North Wales - Part 2

Later in the afternoon, we headed for Portmeirion (near Portmadog). This was an italianate village built in the 1900's, by a man determined to build a beautiful village using the natural lie of the land. Winding pathways and arches, grottos, and little towers sidling along colourful pastel houses made it chocolate-box-pretty, with stunning views over the estuary. The local microclimate meant the gardens were fantastic, with early camelias and rhodedendrons already flowering, huge Japanese cedars, and friendly birds dive-bombing us and showing off. On sunday, we drove past more spectacular views further down the coast to Borth and Ynyslas (opposite Aberdovey), where David did several hours of kite flying and Jen took pictures and did some watercolours. We headed home late that night, and were hit by a blizzard just as we drove into London!

Entrance to Portmeirion	Portmeirion	Portmeirion
Portmeirion	Portmeirion	Rapunzel (with hat)
Portmeirion	Friendly Robin	Looking South from Portmeirion
Japanese Cedar, Portmeiron Gardens	Snowdonia	Friendly Welsh Pony
Barmouth Bay	Barmouth Bay	Aberdovey
Borth	Ynyslas Beach	David consulting the Wind God
David thanking the Wind God	Aberdovey (from Ynyslas)	Going Home (M4)

Click on the thumbnail for a larger version!