W.W.W.

Wet Wednesday in Wales.
Deep joy!
The forecast was wet,
getting wetter,
with less wet bits in between.
Deep joy!
We could stay put, and read, or work out how the telly works...
Nah!

Off we went.
Heading northwards.
We began by crossing the toll bridge at Bontddu that we failed to cross on Sunday.
This time it was open.
As there was no-one immediately behind us we took our time,
admiring the reflections of the mountains in the still waters,
and the tranquility of the dark cattle that grazed close by.
At this point, the skies were just overcast.

We headed further north to the castle at Harlech.
It has been over 40 years since I was last here.
Apart from an upgraded entrance, it hasn't changed much.
It is still an old ruin...

KHT's illustration of Welsh weather

Thought about having lunch in the new cafe, but there weren't any free tables
and no-one appeared to be in a hurry to move.
Headed into the castle
and joined the trail of tourists
traipsing up and down the spiral staircases,
which fortunately were wide enough for two people to pass with ease.

We progressed along battlements,
walked along elevated walkways.
peered through windows
read the information boards
as the weather got increasingly wetter.

"Shall we go and see if there are any tables free in the cafe?"
"But we haven't done the dungeons!" protesteth our castle-touring enthusiast.
"We can come back after lunch," I promised.
The cafe was still fully occupied, so we went out into the main street.

KHT's illustration of her lunch

Thanks to Google I knew there was a gluten-free friendly cafe close by.
Fortunately, there were several free tables.
After looking suitably horrified at the list of foodstuffs currently on DH's list to avoid consuming,
the staff provided him with baked potato and smoked salmon.
The KHT ordered Welsh Rarebit and thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful!
For dessert, they directed DH towards a tiffin, which meant I could order coffee cake - and very nice it was to!
Meanwhile, the cafe was filling up with increasingly soggy customers
who had probably also retreated from the castle,
having failed to find a table in the cafe...


Afterwards we popped into a charity shop, where I picked up 3 novels for £1. Bargain holiday reading!

I gave the KHT 20 minutes to explore the dungeons, whilst I browsed the gift shop.
She was back, looking very soggy in less than 5, having failed to locate any dungeons, but satisfied that every corner of the castle had been visited.

We moved on to Portmadog, where we kept our explorations to the main shopping street, meaning that the KHT could examine touristy tat to her heart's content.

We had arranged to ring at the parish church, which sadly is scheduled to close next year.
Aging congregations and the inevitable falling numbers, coupled with the cost of maintenance, mean that difficult decisions have to be made and it is likely that several churches in the area will close.

The bells will probably be transferred elsewhere prior to the sale of the building.
As I looked around at the peal boards the other ringing memorabilia, I hoped that a suitable home would be found for that which deserves to be kept.
I will keep my ears open for news about a transfer of the bells -  after all, it will probably be another new tower for us to visit!