Historic tea room’s red alert arrives
THE change of the seasons has arrived as the leaves covering a picturesque tearoom have begun to take on their autumnal shades.
The Virginia creeper covering the Tu Hwnt i’r Bont Tearooms in Llanrwst, Conwy, draws visitors every autumn as they hope to catch the spectacular sight of the leaves – which completely cover the building – turning red.
Owner Ayla Maddox, who has run the tearooms with husband Tim for the past 16 years, said the change had happened slightly earlier than normal, following one of the hottest summers on record.
She said: “I would say it’s a couple of weeks earlier this year.
“It started to turn about a week ago and it has been turning quite quickly.
“We have been getting calls from people asking when is the best time to come and we would normally say the end of September, but I think this weekend might be the best time.
“It can be quite a small window to catch the autumnal colours, as if we get a period of bad weather the leaves can blow off.
“We see a change in the colour daily at the moment. I take a picture on my phone every day to see the difference.”
Mrs Maddox said she expected the creeper covering the former courthouse to have turned completely red within a few days.
“It definitely draws in visitors,” she said.
“We normally have photographers lining the bank of the river to get pictures early in the morning and then visitors coming throughout the day to take lots of pictures, and hopefully come for a cream tea afterwards!”
Tu Hwnt i’r Bont, which means “beyond the bridge”, was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling before being used as the town courthouse, but has been a tearoom for more than 60 years.
The weather is set to be unsettled for the rest of the week, with the Met Office forecasting rain.
The weekend is expected to be bright with scattered showers for much of the UK, with rain developing in the northwest on Saturday and spreading slowly south on Sunday.