Dol Peris Hotel Llanberis

.....as Dan and I manage to miss our first train atthe beginning of the trip!! Excellent!! After moi's rabid seraching over a month earlier to guarantee us £16 super-apex singles to London we manage to miss our train by nano-seconds. In fact Dan was on the train but I was 20 meteres away running with my big ...

... across the bridge into Anglesea - we stopped by the village with the longest name in the world - see photo - and even got our passports stamped at the shop there!

Then down into Holyhead where we said goodbye to Mike and the silver bullet - now if you are ever planning a trip to Wales, the one person you MUST meet is Mike Davies - look up Dragon Tours and he will give you the best tour of your life - the man is just an encylopdia of knowledge!

Off to Ireland tomorrow!

Well from Fishgaurd we headed up along the west coast of Wales. Our first stop were Ancient Burial chambers, from prehistoric times - known as Dolmers (forgive the spelling!) they were massive slabs of rock, balanced on each other and then surrounded in smaller rocks, eventually making a mound. Goodness knows how they got the rocks up there! According to tradition (which Josh wasn't too happy with!) standing under them can improve your ...

Hafan Y Mór – Haven site

Pwllheli

This is the old Butlins campsite; there are signs of the old management everywhere from old buildings to the trackbed of the 15" railway (Both Engines and some rolling stock still live at the West Shed, Midland Railway Centre, Swanwick Junction Derbyshire) still visible. There are also lots of new ideas from very strange lodges to the evidence of being very nature ...

Our friends from Bewdley Mountaineering Club were having a weekend bash up in Llandudno at Louise's place. Some of them were planning to do a bit of climbing on Little Tryfan near Capel Curig in Snowdonia. For several reasons we couldn't manage the whole weekend, despite the offer to camp on Louise's lawn, perched on the end of Great Orme's Head, overlooking the Irish Sea. Instead we opted to travel up and meet them at Little Tryfan for the day.

We left just ...

... of the depressing campsite. Sent some postcards and the postman had actually heard of Lincoln, Nebraska. Spent most of the day in an internet café called Pete's Eats. A great place. In the evening, met a British couple and chatted with them for a few hours before going to bed. Actually a clear evening without rain.

... out the waterspouts. There's nothing more soothing than the smell of soil, wood, and leaves after a rainfall, and even more so when the mist of the mountaintops have begun falling closer to the earth, trapping the damp scents in its wraith-like cloud. Ed and I stopped at every bushel, shrub, and thicket of flowers we found on our passing. If there was one thing we could tell from the people of ...

... the forest, like a huge green lampshade. The roads ran straight through these forests and meadows where adorable little farmhouses sat surrounded by sheep, sheep and more sheep. We were headed to a little village on the foot of Snowdonia's biggest attraction, Snowdon Mountain. Apparently this is the Welsh pride and joy, their baby, and we wanted nothing more than to court her. We reached our destination at noon ...

... by the lake) so they headed down a scree slope. Very carefully. Some of those special feral goats mocked them. And loads of jets went over very fast and loud and scared the **** out of Sam. Ugly Troll is too fierce to be afraid. Also she has The Best Bobble Hat Ever, so she is protected. The last stretch to Ogwen - which isn't a village, just a building that sells coffee and ...

... in Snowdonia National Park...Yay. Mildy disappointed that the mountain railway wasn't in action for another couple weeks, so we simply went for a wander by the lake. Great views, sitting amid the mountains. The horses took a shine to Ellie, and her pears. Scared-ie cat me kept my distance, especially when the horses worked out Ellie was getting the pears out of my backpack...argh!!