Dolgellau town trail with Margaret & 9 CADW ramblers

Seven of us caught the 9.58 T2 bus from Penygroes CP, & were joined by 3 more along the way. Blessed with sunshine, the views were lovely. We arrived at coffee time. Margaret led us to the old town hall, now quaint cafe & full, but Margaret knew there'd be room upstairs in the old court room. As we sipped delicious drinks, [mine was a hot chocolate with cream & marshmallows!] she gave us Dolgellau's history. The town's wealth was founded on agriculture, wool fulling mills, & mining [gold too]. It grew up haphazardly,grand town houses with large gardens being in-filled, cheek by jowl, with curved house corners to fit the narrow twisting road....all very picturesque...indeed there are more listed buildings in Dolgellau than anywhere else in Wales. Margaret took us to hidden nooks & crannies, up to a footpath high above, with splendid views of it all, & luscious blackberries,hanging over old stone walls. An old, paved well,with steps leading down to the water for baptisms, had been a valuable source of clean water. We descended for lunch in Roberts, once ironmongers. It too was crowded, [we weren't the only sightseers enjoying yesteryear] but we had the upstairs warehouse floor to ourselves again. More sauntering through Dolgellau's labyrinth of lanes cum streets, & we were back in the Square, ready for the 3.15pm bus.
Thank you Margaret for a delightful day, well planned & researched, thoroughly enjoyed by us all....Rachel.