Accommodation for the week was the superb Bodiwan B&B in Bala, to be more exact Mimosa Cottage which adjoins the main building. Sarah & Mark were great hosts, this is an outstanding place to stay! Its worth mentioning the added dimension of history as it was the house of Michael D Jones, whose inspiration it was in 1865 to try to gain a better deal for Welsh tenant farmers by funding a voyage on the Mimosa to found the Welsh colony in Patagonia.
Did I mention the weather? The photo below is Llyn Vyrnwy, not a Mediterranean resort.
It was a recommendation from friends that we should check out the bike hire at Vyrnwy, which was built on by Mark & Sarah who suggested tandem hire - and so it was! What a way to enjoy the approx 10 mile circuit of the lake. There could be more of this!!
The sun shone throughout our circuit of the reservoir, which I've always been led to believe was where our drinking water originated for when being brought up in Widnes! There were a few other cyclists out and about - our tandem learning curve didn't result in too many embarrassing moments.
It was good to stop & take a look at "The Hand" which has been carved from a (pollarded?) tree on the far side of the lake - it's the creation of a talented friend Simon O'Rourke, check out his work here & see "The Hand" below. The UK's tallest tree (a Scot's Pine) standing at over 60m high is also in this area.
Finishing the afternoon off with tea at the Llyn Vyrnwy Hotel is also something to be commended!
The following day, still under bright sunshine, saw a first trip to Dolegllau for another cycle trip along the 9 mile route of the Mawddach Trail to Barmouth. We did the return trip, in the shadow of Cadair Idris enjoying a couple of hours at Barmouth over lunch time. The trip saw only minor mishap, in the shape of a fall, no serious injury though!
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