HW: Hawkfest

[Paul Mather]

On Aug 17, 2010, at 7:54 PM, Keith Henderson wrote:

> I sed...
> 
>> Well, I still am not sure if I am to expect an actual
>> ticket to Hawkfest in the mail.  
> 
> Hot damn!  Whaddya know?  The bloody thing arrived in the mail here in Fribourg, on my last day here before heading out on the road, to eventually end up on Isle of Wight next weekend.  It looks nice too.  Hope it was worth the wait to get them printed.  Anyway, now I can relax.  Plus, I just witnessed YB nip Spurs here 3-2 in Champions League final qualis, so there's a chance that the Swiss league could have two representatives in the CL (certainly that would be the first time ever) if my Rot-Blau (FC Basel) can get by some silly Moldovan team tomorrow and next week.  Course, there's no guarantee that YB won't lose 1-0 or worse next week in London to crush that dream...but hey, there's a chance.  So today was a good day.

Glad to hear your ticket arrived in time!

> So I got my travel plans set, including the other two HW-related events in Derbys. and London.  In between, I am going to spend four days in Porthmadog, Wales.  I would like to visit the Prisoner Village of Portmeirion natch, and then also do some nice walks in the Snowdon region.  Anybody have any specific recommendations?

I haven't lived in North-West Wales for over fifteen years (plus, I'm not much of a hiker; I got around mainly by bicycle), so take this advice with a pinch of salt...

First off, the important stuff: record shops. :-)  You should check out Cob Records, the local independent.  They have a shop in Porthmadog and Bangor.

If you like castles, you should make a point to visit Caernarfon and Conwy castles (in Caernarfon and Conwy respectively). There's also Beaumaris Castle on Anglesey, but it's a step down from the other two.

You should visit Bangor, the university town of the region.  It serves as the crossing point to the Isle of Anglesey: via the wonderful Telford suspension bridge and the Stephenson road/rail bridge.  The Stephenson bridge carries the rail line and A55 to Holyhead (and thence via ferry to Northern Ireland), passing through the improbably-named Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, so you might want to stop by there just to have the obligatory photo of someone pointing at the railway sign with a bemused look on their face. :-)  I remember Penmon Point on Anglesey as being a tranquil place.  Let me know if the Liverpool Arms in Menai Bridge is still open. :-)

As for nice walks, a good kicking off point is probably Llanberis in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park.  It is the start of the walk up Mt. Snowdon (highest mountain in Wales) for a start.  When I lived in Gwynedd I remember the region being well-served by its bus service, and it was possible to get a regional bus pass on a daily, weekly, etc. basis.  A nice trip to take in much of Snowdonia is to go Bangor -> Caernarfon -> Beddgelert -> Capel Curig -> Bangor (or ... -> Beddgelert -> Llanberis -> Caernarfon -> Bangor).  The Betws-y-Coed area is nice, as is the slate mine at Blaenau Ffestiniog.  (There is a narrow gauge railway from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog.)  If you decide to visit Conwy, you might also want to drop in on the nearby Victorian resort town of Llandudno and the Great Orme.  Finally, I recommend the walk to Aber Falls.

Cheers,

Paul.

PS: I have visited Portmeirion; it is cool!