The National Slate Museum - Llanberis

The thing about North Wales is it can be a little bleak at times. Stunningly beautiful but incredibly desolate. I like that .. it makes me wonder what Wales must have looked like before we covered it in brick and tarmac.

After a chat with our wonderful guest house hosts we decided to drive up to Llanberis and visit the National Slate Museum. The weather was evil, which made the drive over the mountains in Llanberis even more incredible. My dad always says the Rhondda Hills are more colourful, I beg to differ! The bracken and fern had turned every colour of ochre and russet you could imagine. Even in the wet and gloom it was quite a sight.

We arrived at the museum and I got soaked and frozen trying to feed an endless stream of ten pence pieces into the car park ticket machine. It quite literally put a damper on the morning. It wasn't until we went to for a coffee and slice of cake at lunchtime that I actually warmed up.

The museum itself was fascinating. We had a few technical issues getting to see the slate splitting demonstration, having been told twice the time of the demo and been told twice we had to come to the next one, but hey ho. There was plenty to see otherwise.

We spent the whole day there in the end, and despite the weather we had a jolly good time!

We are trying the local pub for food tonight and are off to RSPB Conwy tomorrow to fulfil a very long standing promise.