[Closed] Bethesda - eating and drinking?

I would avoid really for food and drink. There is a cafe that does a nice breakfast though on the high street. You cant miss it, its opposite the Spar and has a Triumph Triton morotbike in the window. For a stag do you will want to gonto Bangor for nightlife and Llanberis for food and drink

My Mrs has a house there, nice base in summer, hell on earth in winter, go into Bangor for food and drinks.
If you want something special I'll ask my mrs. E mail in profile.
Zip wire great fun if not too cloudy/misty.

As students we used to drink in the Bull in Bethesda where the locals used to try to provoke us to fight and the barmaid used to price the drinks in old money then insult us when we couldn't work out the decimal equivalent. That was in the mid to late 70s, things may be different now.

I was looking at that Triumph last Sunday then got a speeding ticket driving out. Wouldn't fancy night on yhe lash there myself. Bangor or Llanberis. Mind you wentto stagdo in Deniolin (sp) and had a great night.

That rings a bell globalti. "That'll be seventeen shillings and sixpence pleeeease". Mind you it was early 70s when I last went so the change over was still fresh in the mind.

That was in the mid to late 70s, things may be different now.

Doubt that much has changed.

Eek. Bethesda. A couple of rough pubs and a Spar.

Bangor it is then, thanks for the advice.

That's the Douglas. Still doing it and selling watered down Pedigree. DON'T whatever you do attempt to put yer name down for snooka....

Deniolen? You must be joking. Chum got bashed to a pulp (as in very very seriously) for beating one of the local oiks at pool.

As above, Bangor or Llanberis or anywhere that's not North Wales.... 😉

We're off to Deiniolen this weekend, funnily enough.
The Bull is famed far and wide for it's warm welcome.
🙂

I used to cross the road when walking past the Bull.
Legend had it that when I was at college at Bangor in the 80's Bethesda had the highest rates of both VD and incest in the UK. Can well believe it. We stopped only to go to Arvons.
The Dougie still used LSD even then. Or was it lsd?

The Dougie still used LSD even then. Or was it lsd?

Well, I live in Bethesda. You folk must live in some very s****y places. Admittedly the High Street is in need of a lick of paint but, that aside, I really don't recognise these comments. I don't drink so can't comment on pubs, but we have an excellent Indian restaurant. A mini Tesco too for bits and bobs.

Fair to say not a place for a stag night though. In addition to Bangor, Conwy very close too.

Bethesda is in the same category as places like Markham or Fleur de Lis best travelled through with windows up and doors locked 😆

Ah good old Bethesda and like Blaenae Ffestiniog, the same old bigoted scare stories from those who've only ever driven through. Granted, probably not the best place for a stag do or to experience fine dining, but a friend of mine lived there for a couple of years and after a day in the mountains we regularly used to go out round the local pubs. Both of us are Southern English yet the locals seemed friendly and we didn't see or run into any trouble. Yes we even played pool too, and beat the locals many times, yet somehow we can both still walk without the aid of crutches - it's a mystery really!

Bethesda? Good luck with that one. Used to live near there, and worked with a resident of the town for a good few years. His hobbies were mainly shooting crows from his bedroom window, and fighting every Friday night outside the pub. He genuinely thought he was a Wookie.

Bangor or Llandudno for a night out - although you may find a cheap coach trip to Rhyl and the "club scene" there. Llanberis OK for a bit of food.

Having said that, as above really; I'm from the Midlands, lived in North Wales for five years, no trouble anywhere in any pub. Go with an open, happy disposition, spend some cash, and you'll have a great night out anywhere really. The only fighting I ever saw was between brothers or long running feuds with neighbours who were always mysteriously from up / down / over the valley.

agent007 you got away with it because you were regulars and so you didn't frighten the locals. Anybody unfamiliar is seen as a threat in both the Bull and the Dougie. Come to think of it, it was in the Dougie where we used to get insulted by the barmaid and the pool players used to manoeuvre their cues so they were sticking in our ears then "accidentally" pull back sharply delivering a blow to the ear. I can even remember an elderly Welshman going along a line of climbers in the chippy and prodding every one of them viciously in the chest while saying: "You're English..... dont want you around here".

What a load of shit**e! I'm from Bangor & while 'Pesda might not be the most scenic of places it sounds like a lot of tall tales are being spouted! Let me guess we're they all speaking English until you walked in when they suddenly started talking in Welsh?!

I'm assuming you lot are all used to drinking in nice London/Manchester/Nottingham/Liverpool et al pubs where there's never a hint of trouble in such lovely cities?!

Anyone fancy a pint in the Bull on Saturday night, in the cause of international relations?
🙂

dalesjoe spoken like a proper Gog 😆

In most countries around the world that I've visited there's a tradition of welcoming strangers, especially in remote places. North Wales is the only place where I can remember being insulted and attacked. I know my English ancestors didn't behave well towards their neighbours but the Scots have as much reason or more to revile the English yet they seem to have grown up.

Do we hate Germans for the Nazis or Scandinavians for the Vikings or Italians for the Romans?

globalti I am a valley boy who went to Uni in Bangor, I was told in the "new" Wales I would be a second class citizen because I don't speak Welsh. 😆 just laughed at the bloke and went on my way. He was writing graffiti that said all lectures should be in Welsh 😆

[i]until you walked in when they suddenly started talking in Welsh?! [/i]

One of the first words being sigh-sens, or something similar, with hostile looks. We walked out. I wondered after if it bothered the landlord at all. This was yonks ago.

In most countries around the world that I've visited there's been no tradition of welcoming strangers, especially in remote places. England is the only place where I can remember being insulted and attacked. I know my Welsh ancestors didn't behave well towards their neighbours but the Scots have as much reason or more to revile the English yet they too seem to have regressed after that nasty referendum business.

Do we hate Germans for the Nazis or Scandinavians for the Vikings or Italians for the Romans?

only for balance's sake

I don't speak Welsh... ...He was writing graffiti that said all lectures should be in Welsh

😆 no in Urdu, that's why he was in Uni 😆

I feel I should qualify my comments about Bethesda. As a teenager I had friends in Bethesda so I would travel down there every now and again. It is a working-class town which serves the slate mines (or at least it was 25 years ago when I used to go - it may have changed)

Everyone we met there was friendly. I never heard or saw any anti-English sentiment. We used to go to the Bull. At that time is was a den of underage drinking. Which suited me nicely at the time. On a Friday night it was crowded and rowdy, like most pubs on a Friday night. Some bloke in the Bull did try to recruit me into the UVF, though. If you were around Bethesda in the early/mid 1990s then you'll know the guy I'm talking about!

It's a working-class town like any other. It's worth a visit and a good place to stay if you're hill walking. You'll be welcome in the pub. But I couldn't recommend it for a stag night, in the same way I wouldn't recommend Burnley for a stag night.

Oi!
We moved to Burnley after discounting Hebbers due to it's problems with alcohol, drugs and violence.

Glad we are bivvying on Sat night! 😯 Surely it is going to be similar to the likes of Dolgellau? Can someone give me a comparison so I can manage my expectations?! 😆

agent007 you got away with it because you were regulars and so you didn't frighten the locals.

When you say regulars - you mean like about 6 times in a 2 year period? My mate normally went out in Llandudno where he has family and friends so hardly a true local either. Certainly not well known in the village.

until you walked in when they suddenly started talking in Welsh?

Well a lot of people in Wales are multilingual and frequently switch from English to Welsh (or a combination of both). Do you feel threatened when people is Spain speak Spanish for example? Quite a lot of paranoia going on there 🙄

Bethesda is fine, as has been said, perhaps not great for a stag do but if you arrive with an open mind then I've always found the locals more than friendly.

after discounting Hebbers due to it's problems with alcohol, drugs and violence.

Oh, tell me about it mate. I moved away from there myself.

Well a lot of people in Wales are multilingual and frequently switch from English to Welsh (or a combination of both). Do you feel threatened when people is Spain speak Spanish for example? Quite a lot of paranoia going on there

Completely agree. Was going to post something similar myself. Welsh people in Welsh town "speak Welsh" shocker 🙂

We moved out of Burnley in a hurry when a drug dealer, just out from 10 years for violent robbery, moved in next door and the rubbish started coming over our wall, along with the all-night raves, Police raids and the dogs who barked and whined all night and turned their garden into a toilet.

Yeah, sorry about that.
We've stopped the raves now.
They gave the dog an upset stomach.
🙂

To the Bethesda fans (both of you), might just be other people have had different experiences from you. No need to get all her up defending its honour.

I've been going up there ~10 times p/a since about 1985. Plenty of exposure to it and 50% Welsh/50% Northern mongrel so no shandy drinking Laaandaan loveliness here

So.. as it happens the locals were very friendly indeed. It is no party hotspot but for a weekend of outdoors activities it was well placed.

The cafe with the Triton in the window did a great breakfast and there were loads of good eating places along the road and in Bets y Coed.

Gorge walking, Zip World and a bivvy on Tryfan and great weather too!

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Warm, wasn't it?
🙂

Up Elidir Fawr yesterday, had a pint in the Welly and cake in the newish place at the top of the Fachwen on the way home.
Both fine.

Deceptively cold up top and bloody windy on the ridges, enough to make us sack off the idea of taking the bikes up Snowdon today.
Poke round the quarries and a walk round the lake instead.
Ice cream at Georgios and cheap socks at Joe Browns.
And the chippy has reopened.
🙂
Just got back.

Go to Wales, it's bloody marvellous.

You got out alive. Well done! (-:

Tryfan bivvy looks ace! Glad you had a mega time. Lots if fab weather here at the mo 🙂

You didn't bivvy on Tryfan though; you bivvied on Bristly Ridge. I'm surprised you found any grass there! Was it just at the foot of the rocks?

Yes it wasn't quite on on summit of Tryfan, we were on a ridge of grass above Llyn Bochlwyd, we had planned to go to either Tryfan or one of the Glydyr summits but it was starting to get a bit dark so we made for safer ground.

A pretty good weekend all in all, some of the pubs in Bethesda need a bit of a spruce up but the Victoria was a good pub.