Further Wales Tales.

I should have included this in the other blog about Wales. From the amount of boots footwear & booze you can tell Gary, Ellie, Olly & Laura hadn't left when I took this photo. It kind of sums up the great vibrancy and fun they brought with them.  

Tuesday dawned to rain. Bugger! Though it did ease off and once it did it turned out quite nice. Off to Sygun copper mine  near Beddgelert. Just T & I went in as the 186 or so steps wouldn't have done E& J any good at all. It was very cold inside the mine  and very wet, how anyone could work in these conditions is beyond me. The tour took you over three levels, at each you were taken through the history of the entire mine. It ceased production in 1904. Had a very nice lunch in Beddgelert, home made pizza with gluten free for Tara which was also very good. Back to the ranch and I popped out on my own to visit  a Roman site that was a 15 minutes drive away called Tomen y Mur. A fascinating little site. A small car park has been set aside  and the amphitheatre is more or less next to the car park. As with most Roman remains in the UK you do have to use your imagination. It's all just lumps & bumps in the ground really though you can make out the outer wall of the fort there and in part it has been built back up using stone found there. It was only used for about 60 years from 78AD probably because the Legionaries there went further north to go into Scotland. A much later Norman motte & bailey castle  has been built in the middle of the fort. It's a rewarding site to visit, I like its remoteness.
Dinner then, and we went with Julian, Ella , Chris & MC to a local pub   for a sumptuous feed! An excellent steak & ale pie with chips for self, Chris & Julian. Goats cheese salad for Tara, salmon fillet for MC & a small chicken curry for Ella washed down  with a pale ale called 'Double Hop' by Robinson Brewery from Stockport, Cheshire and very nice it was too, quite hoppy as the name suggests. Then onto a nice red wine with Chris. An excellent evening and great company. An interesting find in our cottage! The tools for the fire are in a shell casing for a 13 pounder shell dated 1916 Royal Artillery. I told Chris this who knew about it as it was his Grandads!

13 pounder shell casing dated 1916.

Memsahib and mine entrance.

Entering the mine.



Copper mine.

Copper mine.

Stalagmites and stalactites within the mine.

Hard has a must!

Just a few of the  186 steps.

End of the tour comes out half way up the hill with spectacular  views.

Beddgelert.

Roman site at Tomen y Mur. Looing towards the Roman fort with the Norman motte & bailey within.

Part of the Roman wall rebuilt using original stone from the site.

Example of the commanding view the fort would have had.

Amphitheatre following the line of the tussocky grass.