Bodnant in August, 2026

It's been a busy few weeks. The end of August saw us back in Wales, but the shots from that visit have taken a while to edit due to the Day Job. Anyway, let's kick things off with a visit to Bodnant Gardens, near Conwy

As even a cursory glance at the blog will attest, this is one of our regular haunts. It's handy when travelling to and from our usual accommodation, just the right location for a loo and cafe stop, and a chance to stretch our legs.

We've not seen many butterflies near home this year, so it was good to see so many in the gardens.

Equally nice was seeing the place so green and pleasant after months of heatwaves.

That said, the grass was noticeably parched. Still it was a nice afternoon strolling about, a lovely meal at the cafe, and a nice little break on the way to our last proper holiday of the year.

 

A KWVR Diesel Gala Miscellany

Time for a big post of odds and ends from the Diesel Gala. First off, the lovely 08's; "Ashburnham" departing Ingrow.

Walking between Ingrow and Keighley.

The long-term visiting 47.

'Green' 37.

The two visiting 31's in Railfreight colours were particularly nice. I've never been a massive fan of the class, but these have swung me around to appreciating them.

As did the First Class seats in the borrowed Scottish coaching set.

Carmine and Cream in Keighley- the station looks superb now they've finished restoring it.

Love a Teddybear; another visitor which has quietly become a part of the KWVR fleet.

The 50; to be honest, I sometimes feel these are over-hyped in the enthusiast community, though they are quite impressive.

The 47 again.

And again! It's a rather nice machine, and growing on me.

The other 08, on pilot duties at Keighley. A humble machine doing the job it was built for, which is rather nice.

 

Sunset over Shipley

One thing you can say for the super hot summer we've been having, there have been some awesome sunsets.

Too nice, to not get some pretty pictures.