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May 27
OK,
no walking today. I had planned a trip to Portmeirion
and everyone that we spoke to said we must go there. I knew a bit about it and
had seen pictures but was not prepared for the reality. To say that the town is
somewhat whimsical is the understatement of the year. Designed by Sir Clough
Williams-Ellis, it is the culmination of his life long dream to design a village
that would be beautiful and 
blend
in perfectly with nature. Indeed, from Harlech, only a short distance across the
bay, it is hardly even noticeable.
The
Patrick McGoohan vehicle "The
Prisoner" was filmed here in 66 & 67. It would be 
hard
to build a set from scratch that was more perfect for the show.
As you walk through the town, you expect a giant rabbit to jump out from
any of the countless nooks and crannies. There are forest walks available and
but I wasn't about to let Felicity convince herself she could do more walking.
We ventured into the woods
were we encountered what felt like an enchanted forest. Everything about
Portmeirion is enchanted.
A short
walk down the hill takes you to the beach which provides the view for the only
hotel in town. There 
are
a number of self catering options up in the heart of the village that look
pretty appetizing, I'm already making plans.
Portmeirion
deserves some time and would be wonderful after the gates
close and only the hotel guests and self caterers remain. There are no permanent
residents living in the village.
We had
failed to get a castle in the previous day so we made up for it today. Caernarfon
is a massive structure near the south entrance of the
Menai
Strait
. It is a
popular stop for school classes but they are, for the most part, well behaved.
We climbed to the highest point 
of
the castle and from the dizzying viewpoint, heard, and then saw a bagpiper at
the bottom. We found our way down to him and found he was playing the more
tasteful Uileen pipes. Alan the piper was doing a fine job and we purchased one
of his CDs. We caught him at the end of his shift apparently and he followed us
out.
We
walked across the swinging drawbridge to the other side of the harbor for a
great view the castle as the boats came in. More photo opportunities as this day
would break the record for most photos shot. But there was more to see so we
hustled back to the car and I finally found the much sought after, welsh flag on
a stick at the tacky gift shop across from the castle.
OK, we had
to do one VERY touristy thing and we wanted to see
Beaumaris
Castle
also. Yes, we
stopped in:
and took
some pictures of the railroad sign and left in a hurry for Beaumaris.
Beaumaris
Castle is a fine ruin 
of
a castle with a small moat remaining around it. The only parking in town is a
huge grass field that yes, you must pay for. We grabbed a drink at the Liverpool
Inn and decided we should travel to Conwy. We new the castle would be closed but
we thought we should stop in and see the town. The town walls and
the castle are closed at night so we
just decided to find a place to eat. Well, there isn't much in Conwy before the
bank holiday and none of the pubs serve food after
7:00 PM
. We found a
very small but great Indian Restaurant and had some fine spicy cuisine.
Though we
had been traveling all day, the drive back to Criccieth was only an hour and we
made it back s darkness fell, a late night for us on this trip.
Click on each picture for a larger View
| Home
| Berwick St
James | Beer
| Looe | Portreath
| Portreath
| Portreath
| Lynton |
Lynton | Rhosilli
| Broadhaven
| Broadhaven
| Devil's
Bridge | Criccieth
| Criccieth
| Criccieth
| Welshpool
| James
& Aaron | Llandogo
| London
| Map |
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OK,
no walking today. I had planned a trip to Portmeirion
and everyone that we spoke to said we must go there. I knew a bit about it and
had seen pictures but was not prepared for the reality. To say that the town is
somewhat whimsical is the understatement of the year. Designed by Sir Clough
Williams-Ellis, it is the culmination of his life long dream to design a village
that would be beautiful and 
blend
in perfectly with nature. Indeed, from Harlech, only a short distance across the
bay, it is hardly even noticeable.
