North Wales in Film

Swallow Falls is one of the grander waterfalls in North Wales and looked even more splendid when surrounded by autumn colours. 2s 110mm F22 5 stops of ND filters Bronica SQ-A Portra 800.

2020 was a strange year as it was the first since I can remember that I didn’t spend time in Wales. So, it was great in 2021 to be able go back to South Wales (as I talked about in a previous blog) and then the month following going back to North Wales where I spent four years studying at Bangor University. Back then I couldn’t drive let alone own a car which meant there was a fair few things I never got around to exploring. I only had a few days up there, but it was great to visit places old and new whilst taking photos with my Nikon F100 (expired Fuji Acros 100) and Bronica SQ-A (Portra 800).

The tropical house at Treborth Botanical Garden. 2s 20mm F8.0 Nikon F100 expired Fuji Acros 100.

A closer look at the Strangler Fig in the tropical house. 1s 110mm F8.0.

The carnivorous house at Treborth. 1s 20mm F11.

Britannia Bridge, the newer of the two bridges that runs from the mainland to Anglesey. You can walk underneath it as part of the coastal path that runs from Treborth. 1/15s 110mm F11.

One of the things I was most keen on doing was revisiting Treborth Botanical Garden where I spent time volunteering (moth trapping) and Bangor itself. Treborth is well worth visiting whether it’s just walking the grounds or having the opportunity to poke your head into the tropical house. There’s also a great coastal path that runs from it and down the Menai Strait, which gives great views of the coast and takes you underneath Britannia Bridge.

Bangor city centre, a key difference today was the loss of Debenhams which before they want out of business was the largest shop in the city. Like many other places it leaves a big hole in the high street. 1/30s 20mm F11.

Main Arts of Bangor University & the perfect comparison at how hideous much of modern art is. 1/40s 20mm F11.

The last time I was at either was when I graduated from my Masters in 2016, but upon arriving in Bangor I didn’t feel as I expected I would. This city played an important part of my life and I had been itching to get back and see it again. What was different? What had stayed the same? But once I spent time there my feelings about it changed. I’m not sure what I was really expecting but I was left with the feeling of a strange sense of closure. Bangor was much the same with a few shops having come and gone (and that damned Pontio building finally being completed) but being there made me appreciate how much I had changed. Having accrued much more experience and perspective whilst working first for a company and now myself, I am different person now to who I was then, and it really did feel like I had outgrown the place. What further enhanced this feeling was visiting my first year Halls of Residence, all boarded up having been closed for several years.

A small dingy tied up just off Bangor Pier. 1/125s 110mm F11.

Exploring the industrial units at Porth Penrhyn. 1/30s 110mm F16 with polariser.

A mixture of boats can be seen at Porth Penrhyn from the modern to the old. 1/15s 50mm f11 with polariser.

That’s not to say I look back on by time there with regret or anything, it just made it clear that that chapter of my life has closed, and this was the final epilogue to sign it all off. I didn’t have to wonder anymore, and I don’t now have any strong feelings about going back again. There’s plenty of other places in North Wales to visit and I’d rather spend my time exploring those in the future.

My old halls of residence at Normal Site which now sits boarded up and empty after being closed for many years. 2s 50mm F16 with polariser.

My Peugeot 205 parked up at Normal Site which looks at home there with the age of architecture of the buildings. 1/1.3s 50mm F16 with polariser.

Looking out across to Menai Bridge, the original construction that linked Anglesey to the mainland. 1/8s 110mm F16.

Visually impressive but not designed for modern traffic, buses can just about squeeze through the arches. 1/60s 110mm F11.

A wide view of the Menai Strait and Menai Bridge in its entirety. 2s 20mm F16 with polariser +1 stop.

For the rest of the trip I whizzed around Snowdonia, visiting Swallow Falls (which I hadn’t been to before), Llyn Ogwen (which I had many times before) and a few things inbetween. I wrapped up on the final day with Synchant Pass, which I was never even aware of previously, and which made a great location for that day’s photoshoot for Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver. I did also manage to squeeze a quick trip over the bridge to Anglesey, but I ran out of time to go any further than Menai itself. Still, November isn’t exactly beach season so perhaps next time I ought to be back in Summer.

A wider view of Swallow Falls from the main viewpoint. 6s 20mm F16 5 stops of ND filters.

The Ugly House that sits as a café near Swallow Falls. I and I imagine many people think it is far from ugly. 1/4s 20mm F16.

Looking out across the valley from the Ty-n Llwyn viewpoint. 1/15s 50mm F11 with polariser.

I really enjoyed taking all my trip photos on film. It was a bit of an experiment but slowing down completely gave myself a lot more time to think. Not just about the images but also the places I was going to as well. With all that has gone in over the past two years it was a rather pleasant thing to have done.

Llyn Ogwen at the foot of Tryfan. 1/30s 110mm F11.

A failed attempt at photographing the Ogwen Valley. It didn’t come out in focus and it would have been better to take off the polariser with such low light. 30s 20mm F13 with polariser.

I hope you enjoy the photos I took and let me know if you have done any trips recently that you have shot mostly or entirely on film. Also have you felt the same way about a place you went to university or used to live as I did? Let me know in the comments down below.

The autumnal colours of Snowdonia. 1/2s 110mm F11.

A wider view in monochrome. The incoming cloud adds a sense of atmosphere. 15s 50mm F16 with polariser.

Llanberis is an attractive town and popular tourist destination in Snowdonia with its stone buildings and boutique shops. This great little pizzeria is well worth eating at. 5s 50mm F11.

Two mountain bikers tackle the trails at Sychnant Pass. It was incredibly windy when I reached the top. 1/12s 110mm F11 with polariser.

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