PONTERWYD — The day dawned wet and miserable. Showers kept coming and going; some light and some heavy. My first stop was the Llechwedd Slate Caverns. Some 120 man-made caverns exist within the mountain on 16 levels. I went on one of the tours that took you by train into the mountain to see a cavern where slate was mined; followed by a demonstration of how the mined slate is split. Still done by hand as no machine has been developed that can do it better.

It was then on to Portmeirion. The weather stayed lousy and I can only imagine that Portmeirion would look stunning on sunny day. Luckily Portmeirion has plenty of doorways and arches etc. that allowed me to take photographs without the camera becoming waterlogged.

It was then time to head for Aberystwyth—which I did via Harlech where I stopped and had a look at another of Edward I’s string of castles. The tallest tower provided stunning views over Harlech and the surrounding countryside. The road leading to the castle was steep and winding and I nearly came to grief when surprised by a descending car—almost stalled.

I turned inland at Aberystwyth and headed for my lodgings for the night in Ponterwyd. The B&B was actually just before Ponterwyd—I was passed it before I had finished reading the sign. I also overshot it on the way back from dinner in Ponterwyd—but my excuse is it was dark at the time!

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