It was absolutely lashing down when we woke up this morning, so I got very, very wet on the quick dash to Asda for breakfast. Luckily I was able to move the car from the main supermarket car park to outside the hotel so we didn't get quite as wet loading the bags.
The forecast for the rest of the morning wasn't much better, so there was no point in getting to Portmerion too early as we wouldn't want to spend more than a couple of hours there in the pouring rain.
We stopped at the restaurant to pay our £10pp deposit and pick up the entrance vouchers. Castell Deudraeth is a 19th Century folly Castle built by
Dafydd Williams, the first liberal MP for Meirionnydd. It was restored and
opened as a hotel and restaurant in 2001, retaining all period features and
furnished with local materials including Welsh oak and slate.
We drove down to the car park and found a space quite near to the entrance and, as the rain was coming down quite heavily, decided to park up and wait for it to subside a little. After about 10 mins Ian suddenly realised he could no longer see the ground around the car, we were totally surrounded by several inches of water. Just imagine if we'd left the car and come back to it; we'd have had to take our shoes and socks off just to get in. So we moved to higher ground and a little while later the rain appeared to ease so we picked our way carefully through the puddles to the entrance.
We didn’t have a guidebook so I’ve got this info from the internet.
Portmerion was conceived by Welsh architect Clough Williams-Ellis and built around 1925. He wanted to show how a naturally beautiful location could be developed without spoiling it, and that one could actually enhance the natural background through sympathetic development. The Aber Iâ estate had everything he had hoped for as a site for his architectural experiment: steep cliffs overlooking a wide sandy estuary, woods, streams and a nucleus of old buildings.
The village provided the backdrop for the 1960's cult classic series, The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan who not only starred as Number Six, the leading role in The Prisoner, but was also the creator and driving force behind the 17 episode series. It was probably one of the most influential pieces of television of the 1960's. Rich in imagery and visual impact, the surreal architecture with its Mediterranean atmosphere coupled with the high-tech interiors, tannoys, surveillance cameras and piped music create a bizarre combination.
The break in the rain was only momentary and by the time we’d entered the village it was raining hard again. We didn't have hoods so had to make use of our sunhats.
This is the view Ian was enjoying.
We had one large golfing umbrella which Ian gallantly held over the camera as much as he could and we wandered around looking at the buildings, most of which were closed because of COVID. We didn't have any idea what any of the buildings were, so just a random selection.
We carefully picked our way down the cobbles to the waterfront and were rewarded with this view.
Somehow I don't think the reservee (I think I've made that word up!) will want their table.
There was some amazing detail on the walls and ceilings of the buildings and loads of statues all around, in keeping with the Italianate design.
You may recognise this as the background for my image of Cai Cai das Arcas on Day 1
And, finally, the man himself - Patrick McGoohan
An interesting place to visit, unfortunately our visit was spoilt by the weather but at least there were fewer tourists than I would imagine normal - every cloud.
