A Welsh Escape part three

And so to our last full day in Wales which was a trip on the Ffestiniog railway. You can buy a ticket which allows you to get on and off this very cute railway which is run by volunteers

Originally it was used to transport the slate down to Portmadog and due to the unrelenting Welsh landscape it had to be small as the turain is so windy. At some points we were litterally going past peoples front doors. It was incredible though as it was so bumpy wasn't good for taking too many phots.

We travelled down to Portmadog then came back and got off to stretch our legs at Tan-y-Bwlch where you could go for a walk through an amazing wood then down to a small lake then back up through more forest to the station.  

Though I must admit I was a little perplexed when I saw this sign near the lake though luckily we survived!

How fantastic are these signs. It felt as if we were going back in time.

The views of the engines were great even if the smoke was incredibly smelly!

And so that was our short break in North Wales. The journey back was long and slow because of the torrential rain. Equivalent of a month's rain in a day. But on the way back we were able to make a short detour so I could make pilgrimage to the wonderful Ruthin Craft Centre. If you are ever in North Wales it is your duty to visit this amazing gallery. I used to be the book buyer for the Crafts Council and worked quite closely with Ruthin but had never had the opportunity to visit before (and we're talking about 15 years people!). So I persuaded OH to drop in. I'd timed it quite poorly as they were in the middle of change over but what a fantastic venue! And I saw someone I used to work with. Ironically never see him in South London where we both live but saw him in North Wales. It is an amazing, amazing venue as well as a small world.....