Day 04

Today we had another gem up our sleeve, well this was meant to be for Dad mostly but it seemed to satisfy everyone.

From Betws-y-Coed we headed due south to the once thriving slate town of Blaenau Ffestiniog but today it’s only claim to fame is the Ffestiniog Railway. http://www.ffestiniograilway.co.uk/index.asp

The Ffestiniog Railway is the oldest independent railway company in the World - being founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832.

The railway was originally built as a gravity and horse drawn line to transport slate from the quarries in the mountains around Blaenau Ffestiniog.
As the slate industry flourished, so did the railway and the town of Porthmadog. Slates from Blaenau Ffestiniog were exported to ports all over the globe - many in ships built in Porthmadog.

In addition engineers from around the world came to study the Ffestiniog Railway and as a result, it has influenced the design and construction of railways in many countries.

Over the last fifty years, the Ffestiniog Railway has become a leader in railway preservation and provides a perfect platform to showcase the outstanding natural beauty of Snowdonia as they pass through areas inaccessible by road undisturbed by the sights and sounds of modern life.

As the small steam engine rolled up Dad was like a kid in a candy shop! Getting all excited, watching the driver pull in the engine in, stop, unlatch the carriages and return to the rear end for their anticipated trip back down the valley.

Meanwhile Mum found her seat and their 3rd class carriage and patiently waited, as the excitement grew and the driver was almost ready at the last moment Dad joined her before they rolled out.

Unfortunately Grigoria and I had to head off in the car to meet them 1hr 15mins later at Porthmadog.

As they pulled in, their smiles told the story; although a little shaken about from the wobbly carriages, the still loved it!

After grabbing some lunch we started heading back to England and our final destination, Shrewsbury (http://www.visitshrewsbury.com/).
We were hoping to pick a nice lunch spot on our way but the Welsh weather had other plans so we had to enjoy lunch in the car whilst listening to the rain outside!

The drive back to England was very scenic and Shrewsbury was easy to find. Getting to the hotel however was a different story. A million round-abouts later we finally got there in the pouring rain and checked in our, massive rooms at Albrighton Hall (http://www.mercure.com/mercure/fichehotel/gb/mer/6629/fiche_hotel.shtml)

A rest and a swim later we headed out for a quiet dinner.