Before the town of Porthmadog was built Borth-y-Gest was the place where the sea pilots could look out along the Glaslyn Estuary for vessels needing help and guidance to cross the often treacherous waters.
The pilot house was stationed here and several pilot cottages still survive at the front of the harbour.
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| Photo taken on one of our visits in June 2011 |
The peaceful beach area used to be a vibrant shipyard with a couple of companies building wooden vessels.
Below a photo of ship building at Borth-y-Gest which is on display in the Porthmadog Maritime Museum.
Borth-y-Gest is on the Wales Coast Path and we always stroll along part of it. There are a few sets of steps down to the beach.
On the beach a man with an excitable black Labrador dog began to talk to us. He told us about his childhood, growing up across the estuary near Harlech and told us Welsh folk tales from the 9th and 10th centuries connected with the area. A fascinating man. We saw him later at the Seaview café where we had a Coronation Chickpea sandwich for lunch.
More photos of the beach below
All for now. Take care in the warm weather.
Lovely photos of a super place. I love all the views and the beach looks well worth a visit. I imagine the chat with the man was full of interest :) Take care too - it is too hot!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Caroline, it's a lovely little place and the walk along the coast and down to the beach is a favourite thing to do, he was an interesting man and seemed to know most people as he walked along. We've been having work on the house roof done so it's been hot and noisy here, I felt so sorry for the two workers but they seemed to cope well:)
DeleteIt looks so wonderfully peaceful and how lovely to talk to someone local who had grown up not far away. I bet he was a fascinating character. Enjoy the weekend! Sal
ReplyDeleteThank you Sal, it's a nice place to visit and the walks and views are lovely. The man was great to talk to, I'm sure it was part of his day to walk the dog and engage with as many people as he could. You too enjoy the weekend:)
DeleteHow i love to meet people like that! This looks like a very interesting place, Rosie.
ReplyDeleteThank you Granny Sue, it's always good when local people are proud of their area and want to chat to visitors. It is a lovely old place to visit:)
DeleteI love meeting people who have lived in an area for a long time. Such fascinating stories they have to impart. Love the sound of that chick pea sandwich.
ReplyDeleteThank you B, he did have some great tales of living by the estuary and in the hills beyond. The Chickpea sandwich was lovely and so well presented, it went down nicely after a walk with a glass of cool apple juice as well:)
DeleteI can almost smell the sea air. It looks beautful there, especially with the backdrop of the mountains.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to visiting North Wales next month. X
Thank you Jules, it is so beautiful, I hope you have a wonderful time:)
DeleteIt was lovely to meet someone who had local connections with the area. He must have told some interesting stories. Maybe the dog was just a bit impatient with his owner when he wanted to play on the beach! I loved all of your beach photos. Have a good week, Rosie x
ReplyDeleteThank you Beverley, the dog was enjoying dashing into the sea and chasing after a small stick thrown by it's owner, if he stopped for a while the dog barked until he noticed, he did want to play. It is a beautiful beach:)
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