2014 – where did you go to?

 Holidays, In the garden, What I do  No Responses »
Jan 122015
 
2014 - where did you go to?

They say time flies by as you get older, and for me, this was certainly true in 2014. No sooner had the buds burst out on the trees, than the leaves were falling and Winter was returning to this part of the United Kingdom. I suppose the main reason the year flew by was because I was kept busy most of the time. I don’t seem to get bored, although I do have many moments when I sit around and watch the World drift by. Not having to work does give me the luxury to enjoy these quiet moments, and [Read more]

Return to Portmeirion

 Holidays  No Responses »
May 222014
 
Return to Portmeirion

Portmeirion is a hotel and village complex two miles south-east of Porthmadog in North Wales. The village is one mile from Minffordd railway station which is served by the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway and Arriva Trains Wales on the Cambrian Line. Portmeirion was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village. It has been used in many films and television shows, most notably the 1960s classic ‘The Prisoner’, starring Patrick McGoohan, a personal favourite of mine. As a family, we have visited Portmeirion for over 30 years, and it was a place that we always [Read more]

Welsh Mega Steam – day four

 Holidays, What I do  1 Response »
Sep 152013
 
Welsh Mega Steam - day four

Bangor to Aberystwyth Day four of my Welsh steam adventure took me from Bangor to Aberystwyth, stopping on the way to take some line side shots of the Welsh Highland Railway and the Ffestiniog Railway. Our first stop was Rhyd Ddu station at the foot of Snowdon where the two trains from Porthmadog and Carnarfon crossed. We had an hour to kill here, so there was plenty of time for everyone to choose a spot to get their shots. When the trains departed, we raced the train to the Aberglaslyn Pass, south of Beddgelert. Here we were able to take [Read more]

Welsh Mega Steam – day three

 Holidays, What I do  1 Response »
Sep 122013
 
Welsh Mega Steam - day three

The long and the short Day three was another day that I had looked forward to, and it didn’t disappoint. Today was the day that I got to ride the length of the Welsh Highland Railway, and in style too. After breakfast, we boarded the coach which took us to Carnarfon in plenty of time for the 10:00 departure. We had been booked in third class, so I paid an extra ten pounds to upgrade to the observation car, and it was worth every penny. The line runs for a marathon 25 miles and winds its way from coast to [Read more]