leonardcohenforum.com

Suggested Accommodation in Barmouth , four nights starting 10th September 2009, leaving on Monday 14th

Updated 05/05/09. Try Marwyn Guesthouse or Seashell B&B if you require a single room.

1. Wavecrest, Marine Parade http://www.barmouthbandb.com/ Tel. 01341 280330, Email : thewavecrest@talk21.com

Very nice Bed and Breakfast with lots of good reviews. Mention that you are in the Leonard Cohen group and provided they get a total of ten of us staying we will get a 10% discount. They will ask for a deposit of £25 when you book. Rooms available, no singles.

2. The Sandpiper, Marine Parade http://www.thesandpiperguesthouse.co.uk/ Tel 01341 280318, Email: sand.piper@btinternet.com

I stayed here when we went to Barmouth. It’s run by a very friendly couple, Angie and Roy. Comfy, clean, nice food. Mention my name when you book. If a few of us stay we’ll get a discount. I’ve already booked myself in here. Again, deposit required, £26. Fully Booked

3. Ocean Drive, Marine Parade http://www.oceandrive.supanet.com/ Tel:01341 280114, Email: oceandrive@supanet.com

Tim stayed here and recommends it. Owner says she has given our group a small discount, but is filling up fast. No singles

4. Marwyn Guest House, Marine Parade http://www.marwynguesthouse.com/ Tel. 01341 280185 - will do five nights for the price of four, should you wish to stay an extra night. Say you are in group with Paula. has 2 rooms left. Will let them all out as singles, with no supplement - £28 pp per night, (only £10 total deposit required, most b&bs require one night's payment when you book),

5. Seashell B&B, Marine Parade, http://www.seashell-bb.co.uk/, info@seashell-bb.co.uk, 01341 281180, looks nice, Has family room (sleeping up to 3), dbl room, twin room available - will let as singles with no supplement £28pp per night

Each of these guesthouses is on the seafront, and minutes from the train/bus station. Also within walking distance of the town, the pubs and the supermarket. The supermarket - the Co-op (next to the train station) - will be an ideal source of food and drink to take on the days we are out walking. There is also another small supermarket close by on the High Street (Spar, I think).

~~~~~~~

Tal Y Don Hotel, High Street has dbl and twin room but will let for single occupancy, incl. breakfast. Tel. 01341 280508. Nice Hotel, we had a beer there when Tim and I were in Barmouth - might be a bit noisy but if you don't mind...Fully Booked

Min y Mor, Marine Parade, has single rooms available, 01341 280555.

Bae Abermaw Hotel, Panorama Road, very nice country house hotel with gorgeous views (please check distance from Marine Parade when you book as we were in a car and I think it was a ten minute walk but nor sure) 01341 280550

Morwendon House, Llanaber, Barmouth, TWO MILES OUT of Barmouth, so ok if you have your car. Has no singles but can do single occupancy. 01341 280566

Endeavour House, Marine Parade, 01341 280271

Marian's B&B http://www.mariansbandb.co.uk/index.html Tel: 01341 247333 E-Mail: info@mariansbandb.co.uk - in Talybont few minutes OUT OF BARMOUTH by car, towards Harlech. Recommended by Pete.

Link from Ken with more info: http://www.a1tourism.com/uk/barmouth.html

Also for mostly out of town accom. try: http://www.stayinwales.co.uk/accommresu ... n=Barmouth


~~~~~

The Royal Hotel on King Edward Street does no accommodation but their downstairs bar seemed ideal for us to meet in the evenings when we are not at arts festival events, or still stuck up a mountain, and we have been told we can meet there as they have no events planned in the bar. Nice food available. The hotel is mentioned here along with other eating out possibilities in Barmouth: http://www.barmouth-wales.co.uk/activity.php?typeId=5

~~~~~


Couple of points to bear in mind:

• If you are coming by public transport and stay in other accommodations than these, please check that you will be within walking distance of (the train station end) of Marine Parade, because we will meet there in the mornings before we set off.

• The earlier you book the better. If you are booking late, or if you prefer, for a £2.00 charge the Tourist Information Centre will search for and book accommodation for you. As well as the £2.00 they charge you 10% of your total accommodation charge upfront when you book. This 10% will be deducted from your final bill. Also the place to contact if you have any other queries about Barmouth and its surrounds:


Barmouth Tourist Information Centre, Station Road Barmouth, Gwynedd LL42 1LU

Telephone: 01341 280787.
Email: barmouth.tic@gwynedd.gov.uk
website: http://www.visitsnowdonia.info

Barmout arts Festival info: http://www.barmouthartsfestival.co.uk/

__

Participants w = walker:

Tim, UK - w
Diane, UK - w
Henning and Christoph, Germany - w
Ken, UK - w
Dave (Daveliver), UK - w
Margaret and John, UK
Judy and Liz, France and UK - w
Joe and Anne Way, USA (Joe - w)
Pete, UK
Phil and Jean, UK - w
Judith, UK
Linda and John, UK - (John - w)
Bernadine and Marian, Ireland (Bernadine - w)
Sinikka, Finland - w
Ian and Sally, UK - w
Paula, UK

ITINERARY

Thurs 10th

4.30pm onwards - Meet in the downstairs Tapas Bar at the Royal Hotel, King Edward Street.

7.30pm Paul Robeson Production - In Search of Ol' Man River - at the Dragon Theatre, or Theatr y Ddraig , Jubilee Road. Tickets £8.

Then toThe Royal or the Tal y Don until 4 in the morning.

---------------

Friday 11th

9.15am Walkers meet outside The Sandpiper, Marine Parade. Don't forget your packed lunch.

Drive to Ty Nant carpark - SATNAV nearby postcode: LL40 1TN - outside Dollgellau (about 30 minutes)

Take the Pony Path to the summit Cadair Idris 2,930ft. A walk of approx 9 miles with an ascent of 2820 feet.

http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/w ... lk_b/1172/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadair_Idris

Non-walkers TBA with Margaret.

Evening - Queen Tribute Band in the Dragon Theatre

-------------------

Saturday 12th

9.15am Everyone meet outside the Sandpiper, Marine Parade. Non-walkers can leave later if they prefer, subject to sorting lifts.

Drive to Llanberis. SATNAV LL55 4TY

Walkers take Llanberis Path to the summit of Snowdon, 3,560 ft,highest mountain in England and Wales, about 10 miles total up and down, 3,250ft ascent. http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/w ... lk_b/1003/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowdon

Non-walkers have a few options at Llanberis, may well have time to do more than one of these:

1. Snowdon Mountain Railway. A fantastic railway trip where a steam engine will push you up a narrow gauge railway to the top of the mountain. Booked for 2.30pm, be at the ticket office by 2pm.

http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/

The new summit building, Hafod Eyryi has just been completed and will be an interesting place to visit.
http://www.snowdonia-active.com/news.asp?newsid=649
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jun/1 ... tor-centre

2. Dinorwig Hydro Electric Power Station. Tours inside the mountain to show you how it works.

http://www.fhc.co.uk/electric_mountain.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinorwig_Power_Station

3. National Slate Museum, "bringing back to life the inheritance of the north Wales slate industry, which roofed the industrial revolution."

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/slate/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Slate_Museum

On the way home we will stop off at the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel - just down the road from Llanberis. It has historic mountaineering links. The successful Everest expedition of 1953 trained here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pen-y-Gwryd

Time permitting we will stop off at Beddgelert.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beddgelert

http://www.red-dragon-wales.com/Mythsan ... Gelert.htm

Evening - 7.30 Ladies Choir at the Dragon Theatre - we may not be back in time for this!

--------------

Sunday 13th

10.30am meet outside Sandpiper to leave for trip to Portmeirion SATNAV LL48 6ER, a unique Italianate village on the estuary of the River Dwyryd, famous for featuring as The Village in The Prisoner.

2pm Sunday Lunch at Castell Deudraeth



http://www.portmeirion-village.com/?lID=1

Photographs: http://www.pbase.com/belvedere/portmeirion_2007
Byron's site's photos: http://www.myfinepix.co.uk/blog/169/12411

A visit to Portmeirion is well worth the effort for the beautiful architecture on display. The tiny village was built by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1976 on his own private peninsula on the coast of Snowdonia in North Wales. Despite its location, Portmeirion does not look or feel very Welsh at all. In fact, with its palm trees and central piazza it looks more Mediterranean. It is set on a hillside, overlooking White Sands Bay. The buildings are the colour of boiled sweets and when you first enter through the Gate House arch don't forget to look up at the ceiling, where you will find an angelic mural. By building Portmeirion, Sir Clough Williams-Ellis hoped to show that architecture can be attractive and fun without spoiling a naturally beautiful site. Williams-Ellis' lifelong concern was with colourful architecture, landscape design, the protection of rural Wales and conservation. In Portmeirion he has left us all a great legacy. It encapsulates all his ideas and illustrates his quest for beauty. His daughter, Susan, and her husband Euan Cooper-Willis established the Portmeirion Pottery in 1960 and there is a shop selling the wares in the village. Williams-Ellis completed the village when he was over 90-years-old. It is now owned by a charity, the Second Portmeirion Foundation. The buildings are listed Grade II and the site is a designated conservation area which attracts around a quarter of a million visitors a year. The focal point of the village is the Bell Tower or Campanille which the architect built in 1927.Two of the most impressive buildings are the Pantheon or Dome, dating back to 1958 and set on the hillside, and the nearby classical colonnade which was reconstructed in 1959 from a 1760 original. There are over 40 structures in all. Sadly, you can't go into most of the buildings, because almost all are used either as hotels or self-catering cottages. But we did manage to get into the cafe and the Town Hall self-service restaurant to get a feel for things. There are also quite a few shops, situated in the original buildings and we found some nice souvenirs of our day out. On the Piazza, one of the buildings houses a free audio visual show which would be well worth a look. Fans of the Prisoner, Patrick McGoohan's enigmatic television series which was filmed in the village, might enjoy the Prisoner Shop. Portmeirion's other claim to fame is the statue of Buddha, which was used in Ingrid Bergman's 1958 film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. And then there is the Upper Fountain suite, where Noel coward wrote Blythe Spirit during a week in 1941. If you have time, you could finish your day out by visiting some of the attractions on the edge of the village, such as the children's playground, the stone Temple and the Oriental lake.

Evening - Goodbye Party



Monday 14th - Return home

-----------------------------------------

Inclement Weather Itinerary.

The weather forecast is looking very hopeful at the moment, but we never assume anything as far as British weather is concerned!

Slate Museum and/or HEP Station, Llanberis, see links above
Llechwedd Slate Mines, Blaenau Ffestiniog http://www.llechwedd-slate-caverns.co.uk/
the Centre for Alternative Technology http://www.cat.org.uk/visitus/vc_conten ... ir=Visitus
Harlech Castle, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlech_Castle, http://www.castlewales.com/harlech.html
Train Ride from Porthmadog http://www.ffestiniograilway.co.uk/index.asp
Beer Festival
Pub

----------------------------------------

I think we need to bring this thread up near the top now that Hydra is past and most of our concerts are booked

Margaret

CLOSING DATE TODAY to sign up to this weekend (unless you are just coming along to do your own thing and require no transport).

Good to see that the Mods have been doing their sad micro-managing routine. Sad or what. Lol

Diane

I know we have our very informative off board group mailing set up but I've been having some email problems lately.

I'm presuming the participants list at the head of this thread is now the final list.

Ta Ken

Ken, yes this is the final list of 24 die-hards.

Tim, UK - w
Diane, UK - w
Henning and Christoph, Germany - w
Ken, UK - w
Dave (Daveliver), UK - w
Margaret and John, UK
Judy and Liz, France and UK - w
Joe and Anne Way, USA (Joe - w)
Pete, UK
Phil and Jean, UK - w
Judith, UK
Linda and John, UK - (John - w)
Bernadine and Marian, Ireland (Bernadine - w)
Sinikka, Finland - w
Ian and Sally, UK - w
Paula, UK

-------

The weather forecast for our weekend is looking OK;-)

Would love to be there but I'm at Union meetings in Sheffield and travelling that weekend

John the shorts! Long time no see. Hope things are good with you these days. Pity you can't come along.

Diane wrote:John the shorts! Long time no see. Hope things are good with you these days. Pity you can't come along.

Diane

I'm still around just not posting much - looks like I've got some trips to Sheffield, Leeds and Taunton coming up soon - anyone from those parts of the world about here?

I've also promised a weekend in Liverpool with some friends but this is dependent on getting tickets for a Liverpool game on a Saturday afternoon (a fairly rare thing with TV schedules)

John we must have a South Wales LC fan meet-up some time. I have seen Cardiff Rob and Ann a couple of times this year, and Wendy at the Cardiff LC gig, but haven't seen you for years.

-------------------

Diane wrote:ITINERARY

Thurs 10th

4.30pm onwards - Meet in the downstairs Tapas Bar at the Royal Hotel, King Edward Street.

7.30pm Paul Robeson Production - In Search of Ol' Man River - at the Dragon Theatre, or Theatr y Ddraig , Jubilee Road. Tickets £8.

Then to The Royal or the Tal y Don until 4 in the morning.

---------------

Friday 11th

9.15am Walkers meet outside The Sandpiper, Marine Parade. Don't forget your packed lunch.

Drive to Ty Nant carpark - SATNAV: LL40 1TN
Take the Pony Path to the summit Cadair Idris 2,930ft. A walk of approx 9 miles with an ascent of 2820 feet.

http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/w ... lk_b/1172/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadair_Idris

Non-walkers TBA with Margaret.

7.30pm Queen Tribute Band in the Dragon Theatre

-------------------

Saturday 12th

9.15am Everyone meet outside the Sandpiper, Marine Parade. Non-walkers can leave later if they prefer, subject to sorting lifts.

Drive to Llanberis. SATNAV LL55 4TY

Walkers take Llanberis Path to the summit of Snowdon, 3,560 ft,highest mountain in England and Wales, about 10 miles total up and down, 3,250ft ascent. http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/w ... lk_b/1003/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowdon

Non-walkers have a few options at Llanberis, may have time to do more than one of these:

1. Snowdon Mountain Railway. A fantastic railway trip where a steam engine will push you up a narrow gauge railway to the top of the mountain. Booked for 2.30pm, be at the ticket office by 2pm.
http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/

The new summit building, Hafod Eyryi has just been completed
http://www.snowdonia-active.com/news.asp?newsid=649
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jun/1 ... tor-centre

2. Dinorwig Hydro Electric Power Station. Tours inside the mountain to show you how it works.
http://www.fhc.co.uk/electric_mountain.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinorwig_Power_Station

3. National Slate Museum, "bringing back to life the inheritance of the north Wales slate industry, which roofed the industrial revolution."
http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/slate/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Slate_Museum

On the way home we will stop off at the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel - just down the road from Llanberis. It has historic mountaineering links. The successful Everest expedition of 1953 trained here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pen-y-Gwryd

Time permitting we will stop off at Beddgelert.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beddgelert
http://www.red-dragon-wales.com/Mythsan ... Gelert.htm

Evening - 7.30 Ladies Choir at the Dragon Theatre - we may not be back in time for this!

--------------

Sunday 13th

10.30am meet outside Sandpiper to leave for trip to Portmeirion SATNAV LL48 6ER, a unique Italianate village on the estuary of the River Dwyryd, famous for featuring as The Village in The Prisoner.

2.00pm Sunday Lunch at Castell Deudraeth

http://www.portmeirion-village.com/?lID=1

Photographs: http://www.pbase.com/belvedere/portmeirion_2007
Byron's site's photos: http://www.myfinepix.co.uk/blog/169/12411

Evening - Goodbye Party

-----------------------------------------

Inclement Weather Itinerary.

The weather forecast is looking very hopeful at the moment, but we never assume anything as far as British weather is concerned!

Slate Museum and/or HEP Station, Llanberis, see links above
Llechwedd Slate Mines, Blaenau Ffestiniog http://www.llechwedd-slate-caverns.co.uk/
the Centre for Alternative Technology http://www.cat.org.uk/visitus/vc_conten ... ir=Visitus
Harlech Castle, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlech_Castle, http://www.castlewales.com/harlech.html
Train Ride from Porthmadog http://www.ffestiniograilway.co.uk/index.asp
Beer Festival
Pub

----------------------------------------

See everyone there!