What climbers do when it's too cold to climb!

Mr B. had an errand to do on Saturday involving climbing boots, If it had been warmer, this little trip wouldn't have involved me at all, because he would have been out on the rock, but climbers sometimes find themselves at a loose end in the winter and invite their long-suffering wives out for the day! 

First stop was the lovely little town of Ruthin, where we had a little mooch around the shops and tiny market..

We always pop into Leonardo's which is a great deli. (Mr B. is rather partial to their pies).

Ruthin is also home to one of the nicest little independent book shops you could imagine. 

Time for some serious browsing....although the selection of vintage climbing books was much depleted this time, so my husband was a little disappointed. ( You must now be aware that climbing is an obsession!) I, however, was well pleased as I came away with a nice book on garden containers full of ideas for the spring.

The town has some really old quirky architecture, with lots of black and white buildings. But the one that caught my eye this time is next to the Castle Hotel. Isn't the roof amazing? I love all the little windows in the eaves.

After a tasty lunch, we drove along the twisty back roads to Llanberis, the centre of the climbing universe, passing through lovely autumnal woodlands and wild mountain scenery  (sorry, there are no photos to share with you- we really should have stopped along the way).

 

I'd never seen this street painting before. It has so many familiar details that capture the area.

My daughter should instantly recognise Dolbardarn Castle and the red dragon from her childhood. We still remember a charming story she wrote about it when she was in primary school.

Llanberis is famous for its slate mines which was a huge employer in the locality.You can visit a working slate mine nearby, and see first hand what a hard job it must have been.

Just up the road is the Snowdon Mountain Railway, which takes tourists up to the summit of the highest mountain in Wales. It's usually thronging with people, but not today as it's closed for the winter.

The little row of brightly coloured houses ....

...and the real thing in the High Street. 

Pete's Eats is the mecca for all climbers ... apparently it's the best place for a sausage sandwich and a cup of tea when you are ready to hit the rock. It's also the best place to hang around in when it's raining. I refuse to step foot in the place, but my children love it! 

... and speaking of climbers. Here they are - hanging around.

Llanberis is full of outdoor shops to cater for their every needs, including the re-soling of the afore mentioned climbing boots which we had come to collect. The process involved lots of looking at ropes, climbing gear and other boots which he didn't need. I thought we'd done rather well to get away without any major purchases, but we fell at the next hurdle when we just 'popped' into Mountain Art to look at the paintings.

My husband was entranced by this painting of Mont Blanc  Apparently, it's the best view he's ever seen of the Brenva Ridge. To be fair, it does mean a lot to him as he climbed it when he was 20. 

It's now hanging in our hall! 

Thankfully, it's just a print and not the original!

Actually, I love it too. It looks like a light is shining on it, as dawn creeps over the ridge.

And it reminds me of our holiday this year when we camped right underneath Mont Blanc.