This weekend the campsite would have been fully booked. The arrival of motor homes and caravans trickling through the gates, all the different peaple from all over the uk. The laughter from most and sour faces from others, yes we get them all. You would think that as they’re coming away on holiday they would be happy, the smell of BBQ’s firing up and the ching of beer and wine glasses calling of cheers. We always join in on that one. Just to be sociable you understand.

But all that is not happening this year at Easter, instead we are looking after an empty site and it all feels really strange to be honest. Yes it’s nice having the time off because we like our free time but we actually like working in this job also. Apart from the sour faces. They can self isolate every year.

We went shopping the other day. Nikki normally goes on her own but I said I would drive her there and wait in the car. It’s a ten mile drive each way to Porthmadog and it feels like your in a war zone almost. The streets are empty of peaple, the shops all closed up and you don’t see many peaple walking the streets. Some you do see have masks on and there not burglars. Well they might be but I should imagine all the real burglars are pretty fed up because everyone is at home now so they can’t go breaking into empty houses. Just proves there is good and bad in all things. We parked up at Tesco and Nikki joined the queue which looked like it was a mile long but it actually moved along quickly. The queue looked long because of keeping your distance rules. I sat in the car listening to the radio and peaple watching. Saw some peaple arrive look at the queue and get back in their car and go, obviously not needing anything desperately. I saw a lady, before getting out the car, put her gloves on, mask and hood up. It’s a strange world at the moment.

Luckily we are in a wonderful spot and are able to get out for exercise. Apart from having the whole campsite to wander around we are in the edge of a little village with plenty of footpaths, woods, and a huge big lake to walk or bike around. My Snowdonia garden is looking good. This flower below is on its own but looks so nice. It’s called a snakes head fritillary.

Another part of the site is a dog walk. It has a bench seat in for the dog owners to rest their legs while the dogs tire themselves out. I often walk round the site and often just sit on this bench to chill out. It’s so peaceful with just the birdsong and sheep in the nearby fields making a noise. A nice noise. I watch as birds gather nesting material and fly off to build their nests thinking they are hidden but I know where they are. It’s surprising how much you see when you just sit somewhere really quiet and watch and listen.

Another part of the site I found this tree fungi, ugly to some but at the same time beautiful just hanging on the side of the tree looking like it was built there from wood and now the paint is starting to peel off and crack in the sun.

I went for a walk the other morning from the site, through the fields and then up through the wood towards the lake and the dam. The short stretch of single lane road I saw one car. The rest of the time I was out which was about two hours and I walked five and a half miles I didn’t see a single person. Come to think about it I didn’t see a married person either. The sun was shining, only a small breeze, the birds were singing. I had a big grin on my face. (Not a sour face). Life’s good. I saw this big bull in a nearby field. He looked happy, but then in the next field were five cows with newborn calves. That’s why he looked happy.

As you come out the top of the wood and head down the overgrown track you see the lake spread out in front of you. The view is so nice. I think you will agree. We do feel very lucky even if we can’t get out to other places at the moment.

So that’s us up to date. Stay safe everybody and hopefully soon we will be back to normal. My last picture today is a weed, the good old dandelion. But to me it looks like the sun. We all need some sunshine in our lives so I am sending you all some sunshine. It even goes out to the sour faces in hope they might cheer up.

As from April 1st we have been furloughed for the months of April and May. Depending what’s happening in the country after that is anyone’s guess. This means that the government will be paying 80% of our wages, so at least we can still eat and have a beer or wine as long as we can get them in the shops. We can also stay on site and if we wish do some work on site, cutting grass etc. We are not obliged to but if the mood takes me I will be out there, on the nice sunny days sat in the ride on mower cutting the grass. I also have a ever growing list of other things to do on the camper and in our compound etc. So we will not get bored. If I get bored and want to get away for a couple of nights I can start up the camper and drive round the site and have the choice of 90 pitches to stop on. Another thing I suggested to the other wardens was we put a beer and wine on certain pitches and then go to each pitch in turn and drink the beer and wine. That way we have our own pub crawl.

On part of the site is a small area which is called Snowdonia garden. This was started in May 2015 by clearing the area of brambles etc and moving some large stones to form a rockery. They were then in consultation with the north wales wildlife trust to create a topological plan to include the forests of Snowdonia. Trees already in place at the back of the garden, the rocks were to replicate the mountains of Snowdonia. The lighter more open areas to the front were planted with bee and butterfly flowers. The stone walls already there have a long standing history with the area and play an important part in accommodating wildlife and their food. These walls are all over Wales. I love them. The hurdle type fencing to the garden has been constructed from coppiced wood on site demonstrating the ancient craft, historically used to keep the sheep in.

I really like this area and it is now my job to keep it up together and any ideas I have to put them into it. This was my choice and I am very happy about it. Treating as my own little project and doing something for the wildlife in the area and hopefully when the peaple return they will appreciate it. They better do. I spent a whole day clearing it up of all the dead plants etc. I don’t think a lot has been done to it the last Couple of years. I will continue to do bits and pieces throughout the season and watch as it changes over the months.

Some of the plants already coming out and starting to look good.

Another thing I am going to build is a bug house or bug hotel. This will be a wooden construction which will have different sections in to attract different bugs. There is one here already but I want to build another which will be better of course. Mine will be five star. It will include dead wood for wood lice and centipedes, Holes for solitary bees straw and hay for invertebrates to burrow in, loose bark and old slate etc to make other homes. The bottom of it will be an area for hedgehogs to hibernate in. Will post pics when I have built it. I can’t get hold of the planning department at the moment because they’re all working from home. I will probably just go ahead and make it and face them later.

I will keep you posted on the progress as the season unfolds and let you know who has moved in. My friend the tree peeper keeps watch when I am not there.

Towards the end of last season we got the news we were to go to Snowdonia for the season. To say we were excited is a understatement. All through the winter we counted down the days, looking at maps, google earth, websites etc. The excitement grew and grew. Go to Snowdonia Mike they said. Fantastic. I can hike up Snowdon and have a hot chocolate in the cafe at the top, I can go to the mountain bike centre and blast around the tracks and downhills and have another hot chocolate in the cafe afterwards, I can go and surf at surf Snowdonia the wave pool in a lagoon and have yet another hot chocolate after to warm up, I can walk across to the pub from the site and have a beer with the locals or a hot chocolate, I can go on the steam railways and admire the views before returning for a hot chocolate, I can fly down the zip wire at over 100 MPH and then have another hot chocolate, not before.

And now here we are on a campsite with nobody to talk to and all the cafes, pubs, and attractions or playgrounds for me as I like to call them all closed. And now today we learn we can not go anywhere unless essential which is fair enough. Luckily we went shopping yesterday, although Nikki nearly broke down in tears at the checkout. Not at the price of our shopping but she was told she can only buy three bottles of wine instead of the six she had in the basket. My beer was ok as I had multi packs and by law your not allowed to split them. So three multipacks of beer with four beers in each. Don’t call me stupid.

So for now we will be keeping the site tidy, cutting grass etc and biking round an empty site to exercise, although the tracks from here are empty so I will go out on them sometimes because i am allowed to exercise and it’s so remote there is no chance of seeing anybody and even if you do you can avoid them. Stay safe everybody. Here are a couple of pictures. This is what I have to put up with.

We are lucky to be in North Wales this season, big open spaces, lack of crowds etc. The unlucky part is working on the campsite. It’s been very quiet, a lot of cancellations. And now as from yesterday we are closed until the 30th June. There were only five units on site but all told to leave. We do not know what is going to happen about our job, or pay yet but will hopefully find out more this week.

The country is in a real mess with a lot of peaple panic buying and still ignoring advice not to go out unless they really have to. Ok to go out if your not going to see anybody or keep your distance. I feel sorry for Philip schofield he has only just came out and is now being told to stay in. The closing of pubs is going to cause more panic buying in the supermarkets down the beer and wine aisle. The only thing that will be left on the shelves will be Corona lager. I never really liked that beer anyway. We have never experienced anything like this before so can only listen to advice and all get through it and come out smiling. At least all the talk about Brexit has stopped.

On a positive note yesterday we had a day off, the plan was to go out for a drive to Snowdon to get some pics. We cancelled that plan. A real shame the other hundreds and hundreds of peaple didn’t. I decided to go out on my bike up around lake Trawsfyndd where the power station is. The route was all country lanes and off road. Through woodland and over the dam. I saw two peaple, one sat in his car beside the tarmac piece of track and a dog walker who was at least a hundred metres away from me. The only other living things were sheep and birds. The sun was shining and the scenery was fantastic. The whole bike ride was 12 miles. Some pictures below of the ride.

The dam was built in 1992. Because the power station I mentioned in my last post used the water from the reservoir for cooling. The lake water temperature rose and now the power station is closed water temperatures are back to normal.

The scenery is fantastic, reminds me of places we go in Spain. When I stopped pedalling my bike all you could hear were birds singing and me panting from pedalling up the hill of course. The downhill parts were nice though.

Further around the lake was a very long footbridge which was built for the landowners to cross because when the dam was built and flooded the land they had to go the long way round so the bridge was built to the village of Trawsfynydd. I expect they used to heard their sheep across it also.

When I got back to site Nikki told me the news of the site closing. The rest of the day was spent pottering about. We have to go out today to get some shopping. We won’t be panic buying.

We have been busy getting the site ready for all the members to flood through the gates. The opening day arrived, I opened the gates wide and five units came in on that day. We have had new bookings and we have had cancellations. But we are open and who knows what will happen as the days go on.

There is a small holding opposite the campsite entrance, a few old tractors, trailers and farm machinery. And of course the chickens and ducks. The chickens are proper free range and come across the road into the site and even wander around our compound. I doubt if they will come around when I have the BBQ going.

We love it round here, the narrow roads with the moss covered stone walls built years ago to keep the sheep in. It brings back so many memories of when I was very young and used to visit my gran and grandads farm. The tractors going past the gate instead of cars roaring past. The spring lambs are in the fields now.

Not far from the site is a huge big building. From a distance it looks like it should be in Russia, I can’t explain why I think that but it just looks like it should. Probably because of what it is. It’s the Trawsfyndd nuclear power station. It was the only one in the UK to be built inland taking water from the Trawsfyndd reservoir for the cooling. It was built in the late fifties early sixties and was operational in 1965 and supplied all the electric for the whole of north wales.

The power station was closed down in 1991. The decommissioning of it started at the beginning of 1993. The highly radioactive spent fuel rods were removed and sent to Sellafield. Other contaminated materials are stored in a specially designed building on site. This will be removed for deep burial in the 2040’s Final clearance of site will begin in 2071. By 2083 the area is expected to be restored to its pre nuclear state. 124 years after construction started and 92 years after it closed. They don’t work fast around here.

The lake the power station used to get its cooling water from is called the Trawsfyndd lake. It’s 2.73 miles long and at its widest is 1.4 miles wide. I plan to walk all the way around it while we are here. It will be a long day and there is no pub on the walk so a packed lunch will be the order of the day. Nikki has already told me I will be doing it on my own.

We have a couple of days off next week so hoping for some nice weather to get out and about exploring. Coast roads and a view of Snowdon are top of the list. All weather depending of course.

Our journey from Chirk to Gellilydan was in sunshine. The week before when we had gone over to see the site the journey was all overcast and the mountains were topped with cloud. Now we could see some of them had snow on. I caught a glimpse of Snowdon in the distance which had a good thick covering of snow on top. The river levels had gone down, they were still high but not overflowing into the fields anymore. The scenery was fantastic. We are going to love being in this area for the season. It was strange not having Nikki in the camper with me because she was following behind in the new car. It all worked out well.

We got to site and parked up on a pitch. The compound we were going in needed some work first. Moving slabs etc and working out the best way to get in. We had a cup of tea with Debbie and Jerry our new wardens and then I just had to set about working on the compound. Got it to the stage where I could get the camper in. It was tight but it’s in there. Once in we still have plenty of room for the car and a large area to sit out in the sun while sipping our cold drinks. We also have a pod in there which is a bathroom with our own toilet and shower in. Nikki is making that all nice. And we also have a garage which has a washing machine and a tumble dryer, fridge freezer and plenty of room for our bikes etc.

Today was our last day of freedom before starting work tomorrow getting the site ready to open on Friday 13th, let the fun begin. I had a day off from doing the compound today, I can finish the other jobs in work time as and when.

So we had a day out in Porthmadog. Nikki needed to get some bathroom stuff and I needed to get bird feeders etc. There is also the welsh and highland railway there. Something I wanted to go on at some stage. Today was my lucky day because as we were coming past the station I could see the steam coming from one of the steam engines. We parked up and went back to the station to get some photos. I love the old steam trains.

The steam built up and a blow on the whistle and the train started rolling out the station in a cloud of steam which surrounded the carriages, just like in a old movie.

And away it went heading towards the mountains. We will come back and go for a train ride and there are lots of others in the area including one that goes up snowdon.

Some facts and figures from our winter trip. This is for the last four months holiday.

We have travelled 1435 miles. We have put £495 worth of fuel in the camper but it is now topped right up. We put £128 worth of fuel in the little Toyota for getting about. We spent £360 on campsites. Our food bill was £1616. Out and about expenses were £785 this is lunches in cafes and pubs, nights out and site seeing etc. So all in all our winter trip cost us about £3500. That’s if you don’t take into account the new car, bike rack for the car, tow ball for the car etc. But we are working again now ready to spend it all again next winter. Who knows where we will be. U.K. or Europe or some far flung island. Will keep you posted wherever we end up and of course I will keep you updated on our season here in Snowdonia.

Only about Severn miles from Chirk where we are staying is a small town called Pontcysyllte. Try saying that after a few beers or even worse try spelling it. Pontcysyllte has aqueduct and I just had to go and see this one as it’s so close. The name means the bridge that connects. It has eighteen arches and carries the Llangollen canal. It’s used by narrow boats daily. It’s stone and cast iron construction was built and designed by Thomas Telford. The same guy that built the Chirk aqueduct. This one took ten years to design and build. Finished in 1805 and stands 38 metres high. Yes it’s high when your stood on top.

Just by the start of the aqueduct is a boatyard full of narrow boats ready for hire. I should imagine in the summer most of them are out on hire, but today there were plenty there. I would think if you had never been on a narrow boat before, to get on one here and then go straight across the aqueduct being 38 metres up in the clouds with nothing on one side of you must be quiet daunting.

All this walking from end to end and back down the road to get a better photo, up and down the boatyard made me hungry. It just so happens there was a really nice old chapel building that had been converted into a cafe. I love the fact that old building are being reused as such.

We only have one more week before we start work. This winter has gone by so fast and we seem to have done a fair bit. I will work out all our facts and figures when we get to our next site where we will be for eight months of work. We will stay here at Chirk until Monday and then drive over there to get set up etc. So my next post will be from Snowdonia.

Chirk castle which is a national trust property sits on the land next to the campsite we are on now. Built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer De Chirk. A real Medieval castle. The castle itself is closed in the winter but I wanted to get some phots of the outside.

We walked from the campsite up the hill through the woods and across fields. As we walked my imagination was running wild thinking of all the invaders marching across these very fields towards the castle to invade it. Now it was just us and a few sheep looking on.

It really is a fantastic building. We will come back another day to look inside. The whole walk from the site, up around the castle and back to site was about three miles.

At the entrance to the grounds is a magnificent set of gates, all painted white with a red hand at the top. We have seen this red hand a lot around Chirk so we had to find out what it was all about. The story goes that the owner of the castle had twin boys, one was a little goodie two shoes and the other one was a bit of a rogue. The father could not decide who would inherit the castle and land so he organised a race. The first to cross the line would inherit the castle and grounds. The race started and the goody two shoes boy was winning which is what the crowd wanted, but as they neared the finish line the bad boy pulled out his sword and chopped of his hand and threw it over the line. We don’t know if he did inherit the castle but it makes a good story.

We drove out to our campsite where we will be working this year. It’s a fifty mile drive each way. We passed a lot of swollen rivers and flooded fields. It was a overcast day and some of the welsh mountains were shrouded in low cloud. I love Wales and the scenery is fantastic and will be even better on a nice sunny day. We passed a couple of big lakes and not a lot of traffic which was nice. The site was loverly with great views. We are both really looking forward to working there for the season and getting out and about in the area.

Last night we decided to treat ourselves to a beer and wine at a pub in the town. We decided to go to the Hand hotel after looking at the website. The hotel sits proudly in the town and as you enter you are almost thrown back in time, the decor pictures etc. The staff were so friendly and the prices very good considering we were in a hotel. A good late afternoon and early evening was had. This welsh dragon guards the bar area.

It was dark by the time we left the bar for our walk home. We crossed the railway bridge over the station and with the big factory in the background with steam belching out from it’s chimneys looked great against the dark sky. Another photo opportunity for my phone on night setting. Really pleased with the result.

We are now at Chirk, a small old fashioned town right on the Wales England border between Wrexham and Oswestry. A couple of pubs in the village, butchers, bakers but no candle stick makers. I love this greengrocers with stuff out side just like they used to be until Tesco and Sainsbury’s came along.

Chirk is famous for its aqueduct. It was completed in 1801, designed by Thomas Telford and built by him and some builders. It measures 220 metres long and is 21 metres high. Has ten arches and spans the river Ceiriog. It’s in two parts, one part is for the canal boats which must be quiet a thing to go across in a narrow boat. On one side you have the towpath and one the other side a sheer drop of 21 metres. You have to make sure you get off the boat on the right side.

The other part of the aqueduct is for the railway, and trains pass over to everyday. This part was built higher because at the time to travel by train was so much better so you could look down on the Canal. It amazes me how they built these structures all them years ago and even more that they are still standing and being used every day. If you walk across it, I did, Nikki can’t walk across anything high, her legs go to jelly and it feels like the ground is all moving under her feet. Me, I just love things like this so had to walk across it. The views from it are fantastic and you relies how high up you are and appreciate the builders work even more. When you walk across it you actually cross the border of Wales and England, so yesterday I walked from Wales into England. No wonder I slept well last night.

Another part of the canal is the tunnel which is 241 metres long and very dark. Known to the locals as The Darkie. It starts just by the railway station and exits at the aqueduct. It was one of the first canal tunnels to have a towpath. There is a handrail all along the length of it so you don’t fall in the canal if you choose to walk through it. I asked Nikki if she wanted to walk through it with me and her answer was a big NO. So I said to her I will see her on the other side as I went into the darkness and yes it was dark as I don’t normally carry a torch around with me. But the handrail was there to stop me falling in the canal. In the picture you van just a speck of white just above the handrail. There is light at the end of the tunnel. That was my goal to get there. I made it.

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Our time at Chester flew by. We had so much planned and never did half of it due to the weather. Thanks storm Dennis. We also looked at a car which took up two days, one to view and another to go back and pick it up. We do plan to go back to that site though and do all the things we never did this time.

Our friends David and Elaine were working there while we were there but we managed to walk down the pub with them and have a beer or two and some food. They are now gone off to their new site for the season. Another set of wardens we knew from Dulverton were also there visiting family. You just can’t get away.

Storm Dennis was a bit of nothing really in Chester area, yes it was windy and rained but not as bad as they said it was going to be. I know some places have had really bad flooding around the country and I do feel sorry for them.

At the campsite we are under a flight path to Hawarden airport so you see planes coming overhead. Nothing unusual there but there I was sat gazing out the window when this huge big plane come into view that looked like a flying whale. It looked like a Beluga whale. I jumped out the camper and took a picture. Not a very good one. sorry but it was up high and I had to act fast. Then I looked on google and found out it was actually called a Beluga airbus flying into Hawarden airport. They are used to transport wings for airbus planes and other large loads like Nikki’s wine supply. How did they know her glass needed topping up. They really are a weird looking plane. The picture below of one on the ground is not one I took but gives you a better idea of what they look like.

This was my attempt at getting a photo of it. Don’t laugh, it’s the best I could do in the circumstances.

After seeing the Beluga airbus the excitement never stopped because the next day we went to pick up the new to us car. We have never had such a new car, it’s four and a half years old. It will suit our lifestyle so much better. All went smoothly at the car supermarket and the payment didn’t get rejected, although the credit cards are now smoking in the corner. Nikki drove Timmy Toyota back to site and I drove Patsy Passat. Yes we named her Patsy Passat because she is absolutely fabulous. Remember the TV series. I know we are sad really….but we are happy. Yesterday I sat in Patsy pressing buttons and looking all round and trying to find out what does what while looking through the manual which is like a telephone book. Modern cars have so much in them now and so many electrics. All very nice when it’s working but a pain when it goes wrong.

Today we hitched up Timmy and Nikki got in Patsy and we headed out on the highway in convoy to Chirk. Only an hours drive and as we left the site I sung to myself. We got ourselves a convoy 10 4 good buddy. Chirk is just south of Wrexham. We are now officially in Wales.

I bring you Patsy Passat. For those that want to know she is a 2.0 TDI SE Business VW Passat.