Little Italy

Day 1 of our staycation and I was up and out at the beach with the boys at 6.30am.  We had a lovely walk and were back by 7.45am.  Alan was up and ready, I made omelettes for breakfast and then we set off  to Portmeirion.

Portmeirion was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis in the style of an Italian village and is famous for it's pottery as well having been used as a location for many films and TV shows - it's most famously known for the 1960's TV show The Prisoner.  

We arrived just after 10am when it wasn't too busy, and wandered around the village which is made up of lots of lovely colourful buildings which are self-catering cottages and rooms, cafes and a few shops.  There are also two hotels with an outdoor swimming pool overlooking the estuary, I'd love to stay there for a night, I bet it would be lovely wandering around the village when the day visitors have gone home.  

There are two walking routes which we've never done before so after wandering around the village, we took the coastal path first and found the most amazing beach, and then we walked into the woods  and found a Chinese lake with a little red bridge and a pergola perched into the hillside.  Once back in the village we had a drink and an ice cream sat in the piazza overlooking the little pool, where we watched a little girl enjoying herself paddling in it (see my extra).

We then headed into Snowdonia for a picnic lunch by the side of Llyn Gwynant which was the perfect spot to stop.   Portmeirion is just an hour away from home and Llyn Gwynant only 30 minutes away, so very easily doable in a day and we certainly feel like we're on holiday.