Suzie in Wales - Day 3 (Unexpected trains)

Today, according to the original plan, was supposed to be the Fairbourne Railway and Barmouth but an error in arrangements meant we went to Port Meirion instead as Mandy had arranged to meet an old friend in Porth Madog. The weather wasn’t great, but was manageable, however it did mean we didn’t spend as much time there as we may have done if it had been fine. It didn’t matter, we saw everything and enjoyed coffee and cake (Bara Brith in my case) followed not long later by some lovely ice cream.

This belly pump caught my eye!

 The real plus point throughout the visit was the helpfulness and friendliness of the staff who went out of their way to assist people. I know they’re in a tourist/hospitality business and it’s “part of the job” but going the extra mile makes a huge difference to the visitor experience. I’m sure everyone is aware of the connection with The Prisoner (and if you’re not you would be by the end of the visit) so here’s the iconic chessboard. 

We decided to head straight to Porth Madog for the afternoon and, although they weren’t on the itinerary for this visit, see if we could get a trip on either the Ffestiniog or Welsh Highland railways, we could have gone on either but as Steve hadn’t been on the latter that was an easy decision. It was too late to go the whole way to Caernarfon but the trip ran to Beddgelert (a place I’ve been visiting for over 50 years) and back. 

Blanche arriving with a Ffestiniog train. 

The weather still wasn’t great but we were at least in the dry on the train! We had about an hour at Beddgelert but unless you walk down into the village there’s not much there so we stayed on the train, apart from a wee break. The lady providing the buffet service to the “posh” Pullman coach kindly brought us some hot chocolate, another unexpected kindness (I did say to keep the change). 

The railways are definitely equal opportunities these days, this picture shows the lady guard and the lady fireman talking to the driver as they swapped locos. 

To explain, a crew brings one train up from Porth Madog whilst another crew brings one up from Caernarfon. At Beddgelert they swap the locos over between the two trains ready to return to their starting points but the crew stay with the train so they end up back where they need to be at the end of the day’s work. 

The observant among you may spot that the loco is another of my favourite Garratts, this time a Beyer built in the UK and exported to South Africa. When the Welsh Highland was being reopened it was realised these locos would be needed to provide sufficient power and traction on the steep sections so they went shopping in SA and bought three of them. Just as we were getting off the train I had a phone call from our hotel, “Are you having dinner tonight?” I explained we were dining out with friends but that’s a level of service you don’t get even at a Premier Inn!