Inscribed Stones at Penmachno

One of these stones is the odd man out. This is the one on the extreme left. This is a 13th Century stone and it may mark the final resting place of Iorworth Drwyndwn who was also (confusingly) known as Iorwerth ab Owain Gwynedd (1145-1174), the eldest legitimate son of Owain Gwynedd. He was killed in battle at Penant Melangell in Powys, but his son went on to become one of Wales’ most famous monarchs-Llywelyn the Great.
The other four stones date from the late 5th / early-mid sixth centuries and are grave markers written in Latin.

Church housing the stones

Capel Salem-why Salem?-26

This well preserved Methodist Chapel in Penmachno had an open day on 15th September and I was able to see its classic pitch pine interior and magnificent organ. One thing that strikes me about such chapels (which are everywhere in North Wales) is that they are all just too large and must have been too large even when nearly everyone in the village went to some sort of chapel or church. Only at an exceptional event could they possibly have been full.

The names of these chapels were heavily influenced by the Old Testament and some of them seem odd to the 21st Century mind. Salem is a short form of Jerusalem. Saron is the largest city in the prosperous Israel province of Netanya. Soar is a reference to Isaiah 40/31 “They will soar on wings like eagles”. Bethel is the place where Jacob dreams of a ladder stretching between heaven and earth, thronged with angels. Carmel is a mountain in Palestine. Horeb is a Hebrew name for the mountain where Moses received the 10 Commandments. Nebo is a challenging one. It was a Chaldean deity of the Babylonians and Assyrians. It all reminds us of another age when such biblical knowledge was widespread.

Llyn Idwal-a real scenic treat and easy too.

I love walking by water and having great views at the same time and at Llŷn Idwal these are there in abundance. The Lake (Llŷn in Welsh) is a classic glacial tarn set at the foot of the YGarn. Ambitious walkers can scale this great peak rising to 947 metres, but I stayed mainly on the level.

Nant Ffrancon is ac lassic glacial U shaped valley

Waterfalls abound. Take some time to visit the Rhaeadr Ogwen near the car park to the north.

The Snowdonia National Park have done a great job surfacing this route, not tarmac but real stone. The trouble is you have to watch your footing.

20 minutes of steady walking reveals this brilliant view north wards.

The Lake is tranquil and home to a feat variety of wildlife species.

The Carneddau Mountains loom as a backdrop and a reminder of challenges to come

YHA-still going strong

Saturday 15th September was Open Day for the YHA Hostel at  Idwal Cottage on the A5 near Llŷn Ogwen at the head of the Nant Ffrancon Valley

This is one of the longest established hostels in the country. A plaque on one of the walls bears the following history:

"YHA History
In Wales, by Easter 1931, four hostels were open with 130 beds.
One of these first four hostels was Idwal cottage, 1000ft above sea level at the head of the Nant Ffrancon, a site of sombre and a magnificent loneliness. Mr Symonds contacted Lord Penrhyn, its owner, asking if the Y.H.A. could use it. The latter agreed and generously let it to the Merseyside Group at a low rent. It is still one of the most popular hostels in the country, turning away thousands every week in August and September, holding records for over-nights; 4,653 were registered in 1932."

The hostel is all self catering now

Bunk beds are there in small dormitories but they also have en suite rooms

What’s this? Alcohol! Idwal is well known for its warm welcome and brilliant staff, here behind the bar.

Whatever happened to the slate industry?

 Driving down the A5 en route for a walk around Llŷn Ogwen I stopped off at one of the last working slate quarries in North Wales, the Penrhyn Quarries near Bethesda. Once 100,000 men worked in the slate quarries of North Wales. Currently employing around 90 workers, this quarry is a shadow of its former self. Underinvestment, cheap imports from Spain, the fashion (now passing) for tiled roofs, and the problems of disposing of all the waste that a slate mine makes have taken their toll. Some sense of all the mess that slate mining creates can be seen on the aerial view of this quarry on Google Earth (please find it SW of Bethesda and print it here)
The scale of the operation is still impressive 90 lorries leave the site each day-20 of “ready for roof” slates and 70 for chippings which a prized for garden paths and for pipe bedding. These are made in a giant crushing machine.

The waste of years ago makes a sorry sight but this quarry may soon be home to a tourist zip wire project.

Bethesda has slates of varying shades

High quality slate waste (off cuts and the like) can be ground down to a fine powder and used for make up powder.

Some of the old trackways have been made up into cycle tracks, nice level routes suitable for kids of all ages that aren’t looking for a workout

Red sky at night

One of the pleasures of returning to Pen Llŷn in the evening is the prospect of a spectacular sunset when the weather is right. Last week (just before all the very wet weather came) was one such evening. The horizon burned before me as the Wicklow Hills danced in the distance.

Llanystumdwy - say that in a hurry!

Lloyd George as the champion of the people, a great orator and statesman

No wonder Lloyd George said he came from Criccieth. Llanystumdwy is one of the most difficult place names for English people to pronounce, but it was the home of the prime minister Lloyd George who led Great Britain and the Empire during a large part of the first world war. You can visit his boyhood home which is a humble terraced cottage which also served as a shoe maker's workshop for his uncle (his father having died when Lloyd George was a baby). There is also a very good museum at an adjacent large house. His eventual home in Ty Newydd is just up the lane and his burial place is in a beautiful wood at the bend in the Dwyfor river. This is a great place to come for short walks. There's plenty of parking and you can walk through the woodland on lanes or strike out south for the coast path, which will take you into Criccieth.

Lloyd George's grave, designed by Clough Williams Ellis.

His boyhood home.

Ty Newydd, now a writer's centre, see http://www.llanystumdwy.com/english/tynewyddE.html