About Me

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Hi! I'm Eunice and I live in Bolton, Lancashire, with my two dogs Sophie and Sugar and an assortment of cats - well it used to be Sophie and Sugar, now it's Sophie and Poppie. I first began camping back in 1997 when my then partner took me to Anglesey for my birthday weekend. We slept in the back of the car - a hatchback - using the cushions off the settee at home as a mattress, and cooked and brewed up on a single burner camping stove. The site was good, the views were great, the weather fantastic and I was completely hooked. Following that weekend we got a two-man tent and some proper accessories and returned to Anglesey two weeks later, then over time we progressed to a three-man tent followed by an old trailer tent, then a new trailer tent, a campervan and finally a caravan. When my partner decided that the grass was greener on the other side of the street - literally - in April 2009 and I suddenly found myself alone after fifteen years, I decided there was no way I was going to give up camping and caravanning if I could cope on my own. This blog is the story of my travels, trials and tribulations since becoming a solo camper - I hope you like it

Friday June 8th 2018 - A visit to Llanberis

Another warm and sunny morning arrived so I decided it would be a good time to have my 'big day out' off the island just in case the sun disappeared and it decided to rain later in the holiday. Llanberis was my destination, just over 18 miles away on the mainland, and I set off from the camp site quite late in the morning. It didn't take long to get there and I pulled up in a nice roadside car park overlooking the lake; it was fairly cheap there so I paid for three hours and went for a wander and a look at the few shops along the main road through the little town.

It wasn't long before I began to feel a bit peckish so I went along to a cafe which had been recommended to me ages ago as a good place to get something to eat. Choosing a pavement table with a post nearby where I could fasten the dogs I ordered a cheese and onion toastie and a mug of coffee, and though the coffee was a bit strong for my personal liking the toastie, which was oozing with filling and came with a salad garnish, was quite delicious - and Sophie and Poppie even got a treat of a sausage each from the lady who took my order.

Unfortunately by the time I was walking back along the lakeside the sky had clouded over and things had turned decidedly grey, with the sun just putting in a brief appearance here and there. Following the lakeside path, which at one point took me through a field of sheep, I went right round to the slate museum on the far side of the lake, and though I had no interest in going in the museum itself it was nice to wander round by the Llanberis Lake Railway station and over by the ponds in part of the old quarry before retracing my route back to the van.

As I walked back through the car park I saw a large board featuring a painted map of the town marked with places of interest and with a box of tourist leaflets at the side of it, and I realised that the ruined castle which I could see on the hill above the lake was open to the public and I could have got there via a path from the bottom end of the lake. If I'd known that when I was round by the slate museum I would have gone to take a look but it was quite a distance to walk all the way back from where I was and the time was almost up on my car park ticket anyway so I decided to save that one for another time.

 The grey clouds showed no real sign of lifting so when I drove out of the car park I decided that I would go back to Anglesey rather than go on to somewhere else, though as I was passing through Llanrug I made a quick detour to visit my cousin Dave and his wife Hilda who lived there. Unfortunately neither of them were in - Dave was probably at work anyway - so I just continued on my route back to Anglesey, and the further away I got from Llanberis the more the cloud lifted and the sun shone. 

 When I finally got back to the island I saw that the blue sky and sunshine were just as brilliant as when I'd left earlier that day, and the sunset that evening was beautiful. With hindsight I should maybe have stayed on the island but even with the grey cloud I'd had an enjoyable few hours out so I wasn't complaining.

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10 comments:

  1. nashvillecats216 June 2018 at 06:02

    It's good to see someone living the life I used to when my husband was alive. This place looked as good as your writing about it. Continue your tavels Tigermouse.

    Yvonne/

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    1. Tigermouse16 June 2018 at 10:16

      Thanks Yvonne. Llanberis is a lovely little place, even better when the sun shines properly so definitely one for a third visit another time :)

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  2. Eileen H16 June 2018 at 07:50

    Some friends recommended that cafe to us one time, very popular with bikers as is the area of course. Shame that the sun kept disappearing for your photos. Quite often there are sheep at the side of the road in Llanberis, they just seem to wander and graze with not a care. The slate museum is interesting and dog friendly too, I remember being given poo bags as you enter just in case. The castle would be worth a visit another time I agree but as the walk is up a steep hill not for us sadly. Shame you missed your friends but a good reason to revisit :)

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    1. Tigermouse16 June 2018 at 10:26

      I could have gone to the golf club in Caernarfon and probably found my cousin Dave there and it wasn't that far to drive but for some reason I just couldn't be bothered so went straight back to Anglesey. I wasn't aware that the slate museum is dog friendly as there as nothing outside to say it is and I didn't see anyone with dogs in there, but there are some info boards with photos outside so I learned what I needed to know from those.

      When I was walking back through the sheep field I saw a woman with an off-lead Border Collie walking the other way on another path - fortunately it stayed close to her but I wouldn't have liked to see the possible carnage if it hadn't! :(

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  3. Anabel Marsh16 June 2018 at 18:30

    Looks like a lovely place.

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  4. Tigermouse16 June 2018 at 22:47

    It's a very nice little place, little being the operative word as the high street isn't much longer than what you see on the first photo. There are plenty of attractions condensed into the small space though, and on the road out of the village is where the train up Snowdon goes from. Definitely a place to go back to on a much sunnier day so I can get some photos of other places around the village.

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    1. Anabel Marsh17 June 2018 at 17:06

      As a postscript, i’ve Just read another blog with this view! They had bought ice cream in the green building.

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    2. Tigermouse17 June 2018 at 20:29

      That's a coincidence, I hope whoever it was enjoyed their ice cream :)

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  5. Kernow Camper1 October 2018 at 11:38

    We loved Llanberis and wished we'd stayed there when we had our motorhome!

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  6. Tigermouse1 October 2018 at 16:01

    It's a lovely little place, and has quite a lot to see and do in the one small area :)

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