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Today I walked Django over the causeway to Porthmadog where, after a further walk, we were joined by A and daughter K. Django hopped into the car to return with A. K and I then went on the tour of the Ffestiniog Railway's engineering works (which began with a train ride back across the causeway). It was great to revisit a place I used to walk around with Dad as a boy - unthinkable with today's health and safety legislation! There were 3-4 locomotives out in the yard having their annual boiler tests, so the guide kept being interrupted by the noise of them blowing off steam, but it was good to get up close to so many 

After the tour, K and I walked straight back to the "cottage". Whilst the other three had the "budget" lunch at Portmeirion - which includes free admission to the village - I walked back across the causeway with Django to take a Welsh Highland Railway train to Beddgelert. This line is not so spectacular as the Ffestiniog, but for the section below Beddgelert, where it climbs through the Pass of Aberglaslyn. It was when entering one of the tunnels that I took the main photo. 

In Beddgelert I had 75 minutes before the train returned, so I took Django for a walk beside the river Glaslyn, and we visited "Gelert's Grave" - which gives the village its name. The story (see extra) is told in multiple places, so who knows what truth there is in it. I threw a stick into the river for Django, and the soaking helped him cool down. Back at the station we sat in the shade with the driver and fireman, and soon were chatting about railways and collies. The guard and attendant also joined us, and I was pleased with the group selfie that they were happy for me to take. 

After the journey back, I had a pint at the station bar, and walked across the causeway for the third time today, deviating onto the sands - it was low tide - to take the CaiBallast Turf zone. Cai Ballast is an island created from the tons of stone ballast that each slate ship carried before being loaded. The Turf zone has developed an element of notoriety as being difficult to take - unless you approach from the right direction at low tide. I took it first, and only two others have done so since!

Back at the "cottage", we chilled in the garden and compared notes on our afternoons. I've added quite a few extras, since one or two readers will want to see railway photos (two Garratts and a double Fairlie).