The view from my hotel room overlooking Lake Bala


Just before Easter, I went to Wales to spend a few days near Bala, actually at an hotel which overlooks Lake Bala and has views to the mountains beyond, weather permitting. We were very fortunate, as out of the three full days we were there, the two days we spent walking were both dry for most of the day, especially when we were eating our lunch halfway up a welsh mountain. In my experience, there's nothing more uncomfortable than having to eat a picnic lunch in the wilds in the pouring rain - no shelter, nowhere to sit, and even the sandwiches get wet. The second walk we took gave us a wonderful views towards Snowdonia and perfect weather for walking up a welsh mountain, not too hot, sunny enough to be able to see a good distance and NO RAIN. The food at the place we stayed at was extremely good, better than quite a few French places I've eaten in, so all in all, a very pleasant few days break. We did have one day when the rain was a bit more troublesome, so we did a drive towards Portmadoc, visiting Portmeirion on the way and passing through Harlech with its wonderfully sited castle, ending up at Barmoth and fish and chips for lunch - delicious. We really didn't need the beautifully braised ox-cheek on offer for dinner at the hotel that evening, although that was tasty as well.