A craggy land of cottages and castles

We arrived in Portmeirion after a 50-mile drive south from Holyhead, Wales. It was a bit like waking up in Oz after spending a night in Kansas.

Setting our luggage just inside the living room of our rented cottage, we opened the French doors to our balcony and looked at the village below.

The architecture and colors were a dazzling contrast to the sensible, restrained Wales we’d seen on the way here, its rolling green hills interspersed with functional gray buildings.

Here was Mediterranean extravagance, with quirky touches of Baroque, Greek and Chinese. Buildings were in shades of yellow, pink, blue, purple and white, topped with red-tiled roofs and constructed on rocky hillsides that brimmed with foliage. Paved walkways and uneven stone stairways led down to a piazza surrounded by lush green vegetation. Brightly blooming formal gardens bordered fountains and pools.

All this was the realized dream of English architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. He fell in love with Portofino, Italy, and set out to create his own eclectic paradise on this craggy Welsh hillside overlooking a wide, shallow bay at the base of the Llyn Peninsula.

My husband and I had decided to use Portmeirion as a base for a week’s exploration of the area. That is, I had decided to. Don’s incredulous response: “You want to spend a week on a movie set?”

While Portmeirion itself is unique, it achieved wider fame as the setting for the 1960s cult TV series “The Prisoner,” starring Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan played a retired special agent who knew too much and was whisked off to “The Village” to keep him isolated. One of the shops in the village is devoted to “Prisoner” memorabilia, and a “Prisoner” convention is held here annually.

This area of Wales has great appeal to the English, particularly those from the north, who enjoy its many seaside resorts and dramatic landscapes.

Wales is often called the “land of castles” because it is home to some of the finest medieval examples in Europe. Visitors come to see castles, fish in rivers and climb mountain peaks. Along the way they’re introduced to another aspect of Welsh culture: storytelling. There are tales of King Arthur and Merlin the magician, of druids, dragons, chivalrous deeds and kingdoms lost beneath the sea.

Welsh is the first language in North Wales. Virtually everyone speaks English, but an American is wise not to try to pronounce many of the tongue-twisting names, since they rarely work phonetically.

Our itinerary last fall took us first to Dublin, Ireland, for several days. From there we took a ferry to Holyhead (pronounced Holly-head) on the extreme northwestern tip of Wales, in Snowdonia. At Holyhead we rented a car and headed south about 1 1/2 hours to Portmeirion.

In planning his village, Williams-Ellis was concerned with architecture, landscape design, conservation and the protection of rural Wales. He believed development of a beautiful site need not lead to ugliness, and he set out to prove it.

Combining property he had inherited with some he bought, he completed Portmeirion in two stages. From 1925 to 1939 it was plotted and its most distinctive buildings erected. From 1954 to 1975, he filled in the details.

A derelict 1850 mansion on the beach was restored and expanded into the present Hotel Portmeirion, a luxury hotel that has hosted such celebrated guests as writers H.G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Noel Coward and Bertrand Russell.

Several buildings were salvaged from demolition sites elsewhere and reconstructed. Some call the development Clough’s folly, but day-trippers by the hundreds of thousands still stream in each year to see it. Others stay in two hotels or 17 cottages scattered around in the buildings that make up the village. Our cottage was called Villa Winch. Others have names like Angel, Dolphin and Mermaid.

People love the unique character of Portmeirion. They visit the souvenir and gift shops, the bookstore and convenience store and dine at the casual restaurants. Although no one actually calls Portmeirion home, locals from the surrounding area are employed as hotel and grounds staff and as clerks in the village shops.

The shops and restaurants close to the public at 5 p.m., allowing resident guests the opportunity to explore the town at their leisure in the evening. During the day, we concentrated on seeing the surrounding area.

To our surprise, we found crowds of tourists in some North Wales towns, even though it was September, late in the tourist season. Porthmadog (Porth-maddock), a tourist center for beautiful Snowdonia National Park, was one of the worst.

Porthmadog, the largest town near Portmeirion, must be driven through and used as a shopping base for those who will be staying at the village and visiting places north, east or west. It is wall-to-wall traffic during the day, so we went through or shopped as early in the morning as possible to avoid crowds.

Just outside town there are beautiful views of the mountains of Snowdonia, and many people come to the area to hike or just enjoy the scenery. Walking maps are available in many shops and the tourist information center.

I think Porthmadog’s best feature is the Ffestiniog Railway, a narrow-gauge, steam-powered train (the oldest independent railway company in the world), which winds 13 miles through the beautiful scenery of Snowdonia National Park to the slate quarry town of Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Its red, highly polished Thomas-the-Tank-type engine is a real scene stealer, and the small passenger cars are a kick to ride in. The train was originally used to haul slate. The ride takes about an hour, and one can return to Porthmadog immediately, wander in the town or take a tour through a slate quarry, catching a later return.

North Wales also is a mecca for castle buffs, and because we only had a week, we wanted to see the best of them. Included on our list was a quartet of castles built or reconstructed by King Edward I of England in the 13th century: Conwy, Harlech, Caernarfon and Beaumaris.

We missed Conwy on the north coast, but saw the other three plus Criccieth. Seeing the four castles took three days.

Caernarfon is a wonder, one of the historic centers of Wales, in large part still intact thanks to several restorations. It is surrounded by a thriving old walled city, which in turn is surrounded by newer areas. The site is notable both as a successor to a Roman fortification and as the location of the investiture of the princes of Wales.

Prince Charles was invested there by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1969. The last Welsh prince of Wales died in 1282, when the English defeated Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, and the ceremony now reaffirms English sovereignty over Wales, rubbing salt into the wounds of Welsh nationalists.

The castle is also the stuff of childhood dreams, with looming towers, dark circular stone stairs, high walks on the walls and “secret” niches and passages. I heard an Englishman enthusiastically tell his wife, “This is the castle I most remember!”

Criccieth Castle, about a half-hour’s drive west from Portmeirion, stands on a high, rocky headland with panoramic views of the coastline. It was built by Welsh princes and refortified by Edward I. Not far from Criccieth is the boyhood home and museum of Welshman Lloyd George, one of Britain’s most famous prime ministers, who led the country during World War I.

On our last day we decided to drive south down the coast for some sightseeing. On the way we stopped at our last castle, Harlech, which Edward I started to build in 1283 and completed by 1289. It is one of the most photographed of Wales’ castles, no doubt because of its picturesque location high on a craggy hill overlooking a flat valley and the sea, with Mt. Snowdon in the background.

The drive farther south has some good views of the coastline but is marred in places by hundreds of “caravans” (small mobile homes) lined up in tight rows next to the beach. They are permanently sited there and rented to vacationers who want a seaside holiday, but they look like cream-colored containers waiting to be loaded on a transport ship.

We went as far south as Barmouth and then turned inland, driving on winding roads hedged by dry-stone fences through scenic sections of Snowdonia National Park. We stopped to have lunch in Dolgellau, a picturesque old market town that lies at the head of the magnificent Mawddach Estuary. Its recorded history reaches back to the Romans; in the 17th century a Quaker movement took hold there. It is now a haven for walkers and cyclists, with nature reserves, waterfalls, woodlands, lakes and rivers all in close proximity.

The small tearoom where we wanted to have lunch, Yr Hen Efail, was full, and we waited outside for a table. Once inside we saw several people heartily digging into one of Britain’s favorite meals, canned baked beans on baked potato. We had homemade cheese scones and tea.

We had saved our last night to have dinner at the Hotel Portmeirion. The dining room has a dress code of “smartly casual,” which basically means neat shirts and no jeans, sun tops or shorts. Tables must be booked ahead, particularly on weekends. We had requested a window table, so we ate early to appreciate the view across the bay before dark. The tide was out; it looked as if one could walk on the sand across the entire bay.

The menu, in Welsh and English, has two-course dinners for a fixed price of about $46 per person. Service is very good, and the food is beautifully presented on Botanic Garden-pattern dinnerware, designed by Williams-Ellis’ daughter Susan and now exported all over the world. I had cauliflower and Stilton soup and honey-roasted duck breast.

We ate one night at Portmeirion’s Castell Deudraeth, where rooms or suites are available upstairs and visitors can dine at a casual brasserie and bar on the ground floor. It was a fun place to eat, but not as interesting as the Hotel Portmeirion.

Portmeirion is a unique place to stay. Our cottage was peaceful, away from the general flow of day-trippers but within earshot of the low hum of crowds below when our balcony doors were open. At approximately $1,000 for the week, it was a bit expensive, though we would have been happy to pay the tariff had the accommodations been more upscale. Furnishings were comfortable but simple, and, unlike most cottages we’ve rented, there was no washing machine or dishwasher. I had neglected to specify a shower, so we had to resort to baths.

Still, we met several English families that stay in the village annually. Three families rented the cottage next to us, which had five bedrooms.

When Sir Clough Williams-Ellis designed Portmeirion, he created a fantasy that seems to be standing the test of time. In a gray and green country, its colorful cottages and shops add a new dimension. But our favorite time there was after the crowds left at closing time and night lighting transformed the village into an enchanting storybook scene.

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Getting to know Portmeirion

GETTING THERE:

From LAX there are nonstop fights to London on United, American, Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand, US Airways and British Airways. Connecting service (change of planes) is available on Air Canada, Continental and Northwest.

Trains from London’s Euston Station to Holyhead, Wales, run frequently during the day. The trip can be made in about 4 1/2 hours. A standard round-trip ticket is $115. In the U.S., call (877) 677-1066, www.britrail.com. Hertz rental cars are available in Holyhead; (800) 654-3001, www.hertz.com.

TELEPHONES:

To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 44 (country code for Britain) and the local number.

WHERE TO STAY:

Portmeirion Village, Gwynedd, Wales LL48 6ET; 176-677-0000, fax 176-677-1331, www.portmeirion-village.com. Comfortable one- to five-bedroom cottages rent weekly starting at about $910. Don’t expect luxury. Standard rooms in the elegant Hotel Portmeirion start at about $243 per night.

To find other cottages in the region, try Quality Cottages, 134-883-7874, www.qualitycottages.co.uk.

WHERE TO EAT:

Hotel Portmeirion (see village address and phone number above). The public rooms are furnished like an English club; the dining area has bay views. Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Three-course dinners about $57.

Castell Deudraeth (see village address and phone number above). A modern interior with a bar, a glassed-in eating area and outdoor seating. Open 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Entrees range from Welsh stew, about $15, to a large seafood plate, about $35.

The Golden Fleece Inn and Bistro, The Square, Tremadog; 176-651-2421. This restaurant, a few miles from Portmeirion, has a cozy pub atmosphere and a varied menu, with items starting at about $7.

TO LEARN MORE:

Wales Tourist Board, Brunel House, 2 Fitzalan Road, Cardiff, Wales CF24 0UY; 2920-499-909, fax 2920-485-031, www.openspace.visitwales.com.

British Tourist Authority, 551 Fifth Ave., Suite 701, New York, NY 10176; (800) GO- 2-BRITAIN (462-2748), www.travelbritain.org.