Mountains, Slate, and Castles.....

We started the morning aboard the Rheilffordd Eryri, the Welsh Highland Railway for a ride through Snowdonia National Park.  The narrow gauge train, originally designed to carry slate,  has been restored to travel 11 miles.  Restoration and operation of the train is done on a volunteer basis.   Despite the overcast skies that we are getting used to, the ride was absolutely beautiful.  Along the way we saw ancient woodlands, small villages, waterfalls, mountains blooming with purple heather, lots and lots of sheep grazing, slate quarries, and of course the impressive views of Lake Llyn Cwellyn.  

 

It was raining by the time we got off the train but that didn't stop us from getting ice cream in the quaint town of Beddgelert.  The name mean's Gelert's grave which has generated a Welsh legend about a faithful dog.  Continuing our journey through the Snowdonia National Park we drove to elevations reaching approximately 2500 ft.  The surrounding mountains were covered in clouds so the view wasn't as impressive as it could have been.  Coming down the mountain, the green landscape changed to a grayish hue.  The mountains in this part of North Wales are riddled with slate quarries.   Slate is mined and used as a roofing material.  If you live in the National Park you are required to have a slate roof.   Roofs made of this material last 100 years but come at a steep price.  

A visit to the National Slate Museum proved to be rather interesting.  We watched a demonstration on how slate is split and cut into suitable dimensions.  The presentation was given in the Welsh language which was a treat to listen to.  Kelly even got a special treat from the Welsh man giving the demonstration.

 

 

The tour was supposed to include a visit to Caernarfon Castle which is the most famous castle in all of Wales.  It is the site of Prince Charles investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969.  Unfortunately, it only ended up being a photo stop due to inaccessibility.  Phelim drove to the other side of the harbor where we could get a more complete photograph.  Finally, we were happy to report that blue skies began to peek out from behind the clouds.  

 

 

Hoping to see the insides of a Welsh Castle, we drove back to the medieval town, Conway.  The tour guide seemed to think we could see the exhibit and a portion of the museum.  Once, again no such luck. We unloaded the coach and were determined to experience something at the largest castle in Great Britain.  Jenny pushed Kelly up a steep incline to discover flights of stairs.  We took advantage of the photo opportunity and made the best of the situation. Back on the coach, the tour guide said that we weren't missing out on much.  She claimed that most castles are much more impressive when viewed from the outside.  "Inside all you see is a bunch of rubble."   

 

 

 

 

Back on the road to our castle on a hill, we were all exhausted.  There was a large improvement in the weather so we decided to walk the ground of the hotel/castle.  We conquered the maze, wandered through the formal gardens, viewed an aviary with random birds, and enjoyed viewing the castle from different vantage points.  The following pictures are a series from the grounds of our hotel which are gorgeous.  I wish I could say the same for the rooms in the hotel.