Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A documentary on Williams-Ellis and Portmeirion screens on the hour in a building just
above the central piazza. Sir Clough's lifelong concern was with the whimsical and in-
triguing nature of architecture, his
raison d'être
to demonstrate how a naturally beautiful
site could be developed without defiling it. His life's work now stands as a testament to
beauty, something he described as 'that strange necessity'. He died in 1978, having cam-
paigned for the environment throughout his life. He was a founding member of the Coun-
cil for the Protection of Rural Wales in 1928 and served as its president for 20 years.
Most of the kooky cottages and scaled-down mansions scattered about the site are
available for holiday lets, while other buildings contain cafes, restaurants and gift shops.
Portmeirion pottery (the famously florid tableware designed by Susan, Sir Clough's
daughter) is available, even though these days it's made in Stoke-on-Trent (England). A
network of walking paths thread along the coast and through the private forested penin-
sula, which includes the ruins of a castle (a real one, not one of Sir Clough's creations).
Free guided tours of the village are held most days, and from April to October the 'forest
train' tours the woodlands.
Portmeirion is 2 miles east of Porthmadog; public transport isn't great, so if you don't
fancy the walk, you're best to catch a taxi. Half-price admission is offered after 3.30pm.
Borth-y-Gest
The best views over the estuary are from Terrace Rd, which becomes Garth Rd above the
harbour. At its end a path heads down to Borth-y-Gest, a pretty horseshoe of candy-col-
oured houses overlooking a sandy bay. At the other end of the crescent the path continues
around the cliffs; if you look carefully, you should be able to spot Harlech Castle in the
distance.
VILLAGE
IS AMERICA REALLY NEW WEST WALES?
Porthmadog may be named after William Alexander Madocks, but there's another legendary namesake associated
with the area. The story goes that in 1170 Madog ab Owain Gwynedd, a local prince, set off from here and 'dis-
covered' America. The tale was dusted off during Elizabeth I's reign to justify the English crown's claim on the
continent over Spain's; America's indigenous occupants weren't canvassed for their opinion. The story gained
further traction during Wales' 18th-century Romantic renaissance when it was deployed to give the Welsh a sense
of pride in their past.
Madog and his followers were said to have intermarried with Native Americans and formed their own Welsh-
speaking tribe. After America's 're-discovery', explorers returned with stories of meeting Welsh-speaking clans
in Virginia and Kentucky. In 1796 John Evans, the leader of a party that helped map the Missouri River, sought
and failed to find any evidence of them. Given that many small Native American tribes disappeared soon after
colonisation, the Madog story still has some traction among hard-core Welsh patriots.
