Snowdonia

Sunday

We went for a walk from Talsarnau along the estuary towards Pont Briwet (the road and rail bridge over the Afon Dwyryd). Saw some canada geese and baby sole in Afon Dwyryd. We walked back over the hills via Llyn Tecwyn Uchaf and through some steep forest paths. Saw a couple of hares too.

Monday
Went to Criccieth Castle then had lunch on the beach. Went to Pwllheli and walked round the east side of the harbour and saw some herons and some jellyfish.

Tuesday
Went up Snowdon from Nantgwynant via the south ridge going to the summit of Allt Maenderyn on the way. All along the ridges we were in cloud. The station and cafe at the top of Snowdon are being rebuilt at the moment so as we neared the summit we were greeted buy the slightly odd sight of construction equipment. After stopping for our last sandwich we descended on the watkin path. Our route was nearly the reverse of route 6 on High Trek Snowdonia.

Wednesday
A journey on the Caernarfon end of the Welsh Highland Railway. We travelled from Caernarfon to behind Beyer-Garratt #138, had lunch at Rhyd Ddu then got the train back to Waunfawr pulled byCastell Caernarfon. We looked round the gardens at Antur Waunfawr, then went for a pint at the Snowdonia Park Brewpub next to the station.

Thursday
Went to Penrhyn Castle - as well as the usual stuff you'd expect from a national trust stately home it has Britain's only industrial railway museum which included locomotives Penrhyn quarries and the Dinorwig quarries which we visited on Friday!

Friday
Went to the National Slate Museum in Llanberis. It is situated in the Dinorwig quarry workshops and is next to the Llanberis lake railway. It has the largest waterwheel in Britain (it is huge!), demonstrations of slate splitting (which can still only be done by hand), and old workers cottages which had been furnished to reflect slate workers houses in 1860, 1901 and 1969. The cottages were tiny - about the size of the one bedroom cottage we were staying in - yet the 1860 one had a family of 5 plus two lodgers living in it. We also took a look at the only working incline (though it wasn't in use when we were there) and took what I though would be a short walk up to a viewpoint.

Duke Special

We went to see Duke Special on Friday. They were supported by Beth Rowley who also did some vocals in Duke Special's set. I found some photos on Flickr. I love the fact that someone will have taken great photos of almost anything and you can find them in a couple of minutes!

Pagham Harbour

We went to Pagham Harbour on Saturday afternoon. There weren't as many birds as last time we were there but we did see shell ducks, a lapwing, curlews, oyster catchers, swans and little egrets. There were loads of dead crabs - some big ones, and loads of little one washed up around the harbour. And dead cuttlefish - I've seen the cuttlebones that are washed up on the shore but this one still had skin and flesh. Something (seagulls?) had eaten the tentacles but we could see where the ink sack must have been.

In the evening we went across to West Wittering and had a Barbeque on the beach. Paul and Kerry both took some photos. Fortunately for me they both managed to get some great shots of the sunset - I don't remember it at all - I must have been to busy enjoying the food.

Photos:
Pagham Harbour
Barbeque at West Wittering [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Weald & Downland Open Air Museum

Went to the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum. Loads of old buildings and information about how people used to live. We bought some stone ground bread flour and some honey and Jenny made some bread the next Saturday. It was the best bread and honey I can remember.

Portland

We went to Chesil Beach for lunch then explored around Portland Bill. We saw some big prawns and fairly large fish in rockpools - gobys and blennies I think.

On the way out of Portland we stopped at the viewpoint above Portland Harbour and had a look round. We saw a mouse and a yellowhammer.

There's some more photos in my Portland album on picasaweb.