More North Wales Adventures

Hi there everyone 😀

After a few very quiet days around the lodge recovering from our hectic visit from David, Alison and Bobby, it was time to welcome Jackie and Phil for a few days of North Wales fun.

Once again, the weather forecast was looking a bit mixed, with Storm Floris on its way, but we were hopeful we could make the most of any sunny spells.

Jackie and Phil arrived on Saturday at lunchtime and, thankfully, the weather was glorious ☀️☀️☀️ We decided to make the most of it and spent the afternoon on the deck… swimming, relaxing, and enjoying a barbecue.

Sunday: Steam Trains & Mountain Views
We woke up to rain on Sunday and enjoyed a lazy morning, but had an exciting afternoon adventure planned … a trip on the Welsh Highland Railway from Porthmadog to Beddgelert.

As usual, the station looked lovely …

… and we had time for a quick pitstop at Spooner’s before boarding …

As we were nice and early, we managed to grab seats in the open carriage … deciding to take our chances with the weather and the effects of the steam …

Departing from Porthmadog station is pretty cool, as the train actually crosses the main road and traffic has to stop. We’ve often watched it happen, but this was our first time on the train as it crossed …

The route follows the Glaslyn River, with fabulous views of Snowdonia’s mountains along the way …

… before steaming through a lengthy tunnel and into the spectacular Aberglaslyn Pass …

There were plenty of people out and about, most stopping to wave as the train chugged past … we just had to wave back. 

Having visited Beddgelert many times by car, it was fun to spot familiar landmarks from a completely different perspective. 

We had just over an hour in Beddgelert, so wandered into the village for something to eat and a look at the river …

… before heading back to the station in time to bag seats in the open carriage again for the return journey …

As we crossed the bridge back over the Glaslyn … where we’d walked just days before with David, Alison and Bobby … it was lovely to see so many people cooling off in the river and enjoying the sunshine …

Before we knew it, we were back in Porthmadog … 

… and then heading to Criccieth for fish and chips on the seafront, followed by an evening back at the lodge … trying our best to locate Sherlock Holmes in our latest escape room challenge, which ended up being a bit of an epic task …

Monday: Rain, Swellies & a Bit of Sun
Day two brought another wet morning as the tail end of Storm Floris cleared through. Once the skies started to brighten, we headed to Y Felinheli for our usual wander along the front …

… followed by a quick drink at The Swellies …

Back at the lodge, the sun had returned, so we had another swim and a lovely sit in the sunshine … before another evening of escaping … this time it was The Pharoah’s Tomb. 

Tuesday: A Big Day Out to Anglesey
For Jackie and Phil’s last full day, we had a big day out planned. We were off to Anglesey … starting with a visit to Plas Newydd in the morning, and then heading to Beaumaris in the afternoon, where we were hoping to ride the big wheel that’s there for the summer season.

We were at Plas Newydd nice and early …

… and began with a wander around the arboretum, making our way to the treehouse … a perfect selfie spot …

From there, we followed the path along the edge of the Menai Strait, taking in the views across the water …

We found ourselves at the old port, with its crumbling outdoor pool and a lovely view back to Y Felinheli in the distance, before looping back to the front of the house …

Here we split up for a while … Jackie and Phil went for a longer walk while Martin and I explored the terraced walled garden …

It was looking stunning, full of colour, with both hot and cool borders bursting with blooms … 

… and even more lovely views across to Y Felinheli …

Jackie and Phil soon joined us and we had a good look around the house, followed by a very welcome ice cream in the courtyard. 

Then it was time to head back to the car, via the shop of course, and enjoy our picnic in the sunshine before setting off for Beaumaris …

Beaumaris by Big Wheel
Beaumaris was busy but we managed to park by the castle and made a beeline for the giant ferris wheel. With no dithering or hesitation, we were soon all aboard, enjoying a completely new view of the town from above. We all loved it and would definitely recommend giving it a go if you get the chance …

Afterwards, we had a bit of a wander … mooching in and out of the pretty gift shops … before heading to the tea room in the park by the castle for a sit in the sunshine and a bit of a refuel, complete with a pretty decent view …

We were all feeling pretty shattered by the time we made it back to the lodge, where the latest episode of Sewing Bee was all any of us were fit for. 

One Last Spooner’s Stop
Wednesday morning was time for Jackie and Phil to head home … but not before one final visit to Spooner’s at Porthmadog railway station, where we finally got to try their breakfast… and very good it was too 😋

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School’s Out :: 2025

Hi there everyone 😀

It seems to have become a bit of a tradition for David, Alison and my nephew Bobby to kick off the school holidays with a few days staying with us at the lodge.

This is now the third year they’ve joined us … you can read about their previous visits here and here.

As has also become the norm, the weather forecast didn’t look too promising … but it ended up being far better than expected.

They arrived late on the evening of Bobby’s last day at school, ready for what turned out to be four very full days of adventures and new experiences.

And we really did pack a lot in! From a treasure trail around Beddgelert, a coastal walk and paddle on the beach at Borth-y-Gest, crazy golf and an escape room in Porthmadog, to a couple of dips in the pool, fish and chips on the front in Criccieth, the arcade in Pwllheli, two picnics, a wander around Caernarfon, a BBQ, and a visit to Penrhyn Castle. Phew!

Day 1 – Beddgelert
We started off with a Treasure Trail around Beddgelert, with Bobby leading the way …

It’s one of our favourite villages in North Wales … nestled at the confluence of the rivers Glaslyn and Colwyn and surrounded by mountains, it really is a beautiful spot …

Our trail took us past all our favourite places … 

… and we stopped for a riverside picnic … 

… before heading back into the village … 

… and onto the steam railway station, where we were lucky enough to spot the train awaiting its return journey to Caernarfon …

Day 2 – Borth-y-Gest & Porthmadog
On Day 2, we stayed fairly local and started with a coastal walk at Borth-y-Gest … 

… followed by a paddle on the beach …

From Borth-y-Gest, we headed into Porthmadog, where David, Alison and Bobby tackled the (not so) crazy golf course … 

Then it was ice creams in the park … 

… before our big afternoon adventure — the local escape rooms. Things didn’t go quite to plan, but we very nearly made it out, and definitely had a lot of fun trying …

We rounded off the day with fish and chips on the prom in Criccieth. 

Day 3 – Caernarfon & BBQ
By Day 3, Martin and I were starting to flag a little, so we had a slower start and headed over to Caernarfon, where we managed to bag a handy parking spot in the town square …

David, Bobby and Alison got stuck into a rather interesting Geocache … which involved a few wet feet …

We had a wander around the town walls … 

… and a well-earned pitstop in the sunshine at The Black Boy … 

… before pottering in and out of the little independent shops on our way back to the car.

Back at the lodge, we made the most of the late afternoon sunshine with a dip in the pool, followed by a BBQ to finish the day …

Day 4 – Penrhyn Castle
All too soon, it was time for our visitors to head home. But we managed to squeeze in one final stop … a visit to Penrhyn Castle, which is kind of on their way back …

After a final picnic lunch in the sunshine we waved our guests goodbye. We headed back to the lodge where we pretty much flaked out and didn’t move far at all for the next few days 😜

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