From Llandudno, we again headed down to the village of Beddgelert to visit the grave of the dog, Gelert, who lost his life defending the children of Prince Llewellyn against a huge wolf.
When I was 10, I visited this site with my Dad who told me to be like Gelert – loyal and quick to defend but not like Llewellyn, impulsive and quick to judge in error. It took me more than 40 years to begin to understand what he was talking about.
This time at Gelert’s grave, I decided to say a few words to mark the occasion and honour the fearless dog. As we stood in a gentle drizzling rain, I said the following:
Here we stand
Huddled together
With minds full of respect and appreciation
With hearts brimming with gratitude
And admiration
As we remember a champion
A good dog
A brave dog
A truly heroic
loyal
true
and courageous dog
Gelert the defender
Gelert the obedient
Gelert the protector of the
defenceless
Gallant Gelert
Mighty wolf slayer
Most loyal of canines
May you forever run
happy and free
without care or encumbrance
in streets
with lampposts
on every corner
In streets
with treats on every porch
And may you be greeted each day with a pat of approval and a kind word of love.
From Beddgelert, we scooted over again to Harlech to get another look at the famous Men of Harlech castle.
And then it was on to Plas Brondanw garden before we checked in to Portmeirion, the quirky, Italian-like village that was featured in the TV series The Prisoner. The food at this resort is amazing.
We visited a local slate mine and rode the old steam train and then went to Powis Castle to enjoy the magnificent gardens and manor house followed by a delicious pub lunch in nearby Welshpool.
The weather started bleak and dreary and then suddenly changed and became sunny and bright and very pleasant giving us a perfect day in the Welsh hills.
Here are some photos of our time here. Tomorrow we head over to Caernarfon and then to Dublin.
