When I told Mrs TPAS that we were going away to Penrhyndeudraeth, or more specifically Minffordd in Gwynedd, for her birthday - she put two and two together and exciteldy assumed we were going to the charming and beautiful Italianate resort at Portmeirion. This folly village, now a global visitor attraction, was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975. It is, of course, also the filming location for 1960's cult series The Prisoner. There is a shop dedicated to the series, and images and busts of the series star Patrick McGoohan everywhere. There are also plenty of Prisoner enthusiasts to be seen wandering the village in the series attire - ie the white-trimmed blazers, the rainbow capes and brollies etc. Portmeirion, in the opinion of the executive operations office of this society, is a gorgeous place to visit and should be on everybody's bucket list.
My mistake then, and arguably that of my wife, is to have put the wrong numbers together to get an even wronger answer. Which is how I now find myself and all my belongings in my temporary new accommodation which previously was our garden shed. You see, Minffordd is also a station on the Ffestiniog heritage railway which runs from Porthmadog (connecting with Welsh Highland Railway) up the nursery slopes of Snowdon to Ffestiniog. And it has one of the finest runs of restored heritage telegraph poles arguably anywhere in the world. Do see for yourself this fine collection of photos that I took before my newly-blackened eyes swelled up too much to see through the viewfinder. Oh, and treat yourself to one of our lovely books this Christmas, New Year, Easter, Equinox.
