19/09/2015
I choose finally to have a day out in this place, as I've been told it's beautiful. Alarm clock 7.23, I rush toward the Bangor bus station and off I go. I'm here in 40 minutes. Before to get off the bus, I notice a road sign. I want to come back and check! This little village is twinned with Morbegno, as much tiny village in Valtellina, Lombardia, Italy. I start walking around the Padarn lake: on the east side you can walk on the very lake front, while on the west side there's a railway so you can't walk so close. Here I lose myself trying to explore the many foothpaths from the main road. One of them leads to Cae Mabon, a very strange hotel (or B&B?): it looks like the Smurfs village, or the Hobbitshire of the Lord of the Rings. Little houses built up from what nature supplies. During the walk, I pick up sweet blackberries, excellent tasty and free snack.
I choose finally to have a day out in this place, as I've been told it's beautiful. Alarm clock 7.23, I rush toward the Bangor bus station and off I go. I'm here in 40 minutes. Before to get off the bus, I notice a road sign. I want to come back and check! This little village is twinned with Morbegno, as much tiny village in Valtellina, Lombardia, Italy. I start walking around the Padarn lake: on the east side you can walk on the very lake front, while on the west side there's a railway so you can't walk so close. Here I lose myself trying to explore the many foothpaths from the main road. One of them leads to Cae Mabon, a very strange hotel (or B&B?): it looks like the Smurfs village, or the Hobbitshire of the Lord of the Rings. Little houses built up from what nature supplies. During the walk, I pick up sweet blackberries, excellent tasty and free snack.
In 2 and a half hours I finish to coast the lake and I decide to visit the National Slate Museum: given that here you can see slate everywhere, why don't know something more? The museum is free entrance and it's cool, it looks like quarrymen didn't stop working! It's 1 o'clock and my stomach is rumbling. But I walk a bit more. The west part of the little lake is dominated by the electric mountain. Buses take visitors inside, but you can't go so close on foot. As I'm a (very) cheap traveller I skip this and walk till the Castell Dolbadarn: it's just a ruined tower, reachable with a 5 minutes walk from the museum, but it's an excellent place where to have lunch. After lunch I edge the little lake, where I meet I group of goats climbing up from the lake front, and I decide to chase them to take some nice shots.
I come back to the village centre; there are just few shops and bars, so you can visiti it in 20 minutes. On the library there's a little shop where you can buy some items made of slate. I'm getting tired but I'm so happy! So I take the bus to come back.
From this village you can go up Snowdon, the highest mountain of Wales (1085m). There are different pathways. For lazier people, there's the steam railway that goes up and down, but it's quite expensive: something like 20£ one way.
I come back to the village centre; there are just few shops and bars, so you can visiti it in 20 minutes. On the library there's a little shop where you can buy some items made of slate. I'm getting tired but I'm so happy! So I take the bus to come back.
From this village you can go up Snowdon, the highest mountain of Wales (1085m). There are different pathways. For lazier people, there's the steam railway that goes up and down, but it's quite expensive: something like 20£ one way.
Bus: 85, 86 from Bangor bus station, return ticket: 4,5£
Things to do:
Things to do:
- Padarn Lake
- National Slate Museum (FREE admission)
- Castell Dolbadarn
- Electric Mountain
- Snowdonia National Park