Cambrian Coast Line and Harlech Castle

Marijka and I decided to take the Cambrian Coast Line for a train ride around part of the coast of Wales on Friday. The mountains of Snowdonia could occasionally be seen through one side of the train and the ocean was on the other side. We received a fresh dusting of snow that morning - supposedly not normal for this time of year - and the hills were beautiful and white.

Marijka capturing a photo of some of the beautiful scenery.

We boarded the train at Machynlleth (called "Mach"), about a 30 minute drive from the cottage, and rode to the end of the line at Pwllheli, which takes about two hours. We figured out the time frame for the day and decided to ride to the end of the line, use the 15 minute break to quickly wander around town, then on the return trip stop first at our highest priority, Harlech Castle. We also hoped to stop at Barmouth for a walk around the beautiful town, through the marina and along the beach, but we ended up running out of daylight and only did the one stop at Harlech.

Our favourite train station name along the route: Penrhyndeudraeth
No clue how to say it.

Harlech Castle as viewed from the train station.

When they say the castle is built into the rock, they mean it!

A model of the castle.

The castle was originally three stories high - the fireplace openings can be seen above.

Almost all of the rooms and turrets are set up for exploration - wonderful to be able to just wander around and be able to touch things, walk anywhere, and not feel like somebody is watching your every move.

We climbed 142 spiral steps to reach the top of a turret and obtain a stunning view of the ocean, mountains, and fields stretching far below.

Staircase in the inner courtyard.

Inside the courtyard.

View from the walkway around the top of the outer walls.

This one's for you, Paul.

Marijka and I agreed that we enjoyed exploring the ruin more than wandering through the richly decorated castle at Powis. I think it's because there's so much more scope for the imagination, as Anne would say.

Although I've posted lots of photos, if you want more, click here.

Marijka reacting to some rather interesting tunes.

There was a guy sitting across from us on the train and he either didn't care that people could hear him as he sang along with whatever was playing through his MP3 player or he forgot that he was in a public place. Both irritating and amusing.

When we returned to the cottage we cooked up our Welsh lamb and a whole bunch of vegetables, bundled up against the cold, lit a few candles, and enjoyed our delicious meal!