Into the West

It is a bit of a disorganised start to the day as our B+B host ends up having to prepare our breakfasts himself (the kitchen staff seem to have deserted him?) When we do get on the road, it is not a long drive to the outskirts of Warrington. We spend a few hours visiting my dear Veronia, who has had her fair share of trials recently but remains characteristically chirpy. She insists on piloting us back to the motorway when we leave, which is probably just as well, so we follow her little red car through the maze of roads until she waves us off at the motorway on-ramp. 

Me and Veronia

From there we head west until the indecipherable road signs and mysterious lack of vowels herald our entry into Wales. We stop at Bala and again, battle the school holiday crowds to find a parking spot in the pretty main street and a table at a cafe. Salad! How I have missed you!

On the shores of Lake Bala

The Welsh countryside puts on its best face in the sunshine and rolls out the green carpet. Blue skies gradually become more overcast however as we pass into Snowdonia. By the time we reach our destination of Porthmadog, the air is warm and heavy with humidity. I try to tell Ross the name of our B+B but I eventually give up and just point. Despite my best efforts, it always comes out sounding like a swear word. How is it possible to have F, C, W and N in the same word, without any vowels?! Our B+B for the night is humble - a small room with slate walls at the top of a long staircase. But it is comfortable and quiet and that's all we really need. 

The fabulous green carpet

Into Snowdonia

Having sat in the car all day, we go for a short walk to nearby Borth-y-Gest and back to Porthmadog. Walking down into the town from the hilltop, Porthmadog looks quite pretty ringed with mountains and facing the sea.

Borth-y-Gest

Walking down to Porthmadog

The main event is yet to come however, and the reason we have chosen to stop here for the evening. Five years ago we visited Portmeirion for the first time (see blog post here) and Ross is keen to return to the architectural fantasy-land. Our visit is reserved until tomorrow but we have our dinner at Castell Deudraeth on the fringes of Portmeirion village. At the next table is a couple holidaying from Oxfordshire. We start chatting and eventually dine together as we discover they have family in Perth and we share many other points in common. The world is indeed a very small place. 

Second visit to Castell Deudraeth