Day Four

We left Aberystwyth at 9.45 and travelled up to Machynlleth and on to Dolgellau. What marvellous scenery. The further north we went the higher the mountains became, and looking eastwards there seemed to be layers and layers of them.
Arriving in Dolgellau we were met at the bus stop by three Soroptimists. Dolgellau Soroptimists are in the Northen Region whereas we are from the Southern Region, so we had never met these ladies. Mrs. Beryl Clark, the President, welcomed us, and we were taken across the road to a Cafe which had once been an Ironmonger's Shop. It was a Listed Building, and an interesting feature of the room was the rows of shelves which had been left on the walls. We had a most welcome coffee, which was followed by a very tasty lunch at the nearby Hotel and the time flew. Having met the very friendly ladies in Dolgellau, I was so pleased that I had had the sense to make contact with the different Clubs, because we met as strangers but parted as Friends.
Dolgellau was another place I was loathe to leave. Because we had to move on to our next resting place we had no time to explore the town, and I know Margaret regretted this as much as I. And we both felt that here was a lovely place as a centre for touring by bus, walking and seeing more of our luscious countryside.
It was soon time to leave, and we continued our journey through this beautiful country of ours. Soon we came to the estuary and crossed the Toll Bridge into Porthmadog. The town appeared to be very busy and Margaret and I promised ourselves that we would return to Porthmadog because we wanted to explore the area using our Bus Passes. We could spend some time in Port Meirion - "The Italian Village"- which is nearby; buses go to Caernarfon, Bangor and Bedd Gelert to name just a few places; a steam engine carries you up to Blaenau Ffestiniog known as "The Slate Town"; and the familiar names whetted my appetite for further investigation.
Leaving Porthmadog the scenery became more rugged and the mountains much higher and we were so lucky to be able to see the landscape so clearly on such a bright day. In no time at all we arrived in Caernarfon, found our B&B opposite the Bus Stop, made ourselves a cup of tea and rested before we went out to look for a place to have an evening meal.
Nearby there was a big Hotel and we decided to go there for our Dinner. Today was rather a special day. It was Margaret's Birthday. So we decided to celebrate in style. And why not. Margaret was 83 young.