PWLLHELI & CAERNARFON. A Day Of Two Halves.

PWLLHELI. As it says on the railway station

A couple of weekends back, I decided on a day in Wales at the sea side. Trains and buses were the transport options, a sit back and relax sort of journey.

I’d picked the Welsh town of Pwllheli as my destination, I’d only had one fleeting visit last year and it’s been on the revisit list since. A bit of mapping and googling later I chose a route out to Bangor by train and then bus links to Caernarfon and then on to Pwllheli.

There’s always an element of chance with these trips, the greater the distance and the number of links the bigger the chance of the travel goblins putting one or more spokes of the journey’s wheels.

As it was everything went like clockwork. Yes it was a Saturday so yes the trains were busy. Bangor station had a lively student loading thanks to the University up on the hill above the town.

From the station it was around the corner for the 5C to Caernarfon, it was a leisurely trip, the buses coming under the 20MPH rules in town. At Caernarfon it was a change to the No12 service down to Pwllheli. Each leg connected up beautifully and drivers were on the ball with tickets etc. The Pwllheli service was more like a social club outing as it ploughed its way down the A449, running parallel with the coast. The journey time was just under an hour and the bus station is right in the town opposite the railway station. I’d chosen the bus for this leg as the train comes down from Shrewsbury through Machynlleth and Dovey Junction, making its way along the coast. It’s a much longer route, a stay over trip that is on my To Do list.

A busy cafe counter is always a good sign. It was a fry up and coffee to start the visit proper.

First call after all the travel was food. Opposite the bus station was Buffers Cafe in the railway station, so it was a fry up and then off wandering with the camera. Sadly the weather went into unhelpful mode, with grey skies and smatterings of rain which can take the edge of the day Like many resorts Pwllheli has had its knocks though the restoration of a former chapel that’s been shown on TV has put it into the limelight a little again.

I enjoyed the walk around Pwllheli with a history including shipbuilding it doesn’t lack buildings with a presence.

Commercial House sits on the corner of the High Street.

Market Square, a courtyard off the High Street.

On Gaol Street proudly stands R Gwynedd Evens & Son, providing all your hardwear needs.

I wonder what tales these wall have to tell?

Convenient for the bus and the railway station, the Wetherspoons Pen Cob on Station Square.

Looking out across a blustery Ceredigion Bay from the beach.

By now it looked like Mr. Bluesky had definitely decided to stay away so I took the bus back up to Caernarfon, where of course the sun was out and the town was buzzing. Another walk around as the afternoon’s thoughts turned to evening was punctuated by a drink, it was now a day for a pint al fresco before making the trip back through Bangor and home.