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.

Out and about with the National Trust

For the last three weekends we've been visiting some of our local National Trust properties. We took out NT membership way back in April, and have been in a bit of a rush to make the most of it before the end of the season.

So, first we travelled to Penrhyn Castle in North Wales. I remember going there as a child, and it has long been on my list of things to do.

It is a Victorian Gothic Castle built in 1840, by a seriously wealthy family. They'd had made their money in the Slave Trade, and in slate mines, and they had plenty to spend! The interiors are incredible, with an amazing stone staircase. You could spend a lifetime looking at the hundreds of carvings. It's as though they were shown the pattern books and said "Why choose? Let's have them all!"

The views of the Welsh coastline are impressive, or would have been on a brighter day. Rain was threatening all afternoon.

We loved Penrhyn for it's sheer 'over-the-top-ness' .... a magnificent example of Victorian bling. We must go back on a warmer day, so we can get out into the gardens too.

Next stop was a visit to Tatton Park, with my daughter who was home for the weekend. It's always a special treat to spend some quality Mother and Daughter time! We look forward to our days out, while we catch up with all the news.

All the best days start with a lovely lunch, and we had ours in in the nicest gardeners' cottage you could imagine. We loved the little details, like the bread being served in a little plant pot. Really sweet!

After our house tour,  we were keen to see the garden....

... bravely negotiating our way past the Hallowe'en ghosts who were lurking around every corner.

I loved the glasshouses were filled with tropical plants of all descriptions.

And the odd ghost or two.

The sky was bright blue - unusual for October, and we took advantage of the warm sunshine.

I have a soft spot for lions ... it's the Leo in me, I suppose. This guy was guarding the pond in the rose garden.

Tatton had a cosy, relaxed feel about it. It was filled with families out and about in the autumn sunshine,  having a great time. We loved it! We will return with Inca to walk in the parkland.

This  Saturday we visited Dunham Massey, which is quite near Tatton Park, but couldn't be more different. This Georgian building was owned by a family descended from Elizabeth Woodville (the White Queen from the recent BBC series). The house is huge with lots and lots to see. We spent ages wandering round.

While the formal rooms are lovely ... I always find myself drawn to less grand details, probably because I can never see myself as an upstairs sort of person.

I loved the collection of old luggage.

The maids were busy polishing the staircase ....

A little peep into a cupboard revealed a collection of cleaning materials .... anyone remember the Ewbank carpet cleaner?

I loved the laundry, sunlight pouring in through the leaded windows.

Outside in the gardens, Autumn was in full swing, but it was cold and damp so we didn't linger.

As we headed back to the car park we stumbled across a corner filled with dog graves from hundreds of years ago. So sweet.

So, there we have it .... a whistle stop tour of three NT properties. Great days out, lots to see - indoors and out, and good food in each cafe .... what's not to like?

An evening in Llandudno.

So, Summer has returned to the UK after an absence of several years. 

I can't remember a time of such settled warmth and sunshine for such a long time. 

Isn't it lovely?

On Friday evening we took the picnic basket off to North Wales ..... to Llandudno.

The resort was basking in a shimmering haze and the sea was like milky glass.

We ate on the beach and then headed up Marine Drive above the iconic pier. It would have been nice to go on the tram to the top of the Orme, but nothing is ever open in Llandudno in the evening. It just shuts down .... like a ghost town.

I just love the red, white and blue bunting at the gateway to the pier.

We had a little walk on the Great Orme in the late evening sunshine and watched the seagulls gliding over the sea cliffs. I've been coming here all my life, and normally the wind is gusting and howling. This time it was silent, broken only by the far off cries of the gulls. Just magical!

This is Mr B's stomping ground, he spends half his life rock climbing here. 

I prefer not to look too closely at the cliffs. I prefer not to see what he gets up to!

From here there are good views of the Welsh mountains, and Conway Castle is in the distance, but the heat haze made it all seem soft-focus. 

I recalled the times I came here as a child, wrapped in an anorak as we huddled against the elements.

At 9.30 it was still hot, and children were happily paddling and building sandcastles, everyone making the most of a special day.

We reluctantly dragged ourselves away to head home.

It's St Swithun's day. 

Legend has it that whatever the weather is like today will be repeated for the next 40 days. 

Looks like we're in for a good summer then!