After yesterday's visit to Portmeirion, we returned to Llan Ffestiniog and as the weather remained much better than predicted, we took a walk out of the village to find a nearby waterfall mentioned in the cottage welcome file. We trekked through fields to a neighbouring wooded valley set in the mountainside through which the Afon Cynfal runs down a steep narrow gorge in a series of cascades, descending 300 feet in a couple of miles from moorland lakes above. It's one of the most impressive sights in Snowdonia, even if it is somewhat off the beaten track. However, there is a newly built safe viewing point with an information panel at the point of access to the falls, in acknowledgement of the importance of this local treasure.
Today we drove to Beddgelert in the rain, and lunched there. It's such a lovely place at this time of year with large swathes of surrounding hillside adorned with the purple flowers of rhododendron bushes. Such a pity that the amount of rain was sufficient to deter full exploration or a walk up and out of the village. It made up for what we didn't get, forecasted for yesterday. I braved the rain for half an hour to catch sight of the Wales Highland Railway train on its way to Blaenau Ffestiniog from Porthmadog. Here's the video clip I captured on my camera.
We drove from there to Criccieth to look at the sea once more, whipped up into foaming breakers by wind and tide, although the beach was deserted. We drove on to Pwllheli, got stuck in a traffic jam, and made a detour back to Porthmadog on the Lleyn peninsula's back roads. Such quiet countryside deserves a longer and more thorough exploration than just a drive-through. But we'll keep that for another time. Tomorrow, the long journey home.
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