Wales Day 5 - Snowdonia

No doggies this morning, but no rain either! After a quick breakfast we hopped into the car for a long drive up to the southern parts of Snowdonia National Park. Once again the GPS proved its usefulness as Martin and I tried to pronounce some of the names of towns along the way! Our route took us up the coast road through Cardigan and Aberystwyth. A lovely drive but very, very slow with most villages requiring 40 mph speed limit. We eventually arrived at Llanwyddyn - a picturesque little town set along the edges and dam wall of Lake Vyrnwy. A friend of ours, Paul, worked here at the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel many years back and we were interested to see where he spent a year working in the middle of nowhere! We ate lunch in the Tower Tavern at a window table overlooking the lake and straining tower which was quite ornate. The service was slow which was good as we had a chance to unwind from the long drive with ale and cider, and take in the view.

It had been raining for most of the morning so as we moved into early afternoon we decided to head south for home. The heavy rainfall had created many waterfalls which cascaded down the steep valleys and over the road in some places. James was happy to see the waterfalls, but was concerned that the sheep were getting terribly wet until we explained that the oil in their wool keeps them dry!

We drove through some grand mountain ranges and valleys of Snowdonia. I thought the sheer starkness of the winter landscape was just beautiful. The valleys were lush and the steep hills burnished russet with outcrops of slate.

It was another long, wet drive home to our cottage and we arrived at 6.30pm. When I asked James about his favourite part of the day (as I often do) he replied “the waterfalls” and “coming home”.

Photos are here.