Pistyll Rhaeadr (Revisited).

I took Mrs TD to Pistyll Rhaeadr this morning; she was impressed. She even stood near the fall so that you could compare its height to hers. We were lucky with the light, arriving here in the sunshine, though Herself was not happy with the 5 miles of single track road since we were very close to a significant drop on her side of the car; but she did agree that it was worthwhile. The sun disappeared as soon as we had the pictures that we wanted so we went and had a coffee, bun and chat with the proprietor of the car park.
 
When I was here a few days ago, there were people standing on the rocks at the top, so we enquired about the route up there. We were advised that it was about 20 minutes of uphill but easy walking so we set off. The views down the valley were stupendous but, the light being what it was, the photographs were merely records for the album; however, the tumbling water was quite nice and adorns the extras. There was a price to pay for the shot, while seeking a good vantage point, the ground beneath me collapsed; what had looked like solid frozen soil turned out to be a bog; the layer of ice on top was thick enough to take my weight until I was in the middle when it dropped me into mud a foot deep. It was surprising that I managed to keep my shoes on as I extracted myself, and fortunate that I had some thick dry socks in the car.
 
We went to Vyrnwy Hotel for lunch, it had been recommended to us several times and the view through the restaurant window is the second extra. There was a village which was inundated when the dam was built, and there is (or should be) a story that, on a windy night, if you listen carefully, you can still hear the sound of the muffled church bells. I know of several reservoirs about which a similar tale is told. The drive around the lake was a little disappointing as there are few places to park and explore.