Day 31 (20th July 2022)

 Today was going to be another busy day in terms of Germinal CCXXIV places so I headed out early, interrupting this little fellar having his breakfast.

Having failed to a certain extent with a place earlier on in the trip, I was able to rectify that with stop #58

HOLY ISLAND (2)

This Holy Island is the one on the west coast of Anglesey, larger than its Northumberland namesake and much easier to get to especially now that the A55 has been improved. Holy Island is also where another Germinal CCXXIV place can be found. Stop #59

SOUTH STACK

Amazing cliffs made this stop very worth while. The RSPB have a presence here, and I got chatting to 2 of their volunteers  - started off with me asking about the huge collection of bird (and other wildlife) badges that the guy had on his waistcoat before we got around to why I was there. Look out for their new logo out very soon.

Originally I was going to stop off at Caernarfon and look at the castle, but I thought I might run out of time for my final stop, so gave it a miss. There will be another time, of that I'm certain. The drive away from Anglesey took me down the Lleyn Peninsula back onto roads barely wide enough for one car to the little village of Rhiw, where I got my first glimpse of the spectacular stop #60

HELL'S MOUTH

I have to admit my picture doesn't really do the view any justice.  Hell's Mouth (aka Porth Neigwl) sweeps from Rhiw to Llanengan in a majestic arc, and because it is relatively inaccessible for most of its length, empty of people and their rubbish. There is no way I could have stopped Guy going for a swim here had he still been with me.

I had a cuppa and a slice of gin & tonic cake (who knew?) at the NT Plas yn Rhiw (but passed on visiting the garden) as I had a timed ticket for the stop after my next stop, if you follow my drift, so headed off in search of stop #61

THE COB

Now this particular Germinal CCXXIV place name had confused me for years. I thought it might have been a typo of "The Cobb" which was the breakwater made famous by Meryl Streep in "The French Lieutenant's Woman", but more recently while doing some map reading in preparation for this very trip, came across the word "Cob" in relation to The Britannia Causway in Porthmadog. There was a Cob Records at one end, and I went in there to have a quick chat with Tony who told me about "The Cob" which is what everyone locally calls the causeway. So I thought it only fair to include his shop in the picture. If you look really closely, you can just about make out the steam train that runs along the Cob too.

Like I mentioned earlier, I had a timed ticket for my final stop #62

PORTMEIRION

Well well well, this place has to be one of the most surreal places in the UK. I haven't seen "The Prisoner" but know enough about it to be familiar with the whole "I am not a number" thing, but my god I didn't expect this place to be quite so utterly bonkers. Now this isn't my first visit here, but I think I was barely knee high to a grasshopper last time, so my memory is pretty much non-existent. I do remember asking for and getting a toy here though which consisted of a u-shaped piece of wood with a piece of string upon which a wooden figure would spin round when I pressed the two prongs of the ... I'm not explaining this very well - similar to this but simpler;

I kept it for years until the piece of cane disintegrated and into the bin it went.

 They were filming the final of landscape painter of the year (or something along those lines) so there were camera crews everywhere I turned. Lots of people were doing their very best to get in front of cameras, so desperate some people are to be on the telly, but as far as I'm aware, I succeeded in not doing so. I hope so anyway. But what a place!

Kicking myself I never bought tickets for Festival No.6 now.

Correct campsite this evening. I was recognised by both staff and other holiday makers so no chance of hiding my embarrassing blunder from yesterday. But once again saved from further humiliation when I whipped out one of my Germinal CCXXIV mugs and explained all.

Can't think off hand if there are any Germinal CCXXIV places tomorrow. I do have a lunch date with my friend Melvyn who lives in Wales. I'm dragging him over to Aberystwyth as I'm told it is one of Wales prettier seaside towns.

Allons-y 

Douglas Germinal CCXXIV Brain over and out