Another day when we were hoping that the weather forecasters had got their predictions correct – on BBC Wales this morning they predicted that the rain would clear pretty quickly leaving us with a cloudy and miserable day. Our confidence levels were high after yesterday, so we packed our rucksacks, loaded the car with boots and walking poles and headed off in the direction of Bedgelert.
We left the cottage around 10am and set off in the direction of Betws Y Coed. If anything the rain and wind was getting worse, but with fingers crossed we continued on our way. On route there was a small bonus for us being big rugby fans – on the field in the centre of Betws Y Coed the Tonga Rugby team were training in the rain, not something you see every day. I’m sure it wasn’t the sort of weather they were used to!
As we continued past Plas Y Brenin outdoor centre, the lake (not sure of it’s name and I can’t get on the internet as I type) was whipping up like a stormy sea, with the small waves crashing against the rocks in the water – not a great sign. It was at this point that we decided not to continue to Bedgelert, but to take the turn to Llanberis and head for Electric Mountain. Hopefully Bedgelert tomorrow.
We’d checked the winter opening times yesterday and knew that they were open on a Tuesday, so after parking up (never happy having to pay to park when paying for an attraction) we just made it for the 11am tour. We were extremely lucky as we hadn’t booked and they only just had room left for the both of us. Most of the tour was taken up by a coach load of elderly ladies and gentlemen from Bristol, presumably on a day-trip out from their coach trip to the coast. I only say that as my parents regularly go on the Monday to Friday coach trips to places like Llandudno with trips out into North Wales to break up the week.
Now for someone like me who’s interested in seeing how these places work it was a joy – Donna also really enjoyed the visit showing great interest in how it all worked. To see the working turbines and generators, to watch the short films explaining all about the station, to read the various information boards – it was so interesting. It used to be the second biggest slate mine in the world, and £450m later it became Dinorwig Hydro-Electric power station known throughout the world as being one of the biggest and best of it’s type. An amazing feat of engineering, and so well hidden.
At £7.75 per person I would recommend it to anyone in the area looking for somewhere to visit – the tour took well over an hour, and compared to the Slate Mine visit a couple of days ago which cost more and was only about a third of the time – very good value. Donna did come up with a good point later though – as the power station is a working concern they don’t have to rely on income from the tours, whereas at the slate mines it’s their main source of income.
There was no way we were going to get a walk in as it was still very windy and very wet, so we headed back in the direction of ‘home’ We stopped in Betws Y Coed on the way back, and after looking in all the outdoor gear shops I had managed to show great control in not buying anything – a miracle for me, and also good news for my bank balance. Plus, we saw the Tonga Rugby team again, this time all cleaned up and in their tracksuits boarding their coach to head off to play a game tonight. Probably a world away from their international against Italy at the weekend…
So an early return to the cottage, another 2hrs getting the log burner up and running – I would have given up but Donna is made of sterner stuff, and then a lovely meal of slow cooked Lamb in a Rosemary sauce with home cooked crispy chips…..mmmmm
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