From Snowdon Mountain Railway, we stopped by at the Welsh National Slate Museum. Yeah, I got that right. It's slate and not state.
Slate is a type of rock which is used to make roofs. North Wales was once the main producer and exporter of slate. The rock can be found from mountains such as this >>
The museum was once a slate factory. So, the place was full of machines and artefacts related to slate production. Not my kind of museum, I'm afraid :)
But at least, it's free. I realized when we go for trips like this, we really have to plan where to go. Since we are budget 'tourists', we try to go to a lot of places but at the same time try to keep costs down. Museums are normally free, so we try to include a museum visit on our itinerary. Parks are usually free, too. It's an ideal place for the kids to unwind after a 'boring' museum visit and a good place for the parents to just sit, watch the kids and eat :).
That was why, our next stop after the museum was a picnic spot near the "Ugly House". The Ugly House was not ugly at all! If not, I wouldn't have chosen a picture of the place as my blog mast :)
The river near the Ugly House proved to be a hit with the kids :)
Before we left the place, we visited the house. The friendly in-house guide showed the kids the typical welsh way of life in the olden days - from making rag rugs to spinning wool thread on the spinning wheel.
