On Tuesday (18th) we drove east away from the Llyn Penisular, following the coast along some slightly challenging B roads to the Riverside Campsite, just outside Caernarfon. This is a very attractive campsite with full facilities set on a bend of the river Seiont. The town of Caernarfon is built around one of the most impressive castles in the country. Built 700 years ago by Edward I it was primarily to help keep control over the Welsh people.

The town is also home to one end of the Welsh Highland Railway, the longest narrow gauge railway in the country. It stretches 25 miles around the south of Snowden to Porthmadog where it joins up with the older Ffestiniog Railway which runs a further 13.5 miles inland to Blaenau Ffestiniog. I took a return trip to the halfway point at the delightful village of Beddgelert.

Beddgelert is set on a river has some excellent views of the surrounding mountains. There are plenty of scenic walks from the village including one past the grave of Gelert, the beloved dog of the 13th century Prince Llywelyn who mistakenly killed his pet – the dog’s memory lives on in the name of the village.