Porthmadog (pronounced Port-Madic) in North West Wales is a seaside town which owes it’s existence to the Welsh slate mines and the trains that brought the slate down to the docks for shipment. Even though the mines are mostly closed, the town hasn’t let go of it’s trains.

With a large band of dedicated volunteers and fund raisers, the many steam trains still ply the lines up to the townships that are still surrounded by mountains of discarded slate.

This town is now a tourist resort and the steam trains carry plenty of Welsh and English tourists as well as us foreigners. The steam engines, of which there are many, were in immaculate condition being rebuilt, driven and serviced by volunteers of all ages. It was so good to see the young guys and girls in there with the older seniors teaching them the ropes.

So our first journey was from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog, pronounced Bleni Festingyog. This town, known as the town that roofed the world, is about one and a half hours up the mountain from the coast. It’s still a reasonably busy little town and I was pleased to hear young mothers speaking Welsh to their children. In this whole area one can hear Welsh spoken as frequently as English. All street signs and in both languages.

The next day we headed further north west up to Caernarfon, prounced Carnarvan (sound familiar?). This train goes from the west coast to the north west coast through the most picturest valleys, surrounded by the mountains of Snowdonia, to end up next to the huge Caernarfon Castle. This castle, built in the 1200’s and never completed, was where Charles was crowned Prince of Wales.

Staying at the Royal Sportsman Hotel is exactly as the name implies, full of golfers. There was even a group from America that came over to play the famous Porthmadog golf course with it’s fabulous views over Snowdonia.

For a steam train enthusiast this town is a dream come true.