Cee’s challenge this week instantly conjured vivid childhood impressions – of Edinburgh Rock, those tartan packs of sugar sticks that delivered instant tooth decay in soft shades of lemon, apricot and rose; my long-lost, but once treasured set of Lakeland crayons whose red plastic wallet held so many delicious colours of mauve and blue, and Portmeirion, the Welsh cliff-top confection of architect Clough Williams-Ellis. All three come in colours that, even now, I long to bite into. Bizarre, I know. Anyway, I have already written about Portmeirion HERE. But now for some more soft-hued scenes of an Italianate village and its ever surprising setting on the rugged North Wales coast. It is a place that has fascinated me for fifty years. It is also the place where The Prisoner, the cult TV series of the late 1960s starring Patrick McGoohan, was filmed. Devotees still gather there. Curiouser and curiouser…(allusion to Alice in Wonderland fully intended).
Lovely. Very pleasing to the eye.
Thank you, Victoria. It’s a very dreamy sort of place no matter what weather you go in.
I loved Portmeiron when I visited. It was out of season, slightly run-down, and had that typical out of season nothing happening here aura about it. Yet, there was something about it that was beautiful. It sort of fits on the Côte d’Azur (ok wrong country but you get the idea) rather than North Wales. Fascinating place to wander around.
Yes, Kate, it still has a run-down air even though it’s been ‘done up’ lately, all of which further adds to the sense of displacement. And yes, too, there is a strange beauty about the place, once you look beyond the touristy things. Clough Williams-Ellis had a good (and often playful) eye. Putting a turquoise portico onto an 18th century Welsh stone farm cottage has more than a little dash about it. Thanks v. much for the follow btw.
I thought I’d followed you before but WP likes to unfollow for me 😦 especially Ark’s!
Not sure about that turquoise portico though. I think the whole site is very well designed though.
Yes, the unfollowing bug seems to crop up now and then, and in the oddest places. As to the turquoise portico thingy, I like the bravado in the transformation, given that the original house must have been a very stalwart and rather gloomy grey when Ellis acquired the site. Actually, it’s rather interesting, imagining Portmeirion in B & W.
I spent a fun weekend at Portmeirion with a good friend….I was also a great fan of The Prisoner:) thank you.
I always wanted to visit but never did. I was a huge fan of the Prisoner back n the day, and occasionally watch the odd YouTube video.
If you go for walk on the beach does the big bubble still chase you?
🙂
Only in the mind’s eye, Ark. Sorry to say. On the other hand, the sea does do an amazing thing there every now and then, and goes out so far you can barely see it. I think it could be possible that the big bubble only comes out at such times.
I remember the sea doing a similar thing at Rhyl . seemed to go out for miles. Must be a Welsh thing.
You are a wonderful post for my challenge. Thanks so much Trish for participating.
Thanks for the challenge, Cee.
Hello Tish! Oh my, I could stare at these all day. Lovely, lovely, lovely! 😀
Thank you, Vashti. Something about those colours just makes you want to stare and stare.
Really lovely shots of the place, Tish. Again for me, it’s many years since I was there, but it’s not one you forget, is it? 🙂
No, Jo. Definitely a place that lingers in the mind.
Such a beautiful place! The colors are delicious! Thanks for sharing, Tish.
I’m glad you featured this place. I’ve read about it before but haven’t seen many images. It must be quite strange wandering around feeling you are in Italy while being in Wales.
Yes, that’s exactly what is so fascinating: a strange, but pleasing sense of displacement.
I, too, was a big fan of The Prisoner. This is such a pretty little town, a little bit o’ Italy in Wales. Who knew? 🙂
Yes, it’s a bit of a ‘one-off’. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a wonderful Italian restaurant to go with it. 🙂
simply magnifique… ❤ we visited it several years ago as we loved 'The Prisoner'… 'I'm not a number, I'm a human being…' 🙂
Merci beaucoup, Melanie. It is an extraordinary place, isn’t it, and doesn’t change very much either.