National Milk Bars Known About: 10 (This is a hard number to pin down. Different information sources yield different answers.)
National Milk Bars Visited: 7
National Milk Bars only Visited by proxy: 0
Ex-National Milk Bars Visited: 7
Cups of Tea Drunk (In NMB) : 8
Milkshakes Ordered: 1
Miles Driven: 1143
Postcards Bought: 7
Jokes Told: 0
Hat Shops Photographed:2
(current) ToDo list
Pictures are here
So, feeling a bit down about Colwyn Bay, I park up the m-m in Denbigh and wander into the town. Only to find that this NMB is very shut. And clearly has been for a long time.
To liven up my spirits, I go back through Shrewsbury and take a picture of a second Hat Shop (the other one is opposite the NMB.)
So, why does Shrewsbury have so many Hat Shops ? In the words of the great poet and Telly-Tubby narrator, Toyah Wilcox, “It’s a Mystery”
Weary and a little deflated, I returned home. Even stumping up two quid for a drive on a bit of road. Spirits were re-vitalised by good conversation and Quiz Winning.
Pictures are here
Not visit Colwyn Bay, yeah right. So, I’m on the A55 and just gravitate towards the Colwyn Bay exit as if drawn by a powerful, invisible force. So, I drive to our old house and take a couple of pictures of it (I’m sure I looked really suspicious - but who cares). Then I get a little confused by the one-way system and end up driving past my fist school. Which appears to now be closed and up for sale. A bit depressing, but life moves on I guess.
Find the NMB and it is up for let too. It does seem to still be an NMB, just closed on a Sunday. So I’ll need to go back there too for a cup of tea. If it’s still operating.
Not the most uplifting trip to Colwyn Bay that I could imagine. So, back on the road to Denbigh.
Pictures are here
So, leaving Bangor, I pass the end of the Menai Bridge. Well - it would be rude not to. So a quick blast over the old bridge and then I’m on Anglesey (Mon). Now, once on the island, there’s one place you just have to visit. Llanfair PG. Back over the new bridge and I’m soon rolling into Conwy.
Park up the m-m and set off with the same plan as for Caernarfon. Spot a shop that looks like an ex-NMB and go into the St David’s Charity shop opposite. My suspicions were wrong and it turns out that the NMB is now a Curry House in Lancaster Square.
Picture Taken - Back on the road to Denbigh. I’m heading home via Denbigh. I’ll leave the North Welsh coast for another trip.
Pictures are here
So a quick whizz up to Bangor. The city of Bangor. Parked the m-m and wandered into town. Bangor was much more shut than Caernarfon had been, so it was lucky I stumbled across the NMB quite quickly. It was closed. I’ll need to re-visit. Never mind.
Opposite is a Bookmakers. The Welsh for ‘Bookie’ appears to be ‘Bwci’ - both pronounced the same. My fave Welsh spelling of an English phrase is the Welsh for “Snooker Club” - “Clwb Snwcr” As seen in Beddgelert.
Next stop Conwy.
Pictures are here
Another magnificent drive through the fantastic scenery from Porthmadog to Caernarfon. Heading for the town centre, I went to the ’shoppers’ car park. The plan was to find the main street and look for one of the following
Luckily, the first shop I saw was a Cancer Research shop, so I went in, bought a couple of books to be polite, and asked if the lady knew where the National Milk Bar used to be. Yes, she said, it’s now the KFC opposite.
Sure enough - opposite the Charity Shop was a very ex-NMB-looking KFC.
Picture taken, job done - off to Bangor.
Pictures are here
Well, the day got off to a very strange start. In fact, I’m a bit worried that I may have broken one of the fundamental laws of Physics. I had breakfast in a hotel without a hangover.
I’ll just let that sink in.
So, up before 9:00 and on the road, bright as a button, heading for Porthmadog. And what a road. The scenery is fantastic. The weather was brilliant. Bright sunshine and fluffy clouds providing a magnificent display of light and shadow on the green valleys and grey mountains. It was a lovely moment. “Keepin’ it real” - Rock On. (This is where the Nuclear Power Station is, BTW)
I came into Porthmadog across the isthmus and the Tourist Information was just there. I pulled in and made a bit of a meal of parking the m-m which caused some bloke to have an apolplectic fit waiting for me. Turns out he and his three kids were late for the 7th Day Adventists service. I’ve never seen so many coffee flasks for so few people - is there some coffee sub-cult involved? I think we should be told.
Anyway, I went into the Tourist Info and asked where the National Milk Bar was, or used to be. Turns out it was about 50 yards away and was called “Jenny’s”. The woman in the Tourist Info said it was “Part of the Franchise”. I don’t think so.
So, approaching “Jenny’s Eating House” it was pretty obvious that this was, indeed, an ex-NMB. The signage was NMB with a new board stuck over it. Clearly we had hit another gold mine. How little did I know.
I had a cup of tea and waited for the old fella who was sitting in front of the map to go, took a picture and, thoroughly uplifted, left. Heading North.
