Sian’s chanting worked, the heavens opened and the boat trip was cancelled.
The visit to the island will have to wait but in the meantime here are a few images of the interior we found on the web.
So onwards to Barmouth via Fishguard through horizontal sheets of rain. We stopped for lunch at Melin Tregwynt and met with Mill owners Eifion and Amanda - the Welsh woolen wunder duo who have reinvented the traditional Welsh blanket, making their beautiful new designs (blankets, throws, cushions) highly sought after around the world.
After a catch up over cawl and a whistle-stop tour of the mill in action, we followed a tip-off from Eifion and headed to Porthgain with the aid of Jane, our trusty ‘Tom Tom’ heroine. She guided us through a particularly French looking landscape via farms that sold ‘ Tati newi’ and we both (Sian and I, not me and Jane) slipped back into a nostalgic gastro ‘ffantasi’ of Pembs new pots with fresh peas, boiled gammon and white parsley sauce.….mmmm lovely ! We must resurrect this retro dish.
Porthgain was a surprising and unexpected little fishing hamlet complete with artist colony, a charming bistro housed in an ancient warehouse lean-to, and a quaint quay dominated by the ruins of a former brick and slate works.
I was drawn upwards along the cliff top and discovered a small, dramatically situated ruin that must have been attached to the nearby quarry. I called Sian on her mobile and convinced her to climb the steep slope to explore with me; we surveyed the site and agreed that it was a really great find, but nevertheless unsuitable for our purpose.
We then continued along the coastal route on the long, but stunning drive via Aberaeron, Machynlleth and Dolgellau singing along to Rod Stewart’s ‘You’re in my heart you’re in my soul’ (it’s actually a great song!) to our next over night stay in Barmouth.
We had a delightful dinner with the local author John Sam Jones who gave us a truly fascinating insight into the town’s colourful history (his family have lived here for 300 years!). Tantalising tales of characters such as Mary Monte Carlo; Terry Lectric (his father); ‘Y telynwr dall’, the blind harpist who positioned himself prominently on the promenade in all weathers; Fanny Talbot and her artist colony that attracted Shelley and Wordsworth and, most alluring of all, Charles Darwin who wrote part of ‘The Origin of the Species’ here in North Wales!
Wonderful and intriguing stuff, so now to find a palimpsest building that would suit such stories. Sian and I are excited by the prospect of thoroughly exploring Barmouth this morning.
‘You're an essay in glamour
Please pardon the grammar
But you're every schoolboy's dream
You're Celtic, United, but baby i've decided
You're the best team i've ever seen
You're in my heart, you're in my soul
You'll be my breath should I grow old
You are my lover, you're my best friend
You're in my soul’
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