Alex's Aborted Pilgrimage

Editors' Note: Events may have transpired some days previous to this post, however fickle internet in Wales along with some flooding has seen us silenced for a few days. But fear not loyal readers, today we have 3G again and will post with vengeance.

When we were enjoying the luxuries of our B&B near Pennal, it occurred to me that I should check the location of Bron-Yr-Aur. Bron-Yr-Aur is a cottage that Robert Plant and Jimmy Page lived in for some months, with their families, and wrote half of Led Zeppelin III. I knew it was in Wales somewhere.... When I checked, and discovered that it was just four miles from where I sat, I had quite a Moment. When I check our cycling map and discovered that our route the next day would take us past the track leading to it, I had another Moment. Seeing this, James had basically no choice but to agree to taking me "on my damned Led Zeppelin pilgrimage."

The turn off to the cottage had a sign announcing it as "unfit for motors." We walked up a hill, pushing the bikes, around a corner, and through a gate. At that point we ditched the bikes. We walked up another hill, around a corner, and at the point where Google Maps said Bron-Yr-Aur was, we found a little sign: "Bron-Yr-Aur" and an arrow, pointing up another track. We followed this sign up another hill, around another corner, and eventually we got close enough to see a cottage, which might have been Bron-Yr-Aur but also had a caravan, solar panels, and a Dalmatian.

As we left might-have-been Bron-Yr-Aur and the (now barking) Dalmatian behind, James sad gravely: "You know what that was, Lex ?

"That was experience."

(Experience is what you get, when you didn't get what you wanted.)

Good thing I have several hours' worth of Led Zeppelin on my phone, frankly.