Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway

On Thursday we awoke to bright blue skies and snow on the mountains. There had been some discussion on Wednesday about whether we should, perhaps, leave the village at least once during our stay. B. was initially keen on the idea of a steam train but then cooled when it occurred to him that this would mostly be spending three hours on a train. However, by this point Marmalade Sparrow had been told about the possibility of a steam train and was strongly in favour of it and against the alternative option of a castle. After a bit of negotiation we decided to ride from Porthmadog (near the village) up to Blaenau-Festiniog (the place has one F but the railway has two. I got the impression that the railway's additional F was some kind of publicity move to emphasise its welshness). Anyway we enjoyed the journey, though there is not, frankly, a great deal to do or see in Blaenau - but it got us up to the snow line so B. could touch actual snow. The views from the train were lovely but we would probably have been just as happy though if it had taken an hour less time!

( Pictures under the cut )