A mini Menai meander

Across the river from Caernarfon Castle there is a lovely walk that overlooks the Menai Straits and Anglesey.  I had not been there before.  Mum had told me about it, so we went on Sunday.

It was a lovely, late August day.  Sunny, breezy, warm in the sunshine and with the wind at your back, puffy clouds scudding across the blue sky and a hint of the rain that had been and the rains to come in the air.

We parked near Doc Fictoria/Victoria Docks, a short walk from the castle.

After negotiating our way past the noisy preparations for a rock concert up against the castle walls, we crossed the bridge, then up to Parc Helen/Helen Park.  A modest little park with an excellent children's play area, picnic benches, a bowling green and a putting green enhanced by an amazing view of the Straits.

We trotted down the hill and onto the road where we saw the obligatory burger van and walked along, away from the town.  Mum was tired so I left her for a short while on the bench whilst I continued along the sea wall until it came to an end.

White incisor sails in the distance enhanced the blue view.  I was passed by cyclists and met other walkers.  At the end of the sea wall was a camp site, just up from Ffordd yr Aber.

I walked back to mum and we continued, via Parc Helen to Caernarfon where we had an ice cream while walking back to the car. Naturally we had a flake each and strawberry sauce.

I had enjoyed my walk and it would be great to explore further by bike as this little bit of North Wales is flat, so nice and easy!

Caernarfon is well worth a visit if you have never been, and even if you have there is more to see.  The castle is impressive and worth the trip alone.  The Docks are very pretty and include waterside restaurants, an art gallery, hotel and the Celtica arts and crafts centre.

http://www.caernarfon.com/

http://celtica-wales.com/

http://www.docfictoria.co.uk/

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=menai+straits&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x4865a91fe790cc2d:0x2a0d8b2421d62d10,Swellies&gl=uk&ei=CKM_UMSmH-LU0QW2gIGoAg&ved=0CJEBELYD

Pottering around Porthmadog

View from the Cob, Portmadog

One of the largest towns in North West Wales is Porthmadog.  If you have ever been to Pwllelli or Criccieth you would have been through it, and most likely stuck on the Cob or in the main street in the height of summer as it gets busy.

Traffic has been eased considerably by the recently completed by-pass; a massive engineering project, like all road building in North Wales due to the granite hills.

Port has a lovely picturesque harbour and a sailing club.  When I visited, the Regatta was underway and included large sea canoes, cakes and tea plus a few stalls.

There is no shortage of eating places in Port.  Cafe's, delicatessens, fish and chips, pub grub, two Indian restaurants and the Bistro is alive and well in North Wales.  Yr Hen Fecws (The old Bakehouse) is a restaurant with rooms and you will need to book as they serve delicious dinners and lunches.

 Tafarn Pencai, on the harbour, is great for sit down fish and chips and other pub favourites.  The cafe in Portmadog's mini department store, Kerfoots, is always busy as it is popular with locals as well as visitors.


 

It's a great place for gift shopping and the little book shop is a gem.  On a practical level, you can get electrical goods repaired and buy camping gear and hardware.  There's a good fabric and haberdasher's too, along the same road as the Rob Piercy gallery.  Art lovers can purchase original artwork from Rob Piercy's gallery, plus there are more affordable offerings by gifted amateurs in the little Oriel (gallery) in main street.

Cob records has been going as long as I can remember and is well worth a rummage.  On Saturdays now there is a farmers market in the Canolfan Hamdden Glaslyn (Glaslyn leisure centre) where I bought some delicious bread and cheese and was tempted by a large array of smoked goods, cakes, sausages and other wonderful goodies.  A wonderful place to pick up a picnic.

Port is a seaside town surrounded by mountains and it is beautiful.  The Cob causeway overlooks the Glaslyn valley, full when I went after so much rain, it had been a wet summer in Gwynedd.

http://www.porthmadog.co.uk/html/shopping.html

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g616282-Porthmadog_Gwynedd_North_Wales_Wales.html

Postcard from Penrhyndeudreath

 https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=penrhyndeudreath  

 Last Thursday, the 23rd, I set off for Gwynedd, North Wales to stay with my mum for a few days.  Typically it rained!  But not all the time and I managed a lovely walk along some of the Glaslyn Valley, behind Penrhydeudreath's hill, Clogwn.

I have walked here since child hood visits with my Nain (North Welsh for Grandmother).  It is a beautiful peaceful place, often empty of walkers even in summer.

                                                                                                      I will see the sheep dog, grazing cows and sheep as I walk along "Never Never Land" as my aunt called it as a young girl.

It has a timeless quality this rich grazing land.  I walked along the rough road by rocky oak covered outcrops, then across the field and up along and over Clogwyn, coming back to the village in warm sunshine.

Crafter's Goodies Galore

            John Mills curtain and blind shop at the end of Main Street is good.  I've got two blinds from there, made to measure as the bedroom and living room windows are wide.  They were easy to fix in place too and are still working fine however many years it is now since I put them up.

            As well as blinds you can buy made to measure and off the peg curtains and some lovely bedding, plus curtain rails, ties, net curtains, voile, and all the accoutrements needed to make your own curtains, as I have done using Welsh and Scottish tweed brought back from holiday.

           My hobby is patchwork and quilting and there is a section, at the back of the shop by the large fabric cutting table, which is a crafter's delight.  Piles and piles of deliciously gorgeous fabric.  I am still working my way through the last haul.  

          The friendly, chatty staff enjoy watching the faces of their rummaging customers as they find their bargains, and there are bargains to be had.  

Swadlincote Market

One of the regular fruit and veg stalls

              Three days a week, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, is Market Day in Swadlincote.  Ten years ago, when I first moved here, the market was located in the draughty, cold market hall and a few stalls huddled in the Market Square looking lost.  Over a period of three years or so seemed to be dying.  An attempt to have a monthly Farmers Market in the courtyard of Sharpe's Pottery Museum was short lived, a shame as the food was glorious.
             However, in 2010 the Market Square started its revamp to become what is now The Delph.  The covered market had been shut for some time at this stage, collecting windblown litter.  The market stalls therefore moved onto the High Street.
             A wonderful side effect of this move mean that the Market gradually revived.  The stalls and shops all benefit from being closer together, making them both seem cosier and more welcoming to shoppers.  The market expanded.
            The veg stalls and meat van, who'd come in the lean years are now accompanied by a sausage and cheese stall,  crafts, home made cakes, carpets, jewellery, clothing., pies and everything your dog or garden birds could want..  The market is thriving and a pleasure to walk through and browse.  Prices are reasonable, a massive slab of mature cheddar for a fiver?   Ribbon and wool, delicious cakes and pies, fresh sweet smelling fruit and tasty veg, massive baking potatoes, four for a pound, come Christmas, get your wreath from the flower stall.
            There are many other stalls, and some only come on a particular day, The Pie Man visits on alternate Fridays for example.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/8685208.stm

Yummy cakes

The Dolphin, Derby

Ye Olde Dolphin Inn, 5A Queen Street, Little Chester, Derby DE1 3DL, 01332 267711

              Admittedly, Derby is not Swadlincote, but you can get to the City easily enough by bus, catch the train from Burton on Trent or, alternatively, it's a thirty minute drive. The Cathedral Quater is one of Derby's Gems, with restaurants and exquisite little boutiques.
             The Dolphin is in  the Cathedral Quater and is a proper pub.  No music, nice and quiet so we and the other clientèle could chat, or sit and  the crossword.  It is peaceful, a lovely calm and warm atmosphere. The staff are friendly and welcoming.  Four rooms of different character can be found within.  Quarry tiles make an ideal flooring for muddy boots, but the other three rooms are carpeted.  Lovely wonky ceilings with black beams add to its charms.
              Food is available. you can get a mixed grill for £4.99 and there is a modest specials board on the bar.  When we arrived and sat, a satisfied customer was finishing his meal which, judging by the contented silence, was delicious.  A wide variety of ales are available too, served at the correct temperature and full of flavour.
              Outside, there are sheltered smoking areas and a tiny stage, a grand opportunity for local artists to share their music on a Saturday night.  Ghost tours can also be experienced and meals are included as part of the charge, see posters within.


http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File:The%20Dolphin%20Inn,%20Derby%20-%20geograph.org.uk%20-%201711029.jpg/-/en

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/78/7821/Ye_Olde_Dolphin_Inn/Derby

Swadlincote Library

                         Along Civic Way, sharing this illustrious thoroughfare with Green Bank sports centre, the South Derbyshire County Council Office, Police and Fire Stations is the Swadlincote Library.
                         Like many locals, I am a frequent visitor.   For a small library it has a varied collection of novels, biography, children's books, travel, gardening, DIY and other hobbies.  There is seating and tables for those who want or need a quiet place to catch up with magazines and papers.   You can also, at no cost to members, use the computers, though the printing fee is high should you ever need to take advantage of it.
                         The staff are friendly and helpful and the atmosphere welcoming and inclusive.  If all you need to do is check books in and out, you can use the machines.
                         For a very reasonable fee you can take out audio books and DVD's.  We once borrowed "Going Postal" on CD for a trip to Scotland.  The long drive was made bearable and enjoyable listening to a good story.
                        The library updates its stock on a regular basis.  Sadly, due to limited space, they have to get rid of a lot of books and DVD's each year in order to make room for new material.  However, you can pick a some bargains if you have the time for a good rummage.
                       A small, locked section of the library is viewed by appointment only. (Ask at the counter, the staff are friendly) I have not been within its hallowed walls (yet).  It contains archival material.  Somewhere for historians to gather information and stories.
                       You can also find local bus timetables and information about events in Swadlincote, Burton and surrounding villages.  The library often hosts events, which you can learn about from their prominent posters on site.