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Activities around us.
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FFESTINIOG RAILWAY
It's the thread that holds it all together - the downhill corridor for slate that
now carries people in comfort. Not any old heritage railway but, together with the
Welsh Highland, the longest with the most spectacular scenery. Combined with a visit
to Llechwedd it brings the industrial revolution to life in a gritty yet uplifting
way.
An extract from a guest book written by a mother reads: '..... none of us want to
go home. The trains are a real treat - my 3 year old son and 40 year old husband
were suddenly the same age!'
Most of us yearn for the 'great outdoors' but it's not always possible to get out
and into it - with the railway you can take young children, aged relatives or a gammy
leg to all sorts of places and views. A moving armchair with a window on the landscape
of Snowdonia complete with buffet car service to your seat.
For walkers a ride on the trains expands horizons for longer walks. From the station
at Tanygrisiau, across the Moelwyn peaks then catch a train at Tan y Bwlch. Look
out for the wild goats. And for the rock cannon! For the less energetic a ride to
Britain's only railway loop at Dduallt, then downhill alongside the railway through
Coed y Bleiddiau or 'forest of the wolves' - was the last wolf in Wales really shot
here? Did Lord Haw-Haw really stay in this cottage? And onwards to a pub in Maentwrog
or the café at Tan y Bwlch. The railway unites people from all ages and walks of
life. As for service, the staff on board the trains are highly trained and motivated
volunteers - no question of a skin deep 'have a nice day' but real devotion to duty.
TRAWS FISHING
Llyn Trawsfynydd is set in beautiful natural surroundings in the heart of Snowdonia
lying adjacent to the A470 trunk road between the holiday towns of Porthmadog and
Dolgellau. The lake has a surface area of some 1200 acres and extends for a total
length of approximately 5 miles. The lake has a healthy head of natural wild brown
trout and is stocked regularly with good quality rainbows. There is also a quantity
of coarse fish, the main stock being Perch, with a few Rudd and Pike. For the bird
lover there is an abundance of varied water fowl living on the shores and islands
of the lake, with occasional visits by ospreys.
The Prysor Angling Association was first formed on the 2nd June 1898 for the benefit
of local anglers on the Afon Prysor. Since this time the strength of the club has
grown from strength to strength. The lake is managed by the Prysor Angling Lake Management
Committee, which is a sub group of the main Prysor Angling Association. All members
of the above committee are volunteers. The running of the lake is not assisted by
any outside body or water company as most other large reservoirs.
When initially constructed, the lake was fed primarily by the Afon Prysor which tumbles
along the Prysor Valley (Cwm Prysor) and was exclusively a brown trout water. The
lake was renowned for its good quality fishing and was the first venue to hold an
international fly fishing competition. In 1924 the first dam was constructed storing
water for the Maentwrog Hydro Electric power station. When the Maentwrog Power Station
opened in 1928 it was the largest Power Station in the UK.
The dam was raised in early 1960s for the construction of the Trawsfynydd Nuclear
Power Station, the extra water being used for cooling purposes. In 1990 the power
station was closed and decommissioning commenced. Very quickly the water temperatures
returned to normal and seasonal natural insect life began to return. During the past
few years, there has been a noticeable increase in insect life in the lake and hatches
of buzzers have improved.
Due to fishing pressure the stocks of brown trout suffered and the decision was taken
by the Prysor Angling Association to supplement the natural fish with stocked rainbows.
These fish have taken well to their new surroundings, their over wintered survival
rate is excellent. Llyn Trawsfynydd has a good reputation for its top of the water
sport and its good quality hard fighting fish.
The natural brown trout average just on the 1 lb mark, although Browns in excess
of 7 lbs have been caught. Spawning takes place in the upper reaches of the Afon
Prysor. Rainbow trout are stocked regularly throughout the season, average being
1.10 to 1.12 lbs, with a sprinkling of larger fish being introduced. Fish in the
4 to 8 lb range being caught regularly. There have been a number of doubles caught
over the years, the fishery record to date standing at 17.03lbs.
LLECHWEDD
Like a theme park but for real, more exciting, full of pioneering spirit and ingenuity.
Not a museum but where, since 1836, our ancestors clocked on for work with examples
of the conditions in which they worked, the sorts of jobs they did and engineering
challenges to be overcome. It's a living quarry still producing slate products today
but with a fraction of the workforce, health and safety galore and you don't have
to work 6 days a week or 12 hours a day!
The caverns at Llechwedd take you into the dark world of the miners with the options
of a deep mine tour and a ride on a narrow gauge train along the level, miners tramway.
What did they do down there all day? Where did they eat? Did they really sing? Back
on the surface are demonstrations of slate splitting and trimming to the right size
before packing in slate wagons for onward transport down the incline to the Ffestiniog
Railway and beyond.
You can see a 'wild car', the ultimate commute down a mountain, and hear how another
nearby mine was used to store the contents of the National Gallery during WWII. In
recent years 3 pairs of choughs have chosen to nest in Llechwedd.
Walking through the Victorian Village you have an opportunity to convert currency,
not to euros but back in time, with the prevailing rate of £2-40 to sixpence. The
sixpence goes a long way in Ffestin's sweet shop, with its shelves of glass jars
filled with traditional boiled sweets, and can quench a thirst in the bar of the
Miners Arms. Come rain or blistering sun this is a perfect all weather attraction
- a bit of nostalgia for the seniors and fun come education for the juniors.
PORTMERION
Just as Snowdonia is another world so is Portmeirion with its cheery pastel colours
set against craggy rocks and the rise and fall of the tide over miles of sandy expanse.
For many it's a shrine to the TV series The Prisoner, recognisable over 40 years
since the last episode. White-edged blazers, as worn by Patrick McGoohan, are on
sale at No 6!
To slowly walk around the many footpaths and the village is like being on a journey
of discovery, little quirks and oddities at every turn. Man-made structures jutting
out from rocks or built around the trunks and roots of trees - despite being so bizarre
it all fits in.
Sound travels far across the flat waters of the estuary and the background rumble
of distant breakers floats in on the westerly breeze. The warming effect of the
gulf stream is very evident along this coastal strip with luxuriant, almost tropical
plantlife - cocktails beneath a palm tree on a balmy summer's eve with the sound
of chirping crickets and the fresh smell of the sea.
Many people choose Portmeirion for their wedding and it makes a great special break
whatever the occasion. As well as posh hotels there are self catering options to
choose from or a day trip - just a mile's walk from the Ffestiniog Railway or a bus
ride from Porthmadog. If you're in a rush they do have a heliport.
MOELWYN: THREE PEAKS, HEART AND LUNGS
Every April runners compete in Ras y Moelwyn, a race over the peaks. 10.5 miles and
2,800 feet of altitude typically won in 80 minutes - but as a walk we'll skip the
start and budget a whole day! From the café at Tanygrisiau follow the track into
Cwm Cwmorthin, a steep sided glacial valley. To the right is the mine nicknamed The
Slaughterhouse. To the left the path on an old tramway beside the lake overlooked
by a quarrymans' barracks and a grand but dilapidated chapel. You may have walked
just 30 minutes but you are in another world - magic.
The track rises up to more mines and a crossroads. To the right are lakes full of
brown trout and Cnicht, the 'Welsh Matterhorn'. Straight on and down to the village
of Croesor with its community café and gallery. Or left and up to Moelwyn Mawr, the
tallest of the peaks at 770m. The views are huge with Snowdon looking a short walk
to the north, Cadair Idris to the south and coast as far as the eye can see.
Drop down to the craggy ridge of Craigysgafn looking over the upper dam of Britain's
first pumped storage hydro electric station. At times of peak demand the plug is
pulled and water races down through turbines to the lake at Tanygrisiau. Onwards
to the top of Moelwyn Bach with a bird's eye view of the Vale of Ffestiniog, tiny
steam trains crossing the Cob to Porthmadog and miles of sandy beach framed by castles
at Cricieth and Harlech. Walking across the dam wall it feels like a giant's amphitheatre
- no way Barnes Wallis could get bouncing bombs in here!
Ras y Moelwyn goes up and over Moel yr Hydd but if you feel you've had enough, a
stroll down the engineer's road will be gentle on the knees and bring you out at
the starting point.