17 September 2014 North Wales and Health update

We enjoyed a four day break in North Wales early in September.  We based ourselves at The White Lion Royal Hotel in Bala.  The weather was fantastic and we managed to see a great deal of the countryside.  We did several walks around Bala and a longer one (3 miles) across the estuary at Barmouth.  However, our holiday started with a Sunday afternoon stroll around the Northern shore of Lake Bala to the Bala station of the Bala Lake Railway a narrow gauge line that follows the eastern side of the Lake south to Llanwchllyn – it looked an idyllic trip but we were too late to travel on Sunday.

Monday saw us head south through the small town of Dolgellau to the Dolgoch Falls and our first view of another narrow gauge railway that runs from Tywyn to the town of Abergynolwyn.  It was a peaceful and gentle stroll to the falls from the car park and it was pure coincidence that a train happened to pass under a bridge as Gerry was strolling over it!  From there we visited the lovely town of Machynlleth which had an amazing clock tower in the centre of the main road.  We enjoyed walking around some of the antique shops (clearly a tourist town) before heading to Aberystwyth which was, as Gerry remembered from the last time he was there, rather disappointing.  That said, it was sad to see that some of the large houses on the sea front were still boarded up presumably after the terrible storms of last winter.  We headed home via Devil’s Bridge but did not venture to walk to the falls as there were far too many steps for Annie (and Gerry) to cope with, but we did see yet another narrow gauge railway!

Tuesday saw us head to Porthmadog and two more railways before heading to  Beddgelert where we walked to Gellert’s grave.  Shame on Gerry for not remembering the story in detail but fortunately there was enough information for Annie to understand why a dog’s grave should be such an historical shrine!  Continuing north, we visited Caernarvon castle and spent some time wandering around before

heading over the Britannia Bridge to the isle of Anglesey to visit the National Trust property called Plas Newydd.  We had a lovely walk through the grounds and enjoyed the magnificent views of the Menai Straits and the Britannia Bridge.  We returned to Bala in time for a walk and dinner at the hotel.

Wednesday dawned slightly misty and the sun had to work hard to burn it off but it did by about 10 am just as we were arriving at Denbigh Castle.  Whilst the Castle was lovely we decided that we did not want to visit the seaside at Llandudno and headed back to Bala for a ride on the Bala Lake Railway.  It was delightful and we saw a couple of magical views of the lake.  After enjoying a picnic on the platform waiting for the next train to leave we headed for Barmouth and a lovely walk across the estuary on a 900 yd wooden bridge that also carries a single track railway line.  Joy of joys a train crossed the bridge as we were walking over it!  It was a lovely stroll and we must have covered nearly 3 miles in total which given the pain Annie still has in her knee was good.  A gentle drive back to the hotel and a pleasant evening meal brought our stay in Bala to a close.

After returning home Gerry had a followup visit at Great Western Hospital to get the results of the tests called for at his previous visit.  The outcome was not what we would have liked, and Gerry will start Chemotherapy as soon as it can be arranged.  The treatment is likely to last between 4 and 6 months. Thanks to everyone for their support and best wishes.