what I do and this is the reason for the launch of my new website, my new business and a new career as I aim to promote tours here in the Dee Valley and across North Wales and to encourage as many visitors as possible to come to see for themselves this beautiful land with so much to see and do.

Here's to the start of a wonderful new season and I look forward to welcoming you soon!