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The A-Z of Betws-Y-Coed
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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February 23, 2025
I’ve been a fan of the Welsh village of Betws-Y-Coed ever since a group of friends rented a cottage there for a week ore than 25 years ago and it’s a place I’ve never forgotten. Indeed, more than a decade later, when needing to impress my then girlfriend by taking her away for the first time to celebrate a significant birthday, several other aspects meant it was one of the first places I thought of and, given that she is now my wife, I figure the village has done well by me on both occasions.
On one of these visits, I have picked up a copy of Donald Shaw’s “The A-Z of Betws-Y-Coed”, which isn’t a map, but a few snippets of interest about the village, listed in alphabetical order. It’s not really much use as a tourist guide, as it doesn’t tell you how to get to places and without any maps, you can’t picture locations without being there. Although many of the sights and places mentioned are linked to various walks available around the village, there is no list of such walks, nor even any information about any book these walks might be contained in, which also provides limited support for further exploration.
Indeed, much of the information here is historical, which is interesting, but not entirely informative or helpful. There is a vast range of snippets here, some historical, some statistical and some more immediately relevant, but you never know which you will find from piece to piece. Indeed, the varied lengths of each segment are such that some barely tell you anything at all and there isn’t anything here that provides a compelling reason to visit the village, if you haven’t already done so.
This is a booklet which acts more as a curio than anything of real worth, as it occasionally provides entertaining historical gossip, but it does nothing to improve your stay. You can find some points of interest and a bit of fun here and there, but as a guide and information, it falls somewhere short of usefulness, either before, during or after any visit to the village and doesn’t even do the reader the courtesy of pointing them towards more useful information that might enhance a stay.
On one of these visits, I have picked up a copy of Donald Shaw’s “The A-Z of Betws-Y-Coed”, which isn’t a map, but a few snippets of interest about the village, listed in alphabetical order. It’s not really much use as a tourist guide, as it doesn’t tell you how to get to places and without any maps, you can’t picture locations without being there. Although many of the sights and places mentioned are linked to various walks available around the village, there is no list of such walks, nor even any information about any book these walks might be contained in, which also provides limited support for further exploration.
Indeed, much of the information here is historical, which is interesting, but not entirely informative or helpful. There is a vast range of snippets here, some historical, some statistical and some more immediately relevant, but you never know which you will find from piece to piece. Indeed, the varied lengths of each segment are such that some barely tell you anything at all and there isn’t anything here that provides a compelling reason to visit the village, if you haven’t already done so.
This is a booklet which acts more as a curio than anything of real worth, as it occasionally provides entertaining historical gossip, but it does nothing to improve your stay. You can find some points of interest and a bit of fun here and there, but as a guide and information, it falls somewhere short of usefulness, either before, during or after any visit to the village and doesn’t even do the reader the courtesy of pointing them towards more useful information that might enhance a stay.
Displaying 1 of 1 review