Aberystwyth.

When planning how best to use our time here in Wales, we kept an eye on the weather forecast which suggested that the rain would come in on Wednesday. The perfect day to spend indoors at the National Library of Wales, then!

We’re accustomed to driving along narrow country roads and don’t expect to zip along in the same way as we might on an open highway. Nevertheless, progress here has been hindered by more than our fair share of caravans, motorhomes and, this morning, the transport of a cabin not that much narrower than the road along which it was being driven. When a learner driver finds themselves behind it and we’re driving behind both, there’s nothing much to do than to hope there’s something good on the radio!

Aberystwyth is a University town on the coast, not so far from Machynlleth and awkward vehicles notwithstanding, it was an easy drive.

It was just starting to rain as we arrived at our destination, so we patted ourselves on the back for a good decision and drove up to the impressive building on the highest spot around.

Had we been in the USA, we’d have thought we’d arrived at a State Capitol, though the lack of a dome might have given the game away.

The enormous hat on the slope opposite might also have offered a clue as far as our location is concerned.

Plenty of car parking and a grand visitor entrance really did reinforce the State Capitol comparisons though.

As did the lofty central atrium. We knew little about the building itself and were impressed from the minute we arrived. A friendly member of staff advised us where we might begin and added one or two “must see” things too. Though we were not here to make use of the Readers’ Room, we had read of other exhibitions which sounded interesting, one of which was on the top floor. As usual, we’d begin at the top, then, and work our way down.

Our first stop was in the Screen and Sound Archive, where my Hero chatted to a young staff member about the Welsh TV programmes he remembered, including one with a pair of comedians, Ryan and Ronnie. Cai pointed us in the direction of some examples from the collection, smiling as he added that yes, Ryan and Ronnie are there too!

I began watching a short clip of SuperTed, spending a few minutes listening to Michael Sheen read from Under Milk Wood (whilst thinking how strongly I associate those words with Richard Burton’s voice). At the end of that short row of screens was a clip from the Sunday Afternoon classic Gwlad y Gan/Land of Song. As I stood watching, I felt it was probably a good idea there were no chairs here, or else I might have settled in for a couple of hours viewing!

Meanwhile, my Hero was enjoying some memories of his own, for he’d found Ryan and Ronnie. Previously unknown to me, he attributes one of his favourite daft expressions to them (“you must think people are folk. If there’s one thing I hate, I’m fed up, that’s what I wish”) Yes, utter nonsense and something that I have heard so many times without ever seeing the evidence of where it all came from! But here they were. He hadn’t made it all up then!! 🤣

In addition to the silliness, there were more serious examples of TV news, including footage from reports of important events, including the horrific scenes from Aberfan and coverage of the establishment of the Senedd. Above is a snap of a report about the introduction of electronic canaries and it was from one of these screens to another we flitted, on a roller coaster of emotions.

We left that exhibit with the sound of Shirley Bassey belting out I who have nothing.

Whilst chatting to Cai, he’d asked what brought us to Wales and hearing of my work at the Royal Welsh Show, he strongly recommended we take a look at the exhibit of photographs on show to mark 120 years of the event. It was really fascinating to see how so many things have changed - and others, not at all!

All the time we were wandering around this fabulous building, however, there was the hint of an elephant in the room. For a couple of months this Summer, the Library has welcomed back “an old friend” in the form of a painting which took refuge here during the Second World War to escape the bombing in London.

The Idyll and Industry exhibition was more than “just the Canaletto” though, however much of a privilege it was to be able to see such a treasure in these peaceful surroundings.

Stand out paintings for me included Terry Bailey’s Village in the Valley (Corris)

and Nant Bettws by Charles Wyatt Warren which seemed to be such a familiar view from these last few days.

The exhibition included so many gems, but of course, it was The Stonemasons Yard which quietly beckoned our attention. I’d downloaded the audio guide using the Smartify app on my phone and stood alone by the painting for quite some time, noticing so many small details as I was guided through the scene.

Might I have noticed the small vignettes, including the woman looking over the wall at the child below, who had fallen over in the dust?

Or looked closely enough to see that the young woman on the balcony of the house opposite was spinning?

Most fascinating of all, how such a master is able to create a line of washing with a few simple (!) brushstrokes. So much to see, to observe and to notice.

Wonderful!

Feeling a little peckish now and noting that it was most definitely lunchtime, we headed for the cafe before thinking that we’d like to see a little more of the town prior to setting off back.

I had read of the Cliff Railway and am always keen for a walk along the Prom when we’re by the sea, so off down to the town we went.

Except. Too many cars and not a car park in sight.

Was it the weather that had brought so many people into town today? Or could Aberystwyth do with a Park and Ride scheme - or a car park? Feeling tired of looking for somewhere to stop we decided to move on and save the town for another day. Once out of the centre, we stopped and considered our options.

Our afternoon destination was to be the Rheidol Valley, where a hydro-electric scheme offered a Visitors Centre and also nearby was a small steam railway.

Sadly, we weren’t really ready for a rainy walk, so our time at the power plant was short. Instead, we headed straight for the station at Devil’s Bridge, where perhaps there might be some more interesting activity.

No sooner had we pulled into the car park than we heard the toot of a steam engine and whilst my Hero parked the car properly, I grabbed my camera and ran to the platform in the hope of catching a picture of the train before it left.

Well, as is often the case in such circumstances, things were not happening imminently…the driver of the large engine was chatting to his mate in charge of the small steam locomotive alongside whilst the guard was doing his best to chivvy up the last few remaining passengers.

It was probably a good five minutes before the guard blew his whistle and jumped on board.

With a cloud of steam and that unmistakeable sound, at last there was movement.

We watched and waved as the train full of happy passengers set off on its way to Aberystwyth.

Meanwhile, the other, smaller engine was travelling along the narrow line back towards the station building.

We stood chatting as the driver topped up the coal, admiring the immaculate presentation. “The staff are none too dusty either,” he winked.

He went on to say that there had been quite a collection of locomotives in action today and if we were happy to hang around for half an hour or so, there’d be another splendid engine for us to see. But what were we going to do for another thirty or forty minutes?

The answer was, we’d look around the station shop, admiring in particular the terrific art work by Ag Cain above (we chose that particular one as a souvenir!) I loved the spirit in which these posters had been created and we both smiled at the gentle humour.

As we made our purchases, we chatted to the saleslady about the route we’d taken here. We’d driven from the power station over the steepest and narrowest of roads and at times, it was all a bit precarious. Our conversation continued to the best way back to Machynlleth, prompting enquiries about our stay there.

“Have you eaten at The Gwen?” she asked. “Not yet - but tonight!” we replied.

The query was prompted by her love of fine dining, which arose from the prize she had won in a Masterchef-type competition. A stay and tuition in the kitchen of one of our finest restaurants had been the start of an ongoing interest in Michelin-starred establishments and for the next half hour, the conversation flowed freely! We were assured of great cooking at The Gwen and looked forward all the more to that as a result.

A quick look at the time, prompted by the toot of an engine sent us quickly out onto the platform, just in time to see the arrival of this unusual locomotive, a Beyer-Garratt my Hero tells me.

We took a quick look around, I snapped a few photographs and with a last ‘bye to our friend in the shop, we returned to the car to drive back to Machynlleth in time to put on our glad rags for our night out.

On the way I was able to snap a picture of one of these school-related speed reminders. Last Autumn, the Welsh government introduced a 20mph speed limit in some areas and this particular “dragon design” is to be found by schools. I’d spotted it so many times but never with camera to hand - until now.

Finally, in case you’re interested, here’s the map of today’s drive. Yes, the best way back to Machynlleth really is via Aberystwyth.