The weather was good, so there was time for a brief tour of the garden and the Hall before we set-off together. It was agreed that we'd take the 'pretty route', using the A5 through Llangollen. Since this would take us near the commercial woodland at Ty Gwyn, it was further agreed that we'd make a short detour to Ty Gwyn as neither of my friends had previously visited the plantation.
After a pleasant journey, the weather remained mild on arrival at Ty Gwyn and we were able to explore the forest roads on foot.
Alex and Steve at Ty Gwyn 2023
Ty Gwyn 2023: Progress achieved by the sitka spruce which was replanted in 2016.
Splendid Rowan berries: Ty Gwyn 2023
Leaving Ty Gwyn, we headed on through the spectacular scenery around Snowdonia as the weather rapidly deteriorated. Having negotiated heavy rain, conditions improved as we approached Bangor at dusk. Overnight accommodation had been arranged at The Management Centre operated by Bangor University. The main university campus at Bangor is at the summit of a hill overlooking the town and the Menai Strait. The Management Centre is a Residential Training, Conference and Events Venue housed in three buildings built in 1910 on the slope below the main campus. After restoration and refurbishment, these three buildings were re-opened with their present role in 2010. My pleasantly-situated room in one residential block gave a view of the main Management Centre building to the left, faced a similar residential block and revealed the Menai Strait looking to the right.
Main Management Centre building, Bangor
View of the Menai Strait from The Management Centre, Bangor
We'd arrived early enough to take dinner in the '1884' restaurant at The Management Centre (1884 was the founding date of Bangor University). Informed that fish had run out (my usual choice), I opted for vegetarian tagliatelle which was very good. After the enjoyable meal with my friends, I was happy to retire to my well-appointed bedroom for a good night's sleep. On Tuesday morning, we took the buffet breakfast at the '1884' before setting off for our meeting.
Bedroom at The Management Centre, Bangor
Breakfast at '1884' Restaurant, The Management Centre, Bangor
Since our meeting was scheduled to last all day, we made a brief stop on the way at the large Marks and Spencer's supermarket to select sandwiches, snacks and drinks to sustain us. The meeting was near Bethesda at Felin Fawr Cyf. Here, a series of early industrial buildings have been converted into 'Units' for small business use. Concentrating on the business of the meeting, my antenna failed to alert me to the significance of the location until Steve said "There's an abandoned railway out the back!". When the meeting finished, Steve was hoping to drive back to South Wales, dropping me off on the way so there wasn't much time to explore, but I made sure of a few pictures to prompt further study later. I was puzzled that the truncated trackwork, with a gauge of around two feet, included some modern sleepers, indicating fairly recent (say within 10 years) maintenance. Well, that was a puzzle for the future. I was returned home safely by car after an interesting couple of days and eventually added a post about the Penrhyn Quarry Railway here.
Railway sidings at Felin Fawr
Related posts on other websites
The Management Centre, Bangor.
Related posts on this website
My posts on Brewood Hall are here.
My posts on Ty Gwyn are here.
My pictures
My pictures of Brewood Hall are here.
My pictures of Ty Gwyn are here.
My pictures of The Management Centre are here.
My pictures at Felin Fawr Cyf (showing the reconstructed trackwork) are here.
[Link to Penrhyn Quarry Railway post added 31-Oct-2023]
