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On quite a few occasions I made the journey from Rhayader to Beddgelert late Saturday. Interestingly; I never travelled from Beddgelert to Rhayader.
I would travel from Brentwood to Rhayader and occupy Saturday in Rhayader, and then usually late Saturday I would make the journey to Beddgelert.
I would leave Rhayader and travel to the junction at Llangurig.
There were now two ways of reaching Machynlleth. I could either, turn left and use the A44 via Aberystwyth, but this was a long journey. Or; I could turn right on the A470 and go to Llanidloes, and then take what I termed the mountain road to Machynlleth. I always used the Llanidloes route.
Once I reached Llanidloes, I would then take what I termed the mountain road, which would eventually arrive in Machynlleth. The first part of this route was actually the B4518.
For me, this part of the journey was the most significant, as I didn’t really enjoy it. This was mainly because, for me, it required a lot of mental endurance. It was especially mentally enduring if I did it during the winter months and it was dark, as there weren’t any street lights, and I was solely reliant on the cars headlamps.
Below... Mountain road to Machynlleth.
Once I reached Machynlleth I could breathe a sigh of relief as the rest of the journey was on main ‘A’ roads. There was still a significant journey in front of me, but I was more relaxed, and therefore it was easier to focus on the driving.
Below… Junction (with clock tower) at Machynlleth.
The next major town on route was Dolgellau, and even though I was on an A road (A487 to be exact) it was somewhat twisty when leaving Machynlleth and the first part of the journey could be quite slow at times. Eventually the road would straighten out so to speak and the journey would progress quicker.
Below... looking back at Lake Tal Y Llyn, from near ‘Cross Foxes.’
Dolgellau to Trawsfynydd was a reasonably straight road, once I was about 10 minutes north of Dolgellau.
Once I reached Trawsfynydd and passed the power station, I felt as though I was getting somewhere. This was the last part of the journey to reach Beddgelert.
Below… A470 at Trawsfynydd.
One has to remember, as I’ve commented in previous parts of this website; no one would know when I was going to show up in Beddgelert, as this was before mobile phones were even about.
From Trawsfynydd I would continue on the A470 which then became the A487 and would eventually pass through the village of Penrhyndeudraeth. This is where I would turn off for the journey to Beddgelert.
Below… A487 at Penrhyndeudraeth. This is where I turned right for Beddgelert.
After turning off at Penrhyndeudraeth, the road climbed slightly and narrowed and at the same time bore to the right. It was only for a short distance, but it meant I had to be reasonably… with it, to avoid any problems with oncoming vehicles.
I would then continue to Nantmor. Once I reached Nantmor, I would turn right at the ‘T’ junction onto the A498. Beddgelert then took less than five minutes to reach.
Below… Junction at Nantmor for A498 to Beddgelert.
Below… Beddgelert bridge.
As I’ve commented previously, I had no where as such to stay in Beddgelert. Being somewhat young ie in my mid twenties I would often drive around the area, even if it was dark and would often have short naps in the car until the following day. This may sound somewhat ludicrous, but back then, I had a bit of an inferiority complex and this caused me to feel uncomfortable mixing with others in hotels.
Of all the occasions I visited Beddgelert, there was only one occasion when I stayed in a hotel and back then it was the Prince Llewelyn. I really don’t remember much about the stay, other than the following morning a rather attractive girl with longish blonde hair served me breakfast.
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