I visited Porthmadog for a day out and this is my verdict

Porthmadog harbour
-Credit: (Image: David Powell)


Porthmadog is a unique and fascinating place for the daytripper but may often be bypassed or used as a base for further adventures around north west Wales. After all, it is from here that you can go to Black Rock Sands or board the world famous Welsh Highland Railway to take in views of Eryri or venture into the Aberglaslyn Pass, for instance.

But what else can Porthmadog itself offer the curious explorer? I visited on a Monday lunchtime to see what a daytripper could do.

Thankfully, the incessant rain had abated, with the sky now broad brushstrokes of lingering white and grey cloud. I headed to the harbour to look for Porthmadog Maritime Museum and found it has a cornucopia of historical nuggets and relics.

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It houses a reconstructed ship's galley, with fake Welsh biscuits, a genuine barrel used for salting meat and sodden socks "drying" above the stove.

I learned that those Welsh biscuits or "doughboys" were made of half a pound of flour. And that "there was not much nourishment in the soup - it was so thin you could read a newspaper through it". On a wall were samples of knots - the Bowline, the Shamrock and the Carrick Bend among others.

A visitor admires a ship's model at Porthmadog Maritime Museum
A visitor admires a ship's model at Porthmadog Maritime Museum -Credit:David Powell

Here too were details of the sheer scale of slate exportation from this once thriving port. Shipments of slate from "Porthmadoc" in the first half of the 19th Century peaked in 1849 at 142,080 tonnes that year.

Tragically and almost inevitably, shipwrecks abounded. One map has a sobering list and their locations, especially around Anglesey.

Recreated food in a reconstructed ship's galley at Porthmadog Maritime Museum
Recreated food in a reconstructed ship's galley at Porthmadog Maritime Museum -Credit:David Powell

Along a single stretch of treacherous coast from Point Lynas to Moelfre and Benllech lie the wrecks of many foundering ships. The grim rollcall encompasses the Marchioness of Anglesey (1818), Eliza (1900) and the Hindlea (1959) for example.

Most crews, however, reached their destinations safely. Many took slate from Porthmadog to Hamburg.

They would then carry German goods to the Mediterranean, then carry a cargo to Newfoundland or Labrador and return with a cargo of salt fish or timber to Wales.

Tafarn Pencei in Porthmadog
Tafarn Pencei in Porthmadog -Credit:David Powell

A knowledgeable lady at the museum was happy to talk about the enduring popularity of Porthmadog. North American and Australian tourists have been in town lately but there haven't been any French or German visitors at the museum this year.

I thanked her and strolled along the side of the harbour. I'd never been there before and it was a tranquil and serene scene, away from the roaring, high street traffic.

On a warmer day, I could have gone crabbing off the harbour wall for about £8 for the gear, or taken a boat tour of the waters hereabouts.

Cariad Gelato is one of the many lovely shops in Porthmadog
Cariad Gelato is one of the many lovely shops in Porthmadog -Credit:David Powell

But the Tafarn Pencei pub seemed like a good spot for a break. So I had a coffee in there, and watched a few minutes of golf from Ohio on Sky Sports.

Then it was a short walk back to the high street. I was pleased to see a good selection of independent shops amongst the Costas and Greggs because they help to give a town its character.

The Purple Moose Brewery Shop was there, along with Vegonia Wholegoods, which also sells lavender, jasmine and valerian mineral salts, and Rousells' "antiques, giftware and quirky items", which include pitch pine pews and carved, wooden owls.

Millions of tourists pour into North Wales each year - many of those heading to Gwynedd. Some will have started in Porthmadog and taken the Welsh Highland Railway or indeed the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway. Or perhaps they will have yomped from here along the Wales Coastal Path.

But maybe Porthmadog is a place to explore in itself. Its harbour, maritime museum and idiosyncratic shops would be good places to start.