Lodge Life :: July 2026

Hi there everyone 😀

We had a lovely three week break at the lodge taking in the last couple of weeks of July and the first week of August. We packed an awful lot in so there will be lots more separate posts coming down the line but … for now … here’s a bit of what we got up to. 

We were blessed with the best weather I think we’ve had yet … we even got the outdoor rug out 😜 … and we really made the most of it … 

We had a couple of days just settling in, shopping and the like, before Jackie and Phil joined us for a short visit.

The weather meant they got to enjoy the full lodge experience, making the most of the pool and the sunshine. We packed plenty in on the few days they were with us … so much so that I will give you all the details in couple of separate posts …

On their last morning we had our usual breakfast in Spooner’s … at the Porthmadog steam railway station … and waved them off  We then had a very lazy afternoon back at the lodge. 

We didn’t do much the following day either … though we did manage to weed and resand the block paving on our parking patch, which was looking decidedly in need of attention.

We followed this with a ‘big day out’. We headed to Llanberis for a bit of a challenge. We have both really wanted to visit Anglesey Barracks ever since we first saw pictures of them on Facebook … but it’s another one of those places that we thought was beyond our reach.

I am pleased to say that we were up to the challenge and finally got to visit this incredible spot …

I can’t say we didn’t feel it in the knees on the way back down though. It’s definitely worthy of a ‘Walk with us’ post, which will be coming soon.

We must have been on a bit of a roll … as the very next day found us heading out for another uphill adventure. This time we wanted to try and see what was above the Cwmorthin waterfall. It was another challenging walk for us … but it was definitely worth it. Again, you will be able to read more about this one soon …

The next few days were not quite so strenuous … and I think we were both ready for a bit of a breather. We had a day topping up supplies and having a bit of a tidy up … followed by another good walk in Criccieth …

There was then a very productive shopping day … up and down the Porthmadog High Street … followed by a wander around Caernarfon …

We were then ready for another ‘big day out’ … this time to Betws-y-Coed, where we finally managed to visit Ty Mawr Wybrnant. It’s a tiny property … down a very long and narrow lane … and it’s where Bishop William Morgan completed the first translation of The Bible into Welsh. It’s said that this act may have ensured the survival of the Welsh language.

As well as reading about the property locally … we had seen it on a TV programme and were really pleased to actually be in the area on a day that it was open.

There is a small cottage, where William Morgan used to live …

… a Tudor garden …

… and an archive of bibles from around the world. It was just lovely and we are so glad that we got to visit.

On our way back into Betws-y-Coed village we stopped off for a walk to Conwy Falls … where the falls weren’t falling anywhere near as much as normal …

Once in the village we parked up by the Pont y Pair, which was really busy, with lots of people just messing about in the water. We found a good spot for our picnic … before having a good wander around the village and the railway station, which wasn’t looking quite as ‘green’ as normal … but the hydrangeas were doing well …

The following day we decided to have a bit of a coastal day, exploring some of the beaches on the northern coast of The Llyn. We started at Towyn, where we came across local chef ‘Flamebaster’, filming for the BBC on the beach …

We managed to also fit in Porth Ysgaden, Porth Iago… for the first time … and Porth Oer, which definitely deserve a post of their own.

We then had a relaxing day hanging around the lodge before starting off August with another visit to Criccieth … where this time we walked from the back of Dylan’s, along the railway line, to Black Rock Sands … then back along the beach. I will combine our two Criccieth walks into a ‘Walk with us’ post for later …

We then had another day not going very far but doing a short walk to the Pwllheli slate bridge … somewhere we’ve been wanting to see for absolutely ages.

Whilst it was pretty … it was obviously a hangout for some who were definitely not big on taking their litter home …

We had one last ‘big day out’ before heading for home. We were hoping to find the Nantcol waterfalls on another short walk near Llanbedr … followed by our first visit to Harlech castle.

I am pleased to say that we most definitely found the Nantcol waterfalls … which we both loved … though I think the heat made it just a little bit too much for me. We will definitely visit again and be more prepared for at least a paddle in the river … there were just so many good spots where it looked very easy to get in. It will definitely be the subject of a ‘Walk with us’ post at some point …

Having pretty much worn ourselves out at the falls, and with it being such a warm day, we decided to leave Harlech Castle for another time and, instead, opted for a visit to Shell Island. It’s somewhere that neither of us have ever visited before and I’d already checked on the tide times so knew it was a good time to visit …

It costs £10 for car to visit as a day guest and we spent a good couple of hours there … starting with a stop off at The Quay for a drink and a bit of chill time …

We then had a bit of a wander round the harbour area …

… before jumping back in the car and driving to the other side of the island … for a walk through the dunes …

… to the beach … which was just beautiful … with the sand stretching as far as the eye could see …

I was more than ready for a paddle …

It was so lovely to dip my feet in the sea. It really was the loveliest beach … plenty of pretty shells were picked up to take back too. 

Before finally heading back we had a wander to have a look at the marshland from the causeway … it was really difficult to imagine it all under water …

We’d had the loveliest of days but it was time to head back to the lodge for one last time. 

We spent our last day packing and cleaning, with one last trip out for lunch at Nant Gwrtheyrn. It had been a really good three weeks and neither of us were really ready to head for home but hey … it won’t be long before we are back 😀

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