Grumbles time again. Herself had done some swiping to find a Haven at reasonable cost to take Grumbles away for some R&R in an area new to him. Their frankly huge Hafan y Mor park in Pwllheli came up trumps and we were able to reserve a silver grade van within reasonable lakeside walking distance on the flat to the dog friendly bar and restaurant on site, roughly where the Regency Ballroom used to be,.
I've been here just the once before, way back when I was 11 or 12 years old, back then the site was owned by Butlins, and I'm intrigued to find out how much of that holiday camp remains.
Monday 28 September
I wake and it's dry outside and while Herself makes herself even more beautiful I load up Trude with our bags. Grumbles brought his bags over to ours last night in stealth mode under the cover of darkness - he's paranoid about people knowing he's going away!
The fact that his car won't move for 5 days when it usually teleports him to Pwll every morning of the week for a cooked breakfast escapes him.
The plan was to leave at 9.30am but he's over with us by 9am on pins, but has not had breakfast this morning. I just know Grumbles will be grumbling about his belly well before Aberystwyth.
It was avery scenic spin up to the Welshest of Welsh corners of Wales. Rolling countryside first up through Lampeter and onto the coast at Aberaeron hugging the coastline to Machynlleth. The scenery changes as we skirt Snowdonia and were pulling into the Oakley Arms Hotel in Maentwrog for a spot of lunch before venturing further onto the Llyn Peninsular.
We've eaten here before and it wasn't great tbh, and to be frank there has been little improvement, even the Wrexham Lager was a bit off!
Our check in is 2pm and at 1.59pm were pulling in through the gates of Pwllheli Butlins Haven's Hafan-y-Mor. Herself was given directions, but to be honest I didn't need them; I've spend so much time the last few nights poring over and comparing new and old maps I knew exactly where we were going.
Turn right at Blue Camp, left after the Gaiety building and over the railway bridge. Pass along behind the Regency Ballroom and then hang a left before the amusement park up to the Lawns.
Turn right by Afon Gardens, left after Splashaway bay, past The Cove and over the railway bridge, take a left at the minimarket and drive past The Glendower and then another left up to Herons Point.
In no time at all we're unloaded and Grumbles wastes no time whatsoever in cluttering any available surface with his assorted crap.
It's not too long before Herself gets cabin fever, and Trude's exhaust had not had time to cool down before we're heading off out.
Pulling onto Black Rock Sands I roundly ignore the no dogs sign to the right of the slipway (afterall the ban is only in place for another 2 days) and we abandon Trude (well away from the sea) and head off for a mooch.
Very pleasant it was too darting in and out of the caves, Grumbles was most interested in the rock formations, but having done my A Level in Geology more than 40 years ago I'm of little use to him, and I'm wishing I had my mate, the Norwegian Oil Tycoon with me to fend off a barrage of questions.
All caved out we head back along Llyn on the look out for somewhere to stop for an evening meal. We failed miserably and after abandoning Trude outside the van we set off on an evening stroll along the side of the lake as far as Coast Bar and Grill.
Won't be a late one tonight.
Tuesday 29 September
Late last night I'd asked the Norwegian Oil Tycoon about the rock formations so that I could impress Grumbles over breakfast.
He came up trumps.........
"The hard black rock are igneous. Deformed layers above probably metamorphic, (as you’re in N Wales). Thin layer separating two is an igneous sill. Now vertical due to mountain building Caledonian Orogeny, ~400 Ma."
Grumbles lost interest after the first sentence and returned to his breakfast!
Last night Herself had hatched a plan for a day out today, I was over the moon as organising stuff to do is usually left to me. We were to head to Llanberis first to take a look at the National Slate Museum Wales, then head up the Llanberis Pass to Pen y Pass before dropping down to Yr Wyddfa Look Out and then down into Beddgelert.
All was going fine, we're skirting Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon on old money) and rolling into Llanberis, dutifully following the brown tourist signs. Rounding the corner we spot the first signs of an issue. The National Slate Museum is shrouded with scaffolding, going further around reveals a contactors compound taking up what was the entrance to the place.
I know from Googling earlier that the Llanberis Lake Railway is also out of the question as 90% of the line has been given over to National Grid to lay new cables. With zero bars on the phone we have no option that to move on, heading next door to the car park near the Snowdon Mountain Railway so that Grumbles could take a look around the goods sheds, have a peak at the locomotives and go into the shop and have a moan about prices!
I go off to pay for parking while Herself gets the dogs clipped on. In no time at all, after rubbing my eyes to check I'm not seeing things I'm waddling back to Trude at warp speed, "Get them back in the car now" We're not stopping!"
£17 the robbing Gog barstewards wanted to park up mind!
After driving through the village to confirm there still isn't much there we resign ourselves to accepting that the first part of our carefully planned day out has gone tits up, and head on up the Llanberis Pass. Grumbles hasn't done this road before and is suitable impressed, as he has been with most of the scenery since yesterday. His naps in the car have been limited to say the least!
Gone are the clear blue skies of yesterday as we pull into the lookout car park, so Yr Wyddfa itself is invisible behind a blanket of clouds. Grumbles having to use his imagination while looking at the pictures of surrounding mountains carved into the stone slab.
The views down the valley are breathtaking though, and it really is a stunning little spot to stop off. Herself insists I climb the rocks for a photo with the dogs and my protestations that I'm now nudging 60 years of age fall on deaf ears!
I'm going to have a rant now. This is a beautiful spot, there is no doubting that, and sometimes I have to question the mentality of some of my fellow human beings. Who in their right mind would litter in a location like this?
We drop further down and pull up on the shores of Llyn Gwynant. I know I walked them first thing around the lake on site, but Gwawr and Gwen have been good as gold either in the boot or on a lead ever since, and are due some off lead play time.
Still recovering from the winds up higher Grumbles elects to stay put in Trude while Herself and I play with the dogs on the water's edge.
Only a short hop down to Beddgelert where we abandon Trude in the Cae Morys car park for the princely sum of £4, and clipping the dogs on for a wander.
I get stiffed for a glass Welsh Dragon in the information centre, to replace the one that we bought here last time that jumped off the mantle at home, before we browse the gift shops on Stryd Smith, spending far too much money on gifts that I'm comfortable with.
From there we take the riverside path down to Gelert's Grave (Beddgelert). You can read the story HERE, so I'll not repeat it.
Back into town we head straight for the welcoming doors on The Prince Llewellyn, and forgiving him for slaughtering the hound, we settle down for a simply superb, if expensive, lunch.
Grumbles had asked what work they were carrying out on the bridge. I had explained to him, but my word as a Chartered Engineer wasn't good enough, so on exiting the pub he made a bee line for the orange vest guarding the traffic lights to enquire.
Happy now, he takes the time to educate Herself as to what they were doing, which just so happened to be what I had told him about an hour ago!
Black Rock Sands is visited once more to give the dogs a bloody good run before returning back to site to settle down for the remainder of the afternoon........... and evening!
Wednesday 30 September
Up an at em early this morning as our day out is prebooked.
I'm taking no chances with Grumbles' belly this morning, and to ensure he's not nagging Herself for food by 10.45am a Full Breakfast is put in front of him before we head off out .... for a ride on a Chuff Chuff. Rolling through Porthmadog I'm relieved to note that there's room in the Blue Badge car park at the harbour adjacent to the station. After yesterday neither Herself or Grumbles are up to walking any sort of distance today.
We pick up our printed ticket from the booth and some coffees to slurp on the platform as we await our ride. Soon enough, and in plenty of time the David Lloyd George is pulling in as the dedicated anoraks rush to get the best vantage point for a picture.
The locomotive is of a Double Farlie type, which is essentially a double ended 4WD locomotive designed especially for hauling up gradients. You can read all about the David Lloyd George Dafydd Lloyd George HERE.
The Ffestiniog Railway is the world's oldest narrow gauge railway and today's journey, The Mountain Sprint, of 13 1/2 miles will take us up 700ft from sea level at Porthmadog into the mountains through tranquil pastures, forests, past lakes and forests whilst clinging to the side of the mountain to the slate quarrying town of Blaenau Ffestiniog - The town that roofed the world ....... until cheap and nasty Chinese slates made their was out of the far east that is! The Ffestiniog Railway and it's infrastructure are now an important part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Not long have we cleared The Cob and we start climbing, with the scnery nothing short of breathtaking in parts.
We're over half way up the line now, and the male half of an English couple sat next to us has been diligently studying the fold out map in the guidebook he'd purchased. We pull into the station at Tan y Bwlch and something is amiss. He stares at the sign opposite his window then down at his map, then back at the sign.
"What's wrong dear?"
"It's this map, there's something missing from it!"
"What do you mean dear?"
"It's incomplete!"
He looks back up at the sign and then back to his map.
"This station isn't on the map!"
"Maybe it's a new station dear, and you've been sold an old guidebook?"
"Probably" he says looking around for the guard.
Herself and I didn't have the heart to tell him that "Ystafell Aros" is Welsh for "Waiting Room"
Arriving in the "Town that Roofed the World" we have a 45 min slot while they do the run round. I take the opportunity to take the girls for a wander, searching out some grass so they can have a sprinkle, while Grumbles and Herself take in the greyness of our stop over from the comfort of the carriage.
Turns out that Dafydd was a lot better at hauling uphill than braking down hill and our 700ft decent was some what faster, and considerably more joltier than the 700 ft ascent! Herself starts to look a bit edgy, mainly because Gwawr was getting even more edgier than normal, and my singing THIS song did nothing to help matters.
The dogs have been good as gold so a stop off at Black Rock Sands is once again called for. Grumbles stayed in the car!
Back on site we chill for a bit before clipping the dogs on and heading past the Boating Lake Dragons Boating Lake to the Regency Ballroom Coast Bar and Grill for an early evening meal.
With that dispatched we head on over to the dog agility playground. Our two were most impressed chronically uninterested but put in an effort under sufferance just to please Mam and Dad!
We call into The Glendower to have a few for the road, fighting through the crowds to get a table.
Herself spied some grab machines through the window and drags Grumbles in with her. 21 turns they had. I know this because I only gave her enough change for 21 turns, and she swears that of those she picked up a soft toy at least 14 times and the grab released the soft toy before the hatch.
Thursday 1 October
Bright blue skies when we wake, and after breakfast we take to dogs out for a walk along the side of the lake under the "Go Ape" type obstacle course that threads it's way through the trees above.
Piling into Trude I point her nose firstly to Go Outdoors in Porthmadog where Herself is on a mission to sort out Grumbles' wardrobe, you see he came up here with a pair of trousers that would fit Big Daddy and a Jacket that Bwmps would struggle to do up!
Herself also scored herself a nice fleecy cwtchy hoody.
We traverse the mountains and park up in Betws y Coed, feeding £5 into the machine before heading off. We've a surprise in store for Grumbles as we head through the railway station and over the bridge to the other side where the Conwy Valley Railway Museum and Toy Shop sits.
We tell him to take his time and head back over the other side and take a table on the platform. Leaving Herself warming her chops in the sunshine I head on into The Cup of Tea House.
"Do you sell wine by the glass?"
"Yes we do."
"Is the wine dry?"
The intelligence challenged youth the other side of the counter just looks puzzled.
"Dry?"
"Yes that's right, is it a dry wine?"
"We have white, red or sparkling."
"That's nice, but is the white a dry wine?"
He calls for help.
Now directing my questions at a slightly more intelligent specimen....
"Is the white wine a dry wine?"
"No it's not. But the sparkling wine is."
She turns away and leaves me in the very capable hands of Trigger.
"Glass of sparkling wine, a cornish pasty and a diet Coke or Pepsi please."
He starts to punch away at the screen.
"So that was a pasty and what else?"
I'm starting to lose the will to live now.
"Glass of sparkling wine, a cornish pasty and a diet Coke or Pepsi please."
"We've only got Cornish Cola."
"Is that sugar free?"
"No, but we have other sparkling drinks that are."
"OK that'll have to do then."
"Which one do you want?"
"I'm past caring, you choose."
He punches it all in and invites me to tap my card on the reader. I look at the screen and it says £29.42. I do some quick maths. The pasty was £5.50 and the soft drink can't have been more than £3.50, so I ask
"Is that right?" knowing full well that it wasn't.
"Yes, that's right."
"How much is the sparkling wine then?"
Steam starts to come out of his ears. He cancels the transaction and taps away at the screen again, before it flashed up a new total of £16.
"There you go."
"You just tried to overcharge me £13."
He shrugs.
"£13!"
He shrugs again.
I tapped my card and turned to the queue now formed behind me.
"Check your bills!"
Out on the platform Grumbles still hasn't surfaced and we enjoy the warming sunshine while a cheeky little robin joins us for the crumbs off my plate.
Grumbles comes back clutching a little bag full of toy cars and we head off out. Only as far as Canine & Co, which bills itself as the ultimate dog shop. Herself comes out with some rather expensive dog treats and we move on.
She's really struggling today so we get as far as Y Stablau where we grab an outside table with protection from the showers below a perspex roof.
I'd already eaten but both Herself and Grumbles were peckish, so they had a spot of lunch. Grumbles was a handful of chips and a few crispy chicken tenders into his meal before he looked up and asked Herself "Isn't he having anything?"
Refreshed once more we make our way up Holyhead Road, stopping in a few shops. Herself is in the Anna Davies shop and is quite taken with a Clogau ring.
She asks if she can have it, as if I'm going to say no, and we play a game for a few seconds while I persuade her to buy it for herself. Stroke of luck though, they didn't have it in her size and my wallet gets safely tucked away once more.
We carry on up to the Pont y Pair bridge to admire the cascading water before Herself can do no more, and we need to sit down for a while.
The Pont y Pair Inn comes to the rescue before we make tracks back to Trude. We're crossing Station Road when there's a bit of a thud and then a commotion. An elderly gentleman has "had a fall" and the women around him are shrieking.
Herself has worked with the elderly all her life and instinct took over. She barges her way through to the front and starts working through the protocols. After being dispatched to get a chair from somewhere I'm given a crash course in manual handling and once checked over and he's confirmed he has no severe pain anywhere we manoeuvre him semi upright while someone else slides a chair underneath him.
Herself then gets to work on his cuts as shock takes over and tells someone to call for an ambulance. His friends will wait with him while the coach driver looks on hopelessly with his hands in his pockets.
We call in at Black Rock Sands once more on the way back to the dogs can have one last good run, as they've been on a lead for most of the day again.
CBA to move again this evening so a bag full of wholesome goodness is ordered from the onsite Burger King to be delivered to the van. Grumbles was not impressed and I get the feeling he thought staying in translated to Herself or I cooking a meal.
Friday 2 October
Up early this morning and we're packed, breakfasted, loaded and van cleaned; and are pulling out through the barrier by 8.15am.
The journey home was frustrating. Every old fogey between Porthmadog and Carmarthen seemed be be out to buy a few slices of ham before it gets too busy on the weekend. Nevertheless, we've dropped Grumbles off at his and are unloading Trude outside "Home is where you Drag it Towers" by noon.
As always whenever we've been away in a static we can't wait to get away in our own van pretty soon.
