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Observations About Wales: From Travel To Business & Politics |
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first published
in |
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Marks the Spot -- The A498 runs north east from Porthmadog to connect with the A4086 about 12 miles away. It passes through Beddgelert, meanders along Llyn Dinas, Nant Gwynant and Llyn Gwynant, rising steadily to a plateau crowned with a convenient little lookout point. In the middle of this area, which is paved for parking, is an outcropping of rocks upon which an arrow board indicates Snowdon’s peak to the west. There are no footpaths radiating from this spot, which sticks out over the rising air currents into infinity. There are only two ways off: back onto the asphalt or straight down. That is why it was so illogical that this little refuge was taped shut even as walking paths into the mountains were declared open on the first weekend of May, a time when the balance between foot & mouth concerns and tourism Pounds tilted in favor of the latter. While in Wales, as elsewhere, logic is always reduced in proportion to the increase of red tape it was heartening to see a little rebelliousness in the population once the threat of foot & mouth was officially declared as off, but before the individual counsels got around to uncordoning the little rest areas along the scenic mountain roads. One of the indigenous features of the roads serving Snowdonia are the ice cream trucks. But this past Spring with the sides of the roads all over the area heavily guarded with bollards (that’s English for traffic cones) and red tape, the ice cream trucks were homeless like nesting birds whose trees had been felled. One ice cream merchant had been at his modest spot the day the mountains were declared off limits and the marking team came to paint large white Xs indicating that his slice of shoulder was now officially closed and would be bollarded and taped forthwith. His territory in peril (though nowhere near a footpath), the ice cream man eased his truck over the newly painted white X and so was overlooked by the bollards. That day at least. The following day the bollards arrived, anyway, and the mountains were air tight.
Ice Cream in Snowdonia As day follows night, the first May Bank Holiday came and the footpaths were officially opened. Unfortunately, the laybys, parking lots and lookouts weren’t unblocked until, here and there, independent car drivers who wanted a stop neatly stacked the bollards out of their way and had their gander at the landscape. The ice cream truck, too, cometh and all was well at this particular anonymous strip of layby. The truck soon was out of everything except chocolate ice cream. But, that being my favorite flavor, I had a cone two days in a row and enjoyed the view. Perhaps by this time next year the elements will have dissolved away all the white Xs. |
