School Trips in 1952 and 1953
A Memory from Terry Smith
I remember two school trips to North Wales.
Each lasted a week and we stayed in houses run by the Schools
Hostel Association .
We travelled in two Yorks buses which we kept for the week.
The first trip was in 1952 and we stayed at a hostel in
Llangollen. Its name escapes me but the building is still there, on
the right, about a mile past the centre of town on the A5. Some of
us slept in small wooden chalets in the grounds.
There were various excursions and walks and I recall crossing a
suspension footbridge over the river, a bit further along the A5
from the hostel, where we had to “break step” to stop the bridge
oscillating. We climbed up to the ruined Castel Dinas Bran, which is
on a hill overlooking the town, and I have a recollection of a day
trip which took in the Mersey Tunnel and a beach at New Brighton in
The Wirral.
The 1953 trip was based in Lledr Hall near Dolwyddelan
(pronounced dolvithellan) where we swam in a rock pool by the
river.. The Hall is still there and according to its website is now
run by Salford city council as an outdoor pursuits centre. We
visited the mountaineering centre at Plas y Brenin where one of our
number made a primitive raft and fell into the lake.
We climbed Snowdon, via the Watkin path, and a lesser peak called
Moel Siabod. I think Snowdon was in ’52 and Moel Siabod in ’53.
There were no boots; we wore the “plimsolls or stout shoes” we were
asked to take.
On a more heroic scale, news of the first ascent of Everest was
announced while we were at Lledr Hall.
There must have been at least forty of us on each trip and it was
boys only.
Presumably there were similar trips for the girls.
I can’t remember all the teachers who went, but “Taffy” Newell,
“Spike” Clements and “Bimbo” (?) were on the ’52 trip. “Bimbo” took
his car, a stately old rover, so that they could go to the pub.
Spike took his golf clubs and could be seen in the evenings
practising his swing on the lawn.
A teacher called Stan Guffog was on the ‘53 trip.He played “Ain’t
Misbehaving” on the piano which impressed us no end.
Our spiritual needs were met on Sunday mornings at remote Welsh
churches where the services, mostly in Welsh, left us somewhat at a
disadvantage.
I suppose it was the thought which counted and they seemed glad of
the numbers.
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