Bala Lake, farm shop and home

 I decided to go a slightly different way home so that we could stop by the lake at Bala. Its not very far from Barmouth so it was good place to stop for a bacon butty for breakfast. The board paddlers, kayakers and other water sports were just starting to get busy as we left and picked up the traditional A5 route from north Wales. Traffic heading north was getting quite heavy by the time we reached Shrewsbury where we stopped again at the excellent Churncote farm shop to get some BBQ food for the weekend . We also had a lunch in the cafe, also very good.

The rest of the way home was quite slow but the M6 was not as bad as the way north again. I accidentally missed the M6 toll, which was just as well as the M42 has long delays according to the motorway signs.was We arrived back by 5:00 pm as intended.

Fish and Chips

 With the hot sun beaming down again we decided a short train ride to Barmouth was about all we should do. So after a lazy start and the usual breakfast cereals we caught a train in time for a traditional fish and chip lunch. The Mermaid is alledged to be the best chipshop in Wales ( yes another one) and suree enough there were queses out of the door (as usual). The meal was simple but good quality as expected and left us plenty of time to explore the numerous quirky shops, market, pubs and coffee shops on the high street and quay. There is a wonderfull view of Cader Idris over the estuary from the quay.

We bought a few interesitng things (for other people), collected some stones off the beach (don't tell anyone) and had a coffee in an old Wesleyan Chapel now converted into an Indian/Nepalese emporium. 

The 4 o'clock train delivered us back on site in time for more hot relaxation and afternoon coffee and scones. Its a bit cooler this evening and some clouds are appearing over the mountains behind us. But we are packing up and leaving at a reasonable time tomorrow.

Aberdovey and viaduct

                             

After a lazy breakfast we jumped on the train to Aberdovey for the day seeking out a nice seafood lunch. The train takes us over the estuary on the old railway bridge, which also has a pedestrian walkway, then along the attractive scenic coast via Tywyn to Aberdovey. The station is about 1/3 mile from the quay and other leisure facilities. We found the seafood restraurant on the main street, Rosemary had Moules and Frites and I had a fresh crab  bruchetta, with a glass of wine. It was a very nice meal of local incredients. Rosemary bought some spider crab from Dai who supplies the restaurant with seafood. We took a walk along the sea front, stopped and watched the high jinks of the students jumping into the sea (at low tide) from the wooden quay.  We just had a couple of hours so after a bit of shopping it was soon time to catch the train back to Barmouth. Another chilled evening to watch the sun go down with a glass of red and some assorted cheeses.  

First day in Barmouth

 After a humid night the day started overcast but the sun soon melted the clouds away. We walked down to the beach past several static caravan sites. The tide was out revealing a large sandy beach all the way into Barmouth. We walked a bit and collected some stones and a loaf of bread and returned to the van by which time it was sunny and hot. We chilled out for the afternoon before taking the train into Barmouth to shop for something to grill. It was 5 o'clock and all the coffee shops were closed.

It was the hottest day of the year in Wales.

We grilled the steak on the Jamie with a prawn cocktail side then strawberries and creme fraiche. I took a bottle of Appassimenti from home too. Very nice way to see the sunset on a breezy evening.

A Stormy arrival

 We left after 11:00 and after a rather tedious journey around Birmingham on the M6 arrived at site just before 5 pm. We had a long stop near Welshpool for farm shopping and Welsh Rarebit for lunch. The last 10 miles to Barmouth were in a thunder storm which rumbled on for about 5 hours. The heavy rain did ease a bit while we found a pitch on the grassy site by the railway line. It's literally 50yds away but only one train every two hours in each direction statring at 7:30 so its just like a wake up alarm clock.

We can just see the mountains and the sea through the murk when we arrived.

Wales break

 We are having a week, well Monday to Friday, in mid Wales on a small site by the Tal Y Bont railway station. Trains go from Pwhelli in the north to Birmingham via Barmouth and the coast so we should be very handy for transport.