Garstang's Bridge of Sighs?

Even though our holiday was over, we hadn't finished seeing the sights, as we were told about a bridge over the Lancaster canal at Garstang which was supposedly modelled on the famous Bridge of Sighs in Venice. Having visited Venice many years ago and seen the original for real, we just had to take a walk along the canal to see this for ourselves.

Sometimes reality can get in the way of a good story. One bridge was built from blocks hewn of pure white limestone, given a romantic name by Lord Byron and contains windows with stone bars; the other is, as far as I can tell, nameless, built by the Fylde Water Board in 1927 and carries drinking water to Blackpool.

The bridge is certainly unique, being quite different from ordinary canal bridges as the photo shows, but that's really as close as it gets.

Braving the cold on Black Rock Sands

Ever since we got here, I wanted to spend a day just down on a beach enjoying the sand and the sun. But on each of the sunniest days of our week in North Wales, we've had other places to see instead, so for our last full day of our holiday I was determined we'd find time to relax on the sands.

Our first attempt at finding some quality sand was Llanbedrog, just down the hill from our cottage. I was also keen to visit the beach here becase of a photo I'd seen of the colourful beach huts there on Google Earth, however when we arrived at the car park, the beach huts were already lined up, well away from the beach, to escape the winter storms. Only Dad was inspired enough to take their photo. Despite this anti-climax, we headed down to the beach past a very tempting cafe and onto a sweeping, but pebbly beach. After a brief walk we decided to seek out a better beach, so it was back to the car and off elsewhere.

A friend had recommended another spot at 'The Warren', just up the road from Llanbedrog, but although we found it easily enough, it had been developed into a large caravan and holiday home site, complete with automatic barriers, and not really for us.

And all week, Dad had been telling us about the magnificent, flat, sandy beach near Porthmadog - Black Rock Sands - were he'd played football 50 years ago in the sunshine. So we agreed to head back along the coast road once again to take a look.

Straight away, one good thing about the beach here was that the road opens out right onto the beach and cars can simply park up on the sand, which means all the necessary beachy stuff in the boot such as chairs, cool bag, kites etc was easily accessible. In late September, with a cool breeze blowing in off the sea, it certainly wasn't summer, as Carole demonstrates here in a perhaps slightly exaggerated photoshoot. Still, the rug didn't go straight back in the car afterwards.









After a while it seemed to be getting a little warmer (or were we just becoming numb to the cold?) and a combination of kite flying and frisby-throwing helped to keep our core temperatures up. Later on, the sun tried it's best to shine, and we took a stroll along the beach to take in the sea air whilst at the same time collecting driftwood for the open fire back at the cottage.


This part of North Wales was part of Edward I's 'ring of iron', a series of seven fortified castles around the coast to suppress the Welsh, and two of his finest castles, Criccieth and Harlech, are visible from the sands at Black Rock.

Back at the cottage, our week was nearly over, but as we lit our last open fire and began to gather our things, we could review our photos and reflect on a wonderful week in the Welsh countryside. I'm sure we'll be back!

No 6 at Portmeirion

We wanted another sunny day for a visit to Portmeirion so that the colourful buildings would be at their finest and our collective cameras, which have taken almost 1,000 pictures so far this week, would make the most of them.

Portmeirion is just around the estuary from Porthmadog, although you can't easily see it from the coastline - it's secrets are contained until you've parked up and paid your entry fee. It is though a beautiful site, both in terms of its natural setting and its striking architecture.







The idea of a village on the peninsula was born in the early 1920s, when architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis bought land on the site and changed the original Welsh name of the area - Port because of its coastal locality and Meirion to reflect the historic Welsh county in which it was situated. Williams-Ellis already had his idea of developing a village on such a site, in the belief that he could enhance the surroundings and create something even greater.

Portmeirion was built in two stages, from 1925 to 1939 and 1954 to 1976, in a mainly Italianate style but not modelled, as many thought, on Portofino in Italy. Although the buildings and gardens have an Italian feel, many of the buildings were salvaged from elsewhere and rebuilt, all to a carefully thought out plan.

Although visitors come to see the site and Williams-Ellis's creation, it is also known as the location for the cult 60s TV series 'The Prisoner'. Patrick McGoohan starred as the lead character, known only as 'No 6', who was housed in one of the cottages in the village. Dad was particularly keen to see the village because of its association with the series, whereas the rest of us were just curious to see the distinctive buildings and explore the surroundings.

We spent the best part of the afternoon in the village and the woodland walks, so had only a short time to explore Criccieth and its medieval castle as planned on the way back. From the short walk we made around the town its easy to see why Criccieth is a popular place to visit, but we as the light started to fade it was time to head back to the cottage.

The Menai bridges

There's a lay-by on the A5 across into Anglesey which gives great views down to the straits and Telford's original suspension bridge, elegantly spanning the water ever since 1826. The Menai Straits are a notorious stretch of water where the currents swirl around with the competing tides, where whirlpools and rocks lie in wait for unfortunate ships, so the completion of the bridge was a major event.



By 1850, Robert Stephenson completed his equally famous railway bridge, but to see this we had to park up closer to Telford's original. We found a little car park where paths led through woods down to the shore, and out via a causeway to an old tiny church looking out across the water. The views across either side to both bridges were great - such a tranquil spot. The walk back to the car took us along the 'Belgian Promenade', built during the First World War by Belgian refugees, and again the views of the bridges dominated the scene. A great spot for a short stroll.

That station on Anglesey...

Here's Carole learning a little Welsh on a visit to Anglesey.

Maybe I'm falling into the trap laid out for the tourists, but the sign opposite the station explains that Llanfairpwllgwyngyll- gogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch literally means "The church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the rapid whirlpool and the church of Tysilio by the red cave". The name was an invention of the Victorians, who wanted to extend the name of the village from Llanfairpwllgwyngyll simply to attract the tourists. It was a deliberate atempt to bring money into the village, which clearly worked - the car park by the station was full as people flocked to the large store to buy their souvenirs.

On the rocks at Betws-y-Coed

After the excitement of yesterday, today's itinery was schedulled to be equally ambitious if perhaps a little more benign. The plan was to visit Llanberis, at the foot of Snowdon, Wales' highest mountain of course. Then we would move on to Betws-y-Coed (pronounced, apparently, not as 'Betsy Co-ed' but as 'Bettous - e - Coyd'), before heading aroud the back of Snowdon to Beddgelert. From here, we would head back to Porthmadog via Tremadog, stopping to visit a spot Dad wanted to see again - an old campsite where he camped with the scouts exactly 50 years ago.

Llanberis was a little uninspiring, hindered as it was by the stubborn blanket of cloud which enveloped the valley, in stark contrast to yesterday. We did a little walk alongside the lake from the lakeside car park down towards the castle, under the Llanberis railway (this one was definately a tourist attraction and to be honest, we were all railwayed-out after yesterday) and back towards the village.

This end of the village houses the most popular tourist attraction in Llanberis, the Snowdon Mountain Railway, and today was no exception - there were loads of people here in contrast to the deserted streets of Llanberis itself. The steam engines chugging around in the yard made for a couple of picture opportunities, but any thoughts of malking the journey up the mountainside were quickly put aside when we spotted the charge - £25 each and no concessions! Despite the think cloud no more than 100ft above us, there were queues of people clambouring to get on board for the hour-long journey to the summit cafe, where they could enjoy an exhorbitantly priced coffee in the fog before making the same trip back. This wasn't for us. I know the new cafe is supposedly worth visting, but a cafe on a stately mountain-top is, for me, just not right, and a railway to get there is wrong too - mountains are for climbing the proper way. Anyway, we had other plans for the afternoon but before then, we needed some lunch.

Suitably refreshed, we headed over the famous Llanberis pass through Capel Curig to Betws-y-Coed, a picturesque and popular small town nestled in the heart of the mountains. Betws-y-Coed is always busy, being popular with walkers and situated on the main A5 road from Shrewsbury through to Conwy, and today was no exception despite being beyond the end of the main tourist season. One feature of Betws-y-Coed endeered straight away - the car park by the railway station was free!

We'd soon availed ourselves of an ice cream and visited a number of shops when Dad and I went on to the little bridge over the river to take some long exposure pictures of the water. When Mum and Carole caught us up, we ventured out to the rocks by the riverside for some more pictures, and this is where the afternoon took a turn for the worse. Stupidly I got too close to the water, and the wet rocks became as smooth as ice as I suddenly found myself horizontal rather than vertical, with my knee taking the full impact. Dad came over straight away to make sure I hadn't broken anything, and, satisfying himself that my camera was OK, he then looked to me instead. Apart from a sore knee, my pride was more bruised, but after a few minutes the pain had eased and I could at least walk on it. Another lesson learned the (very) hard way...

After hobbling back to the car, we drove on to the pretty village of Beddgelert, where we took the short walk as all tourists do to Gelert's grave. The story is that Gelert was Welsh prince Llewelyn the Great's faithful dog, who was left to guard his son whilst Llewelyn went out hunting alone. On his return, the dog, covered in blood, met his master, who went inside to discover his son's cot empty amidst blood-splattered sheets. Heartbroken, thinking the dog had done the nasty deed, Llewelyn thrust his sword into the dog's side, only to hear a child's cry at the same moment as the dog died. Llewelyn found his son next to the body of a wolf, which had been slain by the reliable dog. Full of remorse, Llewelyn buried the dog in a grave (Bedd in Welsh), hence Beddgelert. Supposedly he never smiled again.

Down through the Aberglaslyn pass, the road follows a similar course to the new railway extension which will soon connect the Welsh Highland Railway from Beddgelert to Porthmadog. At Tremadog, we found Dad's old campsite, which was now a caravan park, before heading into town to stock up on provisions and heading back. A great, if painful, day in the mountains!

Ffabulous Ffestiniog but bland Blaenau

One destination near the top of all our lists of places to visit this week was the Rheilfford Ffestiniog, or in English, the Ffestiniog Railway. So we could do the full tourist thing with our heads hanging out of the windows* (and also because the railway heads up into the mountains where it's usually cloudy), we felt we ought to do this on a sunny day if possible - and today was the day!

Of course the railway wasn't always a tourist attraction - originally it was built to transport slate from the mountains around Blaenau Ffestiniog down to the new (at the time) harbour at Porthmadog. The harbour was formed following the creation of a huge embankment across the Glaslyn estuary which diverted the course of the river, creating a deeper natural harbour which quickly led to the development of the town as a key port for the export of the slate.

The traditional methods of bringing the slate down from the mountains, by pack-mules and carts, were soon found to be insufficient, and the horse tramway which was soon built was quickly developed and extended into a narrow-gauge railway climbing over 700ft and extending almost 14 miles into the mountains. When the slate trade declined in the mid 20th century, the raiilway's future became uncertain, but with the help of volunteers, the railway was saved from closure and turned into the tourist attraction we see today. Latterly, another narrow-gauge railway, the Welsh Highland Railway, has been extended through the mountains from Caernarfon to meet the Ffestiniog at Porthmadog, a feat the Ffestiniog railway are especially proud of.

Don't be fooled into thinking this is a little tourist attraction for the kids,(well, yes OK it is... but) it's also a great deal more - the railway promotes itself as a viable service for passengers wishing to connect between the mainline rail services at Porthmadog and at Blaenau Ffestiniog. Perhaps its this aspect which has led to the railway offering buffet facilities en route, and whilst some of the carriages are more traditional (well, basic), others are a good deal more comfortable, offering first class travel for an extra £4.

With an assurance that there were cafes and refreshments at the other end of the line, we happily paid our (rather expensive £17) fares for the full journey, and after many pictures at Porthmadog station, we eventually set off. Along the way we crossed the wide estuary then began the steady climb through several pretty villages, eventually progressing up the valley side with spectacular views over the Afon Dwyryd, near the station at Penrhyn.

With sheer drops frequently below us, we continued the climb towards the half-way point at a picturesque station called Tan y Bwlch (meaning 'Under the Pass'), overlooking a lake known as Llyn Mair. From here, the line continues its ascent to the railway's unique feature, the spiral at Dduallt (Black hill). Here, the railway breaks away from its original line to double back on itself, enabling it to gain an extra 35ft in height, the only such spiral in the UK. This is necessary to skirt round the reservoir at the modern hydro-electric power station near Tanygrisiau, which was built when the railway was on its knees in the late 1950s.

From Tanygrisiau, the railway levels off to return to its original route into Blaenau, where the slate roofs on all the houses, it has to be said, are immaculate. Sadly, this is the only compliment that can be paid to Blaenau, which was, basically, closed. This could have been because it was Sunday, which appears to be a more relaxed day in North Wales than back at home, but even so Bleanau was like a ghost town. We tried the cafe just opposite the station, only to discover that the chef had downed tools in a fit of pique and was refusing to cook or make anything - even a sandwich! With no other options, we ended up in a nearby Spar to buy a dried up roll each and a bag of crips, which we ended up eating back on the station platform as there wasn't really anywhere better. Even though the sun was out, there was a chill wind blowing across the platform which we had to put up with until the next train arrived - about one and a half hours later! In fairness, the slate mines at Blaenau are supposedly worth a look, but we weren't particularly in the mood.

The journey back to Porthmadog was as delightful as the ride up to Blaenau, but as we reached the station at Tanygrisiau and spotted the cafe, we kicked ourselves for not getting off the train here, enjoying a bite to eat, then taking the recommended walk through the countryside downhill for a couple of miles to the next station at Dduallt. If we ever return, then this is most definately what we'll do.

Well, the final stop disappointed, but as the old proverb says its not the destination that makes the journey worthwhile, and this was certainly true today!






* Beware that if you take a trip on the railway and hang your head out of the window, then you risk doing an impression of Vyvyan from the Young Ones (apologies if easily offended). Some of the tunnels on this little railway have literally inches of room either side - so you look out of the windows at your own risk!

Exploring the beaches of the Llyn

After last night's meal, we got our heads together to work out where we we wanted to visit during the week. Whilst anywhere would be better in the sunshine, some of our choices would suit a sunny day much more than a cloudy one, so our proposed itinery for the week would have to be both varied and fluid.

Our first morning in sunny North Wales wasn't in truth so sunny. The forecast suggested that hopefully the sun should return by the afternoon, especially around the coast, and given we'd journeyed for three and a half hours or so the day before, we felt a leisurely day around the coastline would be best.


The Llyn coastline is pitted with little bays, rocky headlands and sandy beaches and several spots are recommended in all the guidebooks we've been accumulating in readiness for our visit. Our first stop was Morfa Nefyn, almost directly north from our cottage, about 20 miles away on the opposite coast. The village itself was uninspiring, but the views from the car park (on the clifftop, not down by the beach itself) were encouraging, looking up and down the coast and out to Anglesey.

A path led down to the sand, where we took the walk along the beach to the nearby hamlet of Porthdinllaen. In the 1850's a proposal was made here for a ferry terminus for Ireland, though Holyhead was eventally preferred. Looking at the place now, a collection of fisherman's cottages and pub (right on the beach), it's hard to believe what could have been.

Behind the pub is a slope leading up the cliffs on a narrow outcrop, where Nefyn golf club's most spectacular holes are located. The public can walk back through the course and out onto the road past the lifeboat station and back to the car park, where we had some lunch.

In the afternoon, we headed down the coast to Aberdaron, almost on the tip of this, the 'Land's End' of Wales. The books say this comparison does Aberdaron an injustice, however we didn't find the village as picturesque as described. The tiny church of St Hywen, noted for its poetic priest R S Thomas, was worth a look, however the cloud cover was returning by now and any charm the village might have had was gone. After a short stroll we ventured on towards the third of our beach destinations, Whistling Sands.

Whistling Sands are noted in all the books as a unique location, where the sand quite literally whistles as you walk over it. Our experiments weren't entirely conclusive and we couldn't agree whether the slight hiss we could hear underfoot was any different here from any other beach, but it's a good story and judging by the number of people around it clearly attracts the punters.

There was no pub on the beach here, but there was a cafe-cum-store right on the sands, selling everything from beach balls and surfing suits to mugs of tea and Bara Brith (Welsh tea-bread, and highly recommended).

The beaches of the Llyn are certainly worth a visit, and its easy to see why they are so popular during the summer months.

Off to Abersoch!

It's been a long time coming but finally our holiday is upon us and we're off to North Wales. We'd been thinking of renting a cottage again since last year when we'd enjoyed a great week in Northumberland, and considered a number of different parts of the country before settling on Abersoch on the North Wales coast. We picked Abersoch because we knew of several people who'd been there over the years, all of whom had enthused over the scenery, beaches, pubs and restaurants and weather, yet this whole area of Wales was new territory to us.

Our cottage was much more modern-looking than the farm cottage we stayed in last year, and we were looking forward to seeing it for the first time. We'd seen a couple of photos on the web, but it was only a couple of weeks ago that we discovered that some colleagues of ours from work had stayed in the exact same cottage only a few months ago! This gave some reassurance that it was just what we wanted, although the tales about the stony track leading to it gave us just a little apprehension until we could see it for ourselves.

The grey cloud which had gradually blotted out the sun over the last couple of days at home seemed to be refusing to budge as we headed along the A55 coast road towards Conway, but then quite suddenly blue sky started to appear, and by the time we'd reached the outskirts of Bangor the sun was shining gloriously. With shades on and music playing we crossed the Llyn peninsula and down to Pwllheli and then on to Abersoch and our cottage.

The house was everything we wanted and more besides, absolutely wonderful - but more about this later in the week. For now, we wanted to explore the harbour and beach and enjoy the sunshine. Soch means 'estuary' in Welsh, so Abersoch lies at the estuary of the Aber, and here the harbour area holds many fishing and sailing boats. Around the headland is the main beach, which was still fairly busy even this late in the year. There was plenty of time for an ice cream in the sun before heading back for our first meal in our temporary Welsh home.

65 today! (well almost)

Dad's been counting down to his birthday all year - not because he's been looking forward to being a year older, but because he'll receive his first old age pension payment.

Although his birthday is actually on Monday, we'd arranged to hold a party for him with friends and family over the weekend, so that everyone could get together and celebrate with him.

The weather was great, allowing us to use the garden as well as indoors, so there was room for everyone to mingle and catch up with each other, and with plenty to eat and drink, we all had a good time.

Thanks to all for making the day a special event!

Champagne and mud

Saturday was to be a busy day for us this week...

First of all Steve and Claire had invited us to baby Leia's naming celebrations, where as part of the occasion we were asked to bring some spring bulbs to plant for Leia in her own little garden.

Before the planting could begin, we gathered inside for a short ceremony which Leia slept through!


With us keen to show our green-fingered skills in the garden, we'd committed the cardinal sin of underestimating the dress code for the occasion. So as all the other guests looked very sophisticated, we turned up kitted out for an afternoon's gardening - and the embarrasment took a while to wear off!

Once the formalities were out of the way, there was plenty of time for the guests to plant their bulbs or trees, and with us dressed for the part, we had to show some willing and get stuck in straight away. Our wellies were definitely needed as the soil was basically mud after all the rain over the last few weeks. So we'll just have to hope that the daffodils we planted are strong enough to grow.

Although the other guests were better dressed than us, those that hadn't brought wellies with them were faced with a challenge or two in the garden. Most had thought this through though, and the patio quickly filled with a collection of muddy boots, of all shapes, colours and sizes.

Stewart was in charge of the food and did a great job with the ham, beef and salmon as well as Ann's home made sausage rolls. With our work done, we could relax a little amongst our friends, although I had one final task to complete - a group photo for Leia and Mum & Dad, plus godparents:


Our day wasn't done though, we had another party in the evening to celebrate a 40th birthday party for one of our work colleagues. At least this time we dressed appropriately!