Monmoth and Brecon

I'm here near Brecon on a school trip. Dominic and I are enjoying the fresh air and open spaces of mid-Wales at Woodlands outdoor education centre in Glasbury. On the program are hill walking, canoeing and caving. We went canoeing on the Monmouth and Brecon canal today. We were last here a couple of years ago for a holiday on the Mon and Brec with Castle narrowboats when we took our hired boat from Gilwern to Brecon and back. Sadly however the canal is closed to navigation (except canoes) for what may be a long time after the recent breach at Gilwern.

Home Again

We left the luxury of Gilfach cottage with its broadband connection, beautiful garden and roll top bath at 11:00AM in light rain.

We skirted around the base of Snowdon without seeing the peak (visibility was only about 200 metres) and after an uneventful drive of about 5 hours arrived home.

Black Rock Sands Again

We passed our last full day in Wales on Black Rock Sands again. This time the weather was less clement. It rained on and off all day. However as the saying goes "There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing". We were clad in wetsuits. It's quite strange to go swimming in the sea while it's raining. As you emerge from the water you remain wet. We shared the beach with very few people indeed.

Porthmadog to Ffestiniog

Having been to the beach nearly every day so far (except yesterday) we decided to go to Ffestiniog via the railway. The scenery is spectacular as you travel along the narrow gauge railway into the mountains from the sea.

The engine that pulled the train we travelled on has its own web site.

Here we see a railway employee holding up a token for the driver of the train about to pass his signal box and enter a section of single track. I saw two of the tokens; quite elaborately decorated staffs.

Harlech Castle

Edward I built Harlech Castle nearly 800 years ago.

It dominates the town that grew up around it and dominates the landscape as it was intended to. The castle was originally built next to the sea and had a jetty at the foot of the castle rock that could be used to resupply the garison in the event of a siege. Changing sea levels have left the castle a mile inland today. On our wall at home there hangs a picture painted by my grandfather before my first birthday (in 1965), of Harlech castle, so this visit was something of a pilgrimage for me as well as a visit to a spectacular monument.

I was hoping to get a photograph of the same scene as the picture but it wasn't until I returned home that I realised the painting view point was from the south of the castle while I assumed it was from the east so our photo shows the gatehouse.

Black Rock Sands

Cathy had spent the previous day in bed with a stomach upset while we were at Dinas Dinlle, but today was the day of our first visit with the children to the finest beach we know of in Wales. Black Rock Sands near Porthmadog.

Cathy first came to this part of Wales on a family holiday in the seventies. I first came here nearly 20 years ago with Cathy just after we married. We did the obligatory visit to Portmerion then as we are both Prisoner fans.

Wales Day 2

We spent the day at the beach again at Dinas Dinlle this time. Some family members were too tired even to climb into bed when we arrived home.

Wales Day 1

Our Holiday in Wales at Gilfach was one where the weather cooperated for once. Here's the beach just 20 minutes walk from the cottage.
Or 45 minutes walk if you are two years old...
It's probably empty because of the seaweed and rocks, you're thinking. Actually there are limited sandy parts as well. Cathy walked back to the cottage and took the car to the supermarket in Caernarvon before coming back to pick us up and take us back to the cottage.