As we journeyed, we were overtaken by numerous cyclists and walkers, who were far more destination-focused than we were. There were so many photo opportunities and pokemon to catch...
Some of our fellow pedestrians grumbled about those on two wheels, but there was plenty of room for them to pass and they all seemed to be considerate of other bridge users.
On this first visit, we didn't do much more than look around the harbour and enjoy a coffee before returning back to the campsite.
I first recall walking across the bridge to Fairbourne as a child, whilst we were staying in a flat overlooking the park in Barmouth.
Later I remember walking across the bridge with my friend Judith and her family.
Neither DH or I could remember if we had ever walked across the bridge as a family.
As we had camped nearby on a couple of occasions, this was definitely a walk that we could well have taken.
Sunday began very wet, but cleared up around lunchtime.
We returned to Barmouth having arranged to join with the local ringers at their Sunday evening ringing. This time we drove, as we needed fuel, and didn't want to get caught out if the weather changed.
As we wandered around the town, the KHT's eyes lit up, as she spotted a small roller coaster.
My eyes do not light up at the sight of such items - for me, they are torture, not a treat.
"Coffee!" said I.Off we went to a converted chapel, we had spotted the previous day, hoping for great things.
The cafe had good reviews on Tripadvisor, so I was quietly optimistic.
I secured a table in the sheltered outdoor seating area, whilst DH went in to order.
After the recent indifferent weather, it was lovely to sit outside and appreciate the warmth of the sun.
The reviews has praised the coffee.
Sadly it was not to my taste, as it was rather bitter.
Maybe they had a more discenrning palete.
I prefer mellow coffee.
Some you win...
Inside there is an eclectic mix of merchandise from around the world.
The KHT was fascinated.
However, her interest turned to horror
when she discovered some incense cones
labeled to indicate they might contain a questionable substance.
It was a good point to leave...
I did wonder what Ebenezer would have made of it all, especially the Buddhas!
We returned to the mini roller coaster, so that the KHT could enjoy some stomach-churning before tea,rather than afterwards - though I do not think t would make any difference to her.
This person,
who gets travel-sick in a car,
revels in the plummeting sensations provided by a roller coaster!
As anticipated, the KHT thoroughly enjoyed rattling around the track and screamed with delight at appropriate moments - namely the descents.
We had decided to have fish and chips, so made our way to the chippy with the best reviews, hoping that our meal would be better than the coffee we endured earlier.
"What do you do that is gluten free?" enquired DH
"Water?"
After a brief conflab, they came up with
"Baked potato and microwaved fish"
DH was hooked.
I settled for a mundane portion of fish and chips.
The KHT chose Fishcake and bread roll with cheese & onion fritter.
Later, looking at them as she ate, I couldn't tell the difference between the fritter and the fishcake..,
The chippie was stiflingly hot, so we escaped outside to sit on a bench to consume our tea,
like proper holidaymakers.
At the allotted time,
we made our way up the hill to St John's church,
to join the local ringers for their weekly practice.
This tower has been on my wishlist since I first heard the bells, long before I could ring.
The church was built towards the end of the 19th C. Outside it looks like a fine example of gloomy Victorian ecclesiastical architecture.
When we entered the ringing chamber I was surprised to see that the walls were lined with quite modern looking bricks that didn't match the exterior at all.
When I commented on this, they told us that the original tower fell down - always a reassuring tale to hear when you are inside the replacement. Not!
Will history repeat itself?
What if it happened right now???
Apparently, they had nearly finished building the church, the tower fell down, taking part of the church with it.
The architects blamed blasting that had taken place into the rock immediately behind the church, to allow more light into the church.
The ringing chamber is very spacious, far bigger than ours.
However, it was quite disconcerting to be ringing away,
and then accidentally notice the sea through the window
a very, very, very long way below!
I concentrated firmly on the ringing,
trying not to think about how high up we are,
or what lies below the floor I am stood on...
or that the floor moves slightly as we ring...
My head knows that it is perfectly normal for a tower to move as bells ring,
particularly as we are rotating over 40 tons of heavy metal!
I try not to notice the movement of the tower.
or think about how high we are,
or what lies beneath the floor of the ringing chamber...
Unusually I was not aware of any tower movement at all when I was sat down,
as this is when you usually become aware of the walls swaying slightly,
especially if you are leaning against them.
At Barmouth church, I only noticed the movement when I was on the end of a rope
in the middle of the vast tower,
high above the church,
on a rocky plateau
high above the town.
At least there were angels watching over us,
even if they chose to admire the view, rather than look in at the ringing!
As they practiced their piece I noticed what appeared to be the head of a dog, lying on a windowsill.
There was no sign of the rest of the dog...
I asked one of the ringers why there was a dogs head on the windowsill.
"Ah! It is a gargoyle. We had some workers in to check the stonework and I asked them to look out for any pieces that had fallen off, and told them to rescue any they found and not to throw them away."
On closer inspection, it was clearly a gargoyle - not just someone's pet that had come ringing and never made it home again.
We returned back to the campsite, planning to use the toll bridge at Bontddu.
Unfortunately, it closed at 6:30pm and the gates were firmly padlocked.
I guess we will save that treat for another day!
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