Where were we?
We were here and there around the North West corner of Wales, in and around the Lleyn Peninsula and Snowdonia. In particular, a week ago today we were in Portmeirion where we stayed at Castell Deudraeth
We’d stayed here once before, when we were in the area hearing Edward sing with his University college choir in various Welsh locations. We worked out that must have been almost twenty five years ago however, so our memories were a little sketchy.
Last Wednesday, the outlook was cool and misty as we waited for the shuttle to take us down to the village.
As soon as we reached the entry point to the village, the vibrant decor lifted the spirit and we were ready to explore. Portmeirion is very much like a film set and we began to recall our memories of that previous visit.
A couple of things sprang to mind. Firstly, we remembered the crowds of people here, for this is a popular destination in the area. But mostly, I remembered it as being quite shabby, almost dilapidated in places. I imagine the Welsh weather on this part of the coast is far from friendly towards painted buildings and the constant upkeep must be a challenge.
Today, however, neither of those memories applied. The whole place looked beautifully maintained and at this time of day - just as it was opening - there were few people about.
So we took our time. We stopped and took photographs (lots of them!) and gazed through arches. We peered through windows and confirmed that, unless it was a shop, there was very little behind most of the facades.
Generally speaking, the steps here and there went nowhere, or simply to another lookout point. The other prominent theme is the 1960’s TV series The Prisoner which was filmed here and continues to be a cult classic (though I admit to never having seen it) There’s a souvenir shop for The Prisoner right here.
We took a gentle stroll down the pathway, then, just following the obvious route and enjoying the sights along the way.
Now and again, we stopped to take a photograph of some feature or other and as we did, we noticed something/someone in the background. We remembered that one option here is to stay in the village, though observing first hand the steep access to some of these rooms, we were pleased we’d not made that choice!
There’s no doubt that it would be an interesting place to stay and the unlimited access to the village beyond normal opening hours is a definite advantage.
Not only are the views interesting
there are few corners without some small detail or curiosity.
We continued our walk downhill, enjoying the leisurely pace and the total lack of other people!
We were amused by the odd detail such as this shrub “on legs” - which was actually a “PRIVATE” sign that had been overgrown by the bush which had been clipped around the word! I was amused that the legs of the sign had been painted that bright turquoise blue too 😉
Another arch, another viewpoint. See what I mean about taking lots (and lots) of photographs?
According to our map, we were about halfway around the site and appeared to be approaching the main gift shop/cafe area.
Not only had I noted the distinct palette of colours here - most notably the bright turquoise blue - but also the painted signs outside each business, which I thought were quite attractive.
Whilst I browsed in the well stocked souvenir shop (which had plenty of Portmeirion pottery, needless to say - manufactured in Stoke on Trent, England, btw) my Hero took a break and found a bench outside for a while.
We swapped places as I had found a book in the store which I thought might interest/amuse him. He returned having made the purchase (!) and off we went a little further, noticing as we did that quite a few people were beginning to appear. Perhaps the coach parties were arriving?
Looking back across the central area, we both noted how impressive the gardens are here. Everything was so very well maintained, not a flower or leaf out of place and the whole effect was beautiful.
As always, around the corner there was another quirky detail to amuse: the petrol pump!
And another lovely sign.
By now, we had more or less completed the circuit but I simply had to take a photo of those magnificent hydrangeas which grew in abundance everywhere. Of course, they do get a fair bit of rain!
Getting towards lunchtime and finding ourselves above the shoreline, we had a choice. Shall we return to one of the cafes here in the village or continue down to the Portmeirion Hotel and find a bite to eat there? Spotting one or two people sitting in the garden of the hotel, we made our choice!
On our way, we spotted another small but essential detail.
After lunch, we took advantage of being resident in a Portmeirion property and called the shuttle to transport us back to the Castell. Far from essential but certainly very welcome, Rhys drove us back uphill with a smile and taking a slightly different route back, we were rewarded with a bit of sightseeing.
By the time we reached “home”, the sun had come out!
When we went inside to the reception area, I noticed the floral arrangement had changed. Gone were the huge alliums that had been there earlier, replaced by some delphiniums.
Now, I am no flower arranger, but I think that maybe I could have done better than simply plonking those flowers in the vase like that? And don’t you think that figure on the windowsill is thinking exactly the same thing?! 🤣
