Travel Inspired by a Television Show

At the risk of dating myself, I will admit that I was a huge fan of an old British television show called "The Prisoner".  I have warm memories of staying up late, just me and my dad, to catch the latest episode.  In spite of obsessively watching every episode (and the repeats), it wasn't until many, many years later that I learned that "the village" featured in the show was an actual place and it really did look just like the unique and colorful place I grew to love in the TV show.  That was when the village of Portmeirion in Wales went on my list of places I had to visit.

In 2006, I traveled to London with my best friend David and another friend and while they had their heart set on an overnight trip to Paris, I decided it was my perfect opportunity to visit Portmeirion.  So early one morning the three of us headed off in our separate directions.  I took three different trains to arrive at the station in Porthmadog, the closest station to the village.  A short taxi ride took me to my destination and soon I was checked into a room at the beautiful Pormeirion Hotel pictured above.

I set out to do some exploring and immediately found the famous "round house", the place that was used on the television show as agent No. 6's apartment.  The building now serves as The Prisoner gift shop where pilgrims like me can pick up a souvenir from the old show.

Portmeirion is located on an estuary and I watched the water rise and fall at least three times while I was there.  Above is one of my favorite pictures overlooking the water.

 The village was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, an architect and environmentalist.  It dates back to 1925 and construction continued until 1975.  Williams-Ellis gave the village a Mediterranean or Italianate look that is fanciful in many ways.  It was built mostly from reclaimed materials because the architect believed in reusing materials that had been discarded.

This statue of Hercules by William Brodie sits in the center of the village in a prominent place.

The village is a beautiful place and a perfect spot for a weekend visit.  The hotel was beautifully furnished and dinner in the hotel restaurant was delicious.

Obviously, I'm very happy I went and if the opportunity ever presented itself again, I'd go again.