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.