Walk with us :: Anglesey Barracks, Llanberis

Hi there everyone 😀

This one is another walk that, up until a few months ago, we never could have imagined ourselves doing.

Anglesey Barracks is another beautiful spot that I’d seen photos of on Facebook and had resigned myself to never actually seeing it for real.

Whilst they are called Anglesey Barracks … they are not in Anglesey. They are two parallel rows of 11 ruined terraced houses, up above Llanberis, in the Dinorwic Slate Quarry.

They were built to house quarry workers who traveled long distances from Anglesey and other parts of Gwynedd and could not go home every night.

Having had a couple of nice slow days following Jackie and Phil’s visit we felt up to a challenge.

I had done lots of research on the different ways of getting to the barracks and, in the end, I opted for the route which was the shortest distance … up the ‘zig zags’ … and yes … that’s them … up the top …

The zig zags are a steep, historic trail constructed of loose slate winding up through the massive waste heaps of the quarry. They are known historically as the Llwybr Main (the "Narrow Path"), which was painstakingly flanked by dry-stone slate walls … built by expert quarry masons … to give workers a direct route to the barracks and higher working terraces. 

The trail starts from the side of the road … just before the power station entrance …

The path starts in the woodland and is a series of very rough rocky steps and metal staircases …

It’s quite hard going but not long before you are up high enough to take in some pretty impressive views of Dolbadarn Castle back across the lake …

Once you actually hit the ‘zig zags’ it’s not as bad as it looks. Don’t get me wrong … there’s still a fair way to go but the gentler slope doesn’t feel quite a rigorous as climbing the steps up through the woodland …

It’s definitely fair to say that the higher you go … the more spectacular the view … in all directions …

When you get to the old winding house you are very nearly there …

It looked like a great viewpoint but we decided to save it for on the way back down.

The barracks kind of just appeared with no warning and it was a really magical spot … and definitely lived up to all the hype …

We had a good wander around … having the place pretty much to ourselves …

… before getting up a little bit higher for the best view …

On the way back down we stopped at the winding house …

… and took in the view …

… before bracing ourselves to head back down …

There are a number of routes which can make this a nice circular walk but, as we weren’t entirely sure of the route, we decided to retrace our steps. 

We took it very steadily … with plenty of stops … mainly to chat to different groups of walkers making their way up …

Once we got back into the woodland it was very hard going on the knees as some of the steps are huge …

We made it safely back down to the bottom …

… and it was back to the lake for a very nice spot for our picnic lunch …

We were both feeling it but were really pleased we’d made the effort. It’s definitely one to do again … maybe trying to make it a circular next time 😀

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A few days with Friends #2 :: in search of Waterfalls, a Folly, a Garden all to ourselves & Ospreys

Hi there everyone 😀

For the second day of Jackie and Phil’s visit we had another jam packed day … starting in search of waterfalls at Craflwyn.

Whilst we had a very nice walk in the shady woodland …

… there really were no waterfalls to be found …

… with the streams and gulleys all pretty much dried up …

In case you don’t believe that waterfalls were ever there … here are a few photos of our previous visit, back in October …

From Craflwyn we headed back to Plas Brodanw, where we started with a walk up to the folly …

Whilst the garden Cafe is closed on a Monday there is an honesty box for you to pay to visit the garden and that is exactly what we did. We literally had the whole of the garden to ourselves and we started our visit by having our picnic on the cafe outdoor tables … it was as if we were in our very own garden.

The garden was definitely suffering from the run of dry weather we’d had but there was still plenty to see …

… and, as ever, the views over the countryside were just spectacular …

From Brodanw we called on at the Osprey centre, to see how the chicks were all doing. We were pleased to see the majority had fledged … and that Jackie and Phil were as entranced by them as we had been on our first visit …

From here, following a quick call in at Aberdunant for a drink on the terrace, it was back to the lodge to get ready for our evening out. We were heading to The Goat, somewhere we’d not been before, but ended up being a real treat …

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A few Days with Friends #1 :: a Garden, a Paddle & a Tin Man

Hi there everyone 😀

A couple of days into our July stay at the lodge Jackie and Phil joined us for a short visit … and the weather was amazing. Not quite heatwave, like it was back home, but lovely blue skies and warm sunshine. It was the perfect weather for both getting out and about and for chilling on the decking back at the lodge.

Jackie and Phil arrived early afternoon and we spent the rest of the day sitting in the sunshine and taking a dip in the pool. It was a lovely relaxing way to start off their visit.

With the weather being so good we managed to pack plenty in for the two full days they had with us … starting with a visit to Plas yn Rhiw, a National Trust garden not too far away.

Martin and I have visited this garden several times and we have tried to take Jackie and Phil there before … but the weather was just too bad. This time that was most definitely not an issue and it was lovely to see the garden at the height of summer …

As usual … the views out across the coast were spectacular …

… as were the agapanthus …

… and the hydrangeas …

The Manor House has been closed for a while for renovation works …

… but as we’d checked in we were told that we could visit Sarn y Plas, an historic cottage, beneath the woods of Plas yn Rhiw, along the ‘old’ road. It was once the home of poet RS Thomas and his wife, ME Eldridge. It was the first we’d heard of this place so, of course, we had to go and have a look … but not before a piece of my favourite roulade from the tea room …

To get to Sarn y Plas we headed right out of the car park … and took a short walk down the ‘old’ road. It wasn’t long before we came across the cottage, tucked away behind the stone walls and hedgerows …

It’s a tiny cottage … 

… with just a couple of rooms … but the view …

Outside, the cottage is surrounded by mainly wildflower gardens … but it really was all about the view …

We didn’t stay long, but I’m so glad we got to visit. I picked up a card with one of Thomas’ poems …




From here we were heading for Llanbedrog, but we did have a quick stop at Hell’s Mouth for a bit of a refreshing paddle along the way …

After a picnic lunch in the grounds of the gallery …

… we decided we were up for a walk up to the ‘tin man’ … the fourth time for Martin and I … but the first for Jackie and Phil.

It was pretty warm by now and we were all very glad of the shade from the trees as we took a slow walk up …

Martin and I must definitely be getting a bit fitter as the walk don’t seem quite as strenuous as previously and, whilst that last flight of steps was still an effort, we seemed to make it up in no time at all …

On such a perfect day weather wise the views were stunning …

After taking the mandatory selfies …

… we headed back down … taking those steep and uneven steps very carefully. This is the view of some of the hydrangeas on the car park, which are always amazing, as we got back down to the bottom …

It was then time to head back to the lodge, where we managed a quick, but very refreshing, swim and BBQ, before a night up late watching the World Cup final … which ended up with the best result we could have hoped for. 

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