Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
should book a day-trip to
Bardsey (Ynys Enlli)
. The tiny islet has been a place
of pilgrimage since Christianity first came to North Wales in the 3rd or 4th century,
and there was probably a monastery there by the 6th century. Today it is home to a
thousands-strong colony of Manx shearwater and other species of coastal bird. Day-
trips operated by
Bardsey Boat Trips
(
&
07971/769895;
www.bardseyboattrips.
com) depart from Porth Meudwy, Aberdaron, regularly in season. Trips cost £30 for
adults, £20 children, and allow you about 3
1
⁄
2
hours to roam Bardsey. For more about
the island, see
www.enlli.org
.
Ffestiniog Railway
RAILWAY Ride near the front, with the window wedged
down, for the full “age of steam” ambience (and odor) on Wales's most famous nar-
row-gauge heritage railway. The tiny steam engine pulls its wood-paneled carriages
(with antique booth seating) the majestic 13
1
⁄
2
miles from Portmadog to Blaenau
Ffestiniog several times a day for most of the year. The Lleyn's main town,
Porth-
madog,
was named after a “Celtification” of the English name of its builder, William
Madocks, a mining mogul who built the town from scratch between 1808 and 1811.
At its peak in 1873, 116,000 tons of Blaenau slate were shipped from this harbor
across the empire and the world. (The railway was built in 1832 to carry Blaenau's
slate down to the port.)
The route climbs quickly away from the Traeth Bach estuary, clinging to the hill-
side and winding through forests of pine and oak, past waterfalls and over picturesque
uplands to Blaenau. Journey time is 1
1
⁄
4
hours each way.
Harbour Station, Porthmadog.
&
01766/516024.
www.festrail.co.uk. Day ticket £19 adults, £17 seniors;
half-way round-trip £11 adults, £10 seniors; one child 3-15 travels free with each paying adult. See web-
site for timetable.
Portmeirion Village
HISTORIC SITE There's more than a whiff of Disney
about this magical, multicolored village by the sea. It took architect Clough Williams-
Ellis (1883-1978) over half a century to turn what was an original 1850 manor
house and its abandoned estate into a “resort” like no other. His elaborate pastiche,
with eclectic architectural influences both indigenous and foreign, wrapped in an
Italianate sugar-coating and transplanted onto a wild Welsh estuary probably
shouldn't work—but Williams-Ellis's understanding of how architecture and nature
can function in harmony ensures that it just does. Wander buildings that veer
between Arts and Crafts and neoclassical styles, or lose yourself in acres of sub-
tropical garden walks and soak up a place that made a suitably surreal setting for
The
Prisoner,
a cult 1960s' TV show
.
For the full Portmeirion effect, stay in the hotel here
(see below).
Portmeirion (2
1
⁄
2
miles southeast of Porthmadog).
&
01766/770000.
www.portmeirion-village.com.
Admission £9 adults, £6 children 4-16 (£4.50 and £3, respectively, after 3:30pm). Daily 9:30am-
7:30pm.
Where to Eat & Stay
Old-fashioned and a little timeworn, but also well located, friendly, and great value,
the
Lion Hotel,
Y Maes, Criccieth, Gwynedd LL52 0AA (www.lionhotelcriccieth.
co.uk;
&
01766/522460
), makes a practical overnight stop for touring visitors—
especially those with children. Doubles cost £70 to £80, with two-room family suites
going for around £100, depending on the season. There's hearty pub fare served
downstairs in the restaurant and lively bar.
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