7/17/17 Secret Agent Man:

In 1968 CBS aired a 17-episode British TV series entitled “The Prisoner.” In brief, it was the story of a secret agent who suddenly quit the service but was kidnaped and imprisoned in a beautiful but bizarre village from which there was no escape.  Besides being counter-cultural for its time, the series carried existential themes and was very influential to this young college student who watched it.  Patrick McGoohan produced and starred as No. 6, the only name allowed him.

The series was filmed in the Northern Welsh town of Portmeirion, built by an architect – Sir Clough Williams-Ellis – in an Italian Style. He wanted to show that architecture could enhance natural settings and yet be fanciful and colorful.
I knew the series was filmed in the village but it has been almost 50 years since I have watched it and memory is dimmed. (Note to self: make sure to find and watch the series when we get home.).

The name Portmeirion is also used as a popular line of dishware that is best known for its botanical themes. The Portmeirion Pottery company is owned by the artist-daughter of Sir Williams-Ellis and is available at the village – and a lot of other retail outlets.

Since we were in Northern Wales we made it our goal to visit the village, now run by a charitable trust as a hotel. All buildings are available as hotel rooms and there are shops, a café, tearoom and a restaurant. It lies above a tidal estuary that is reachable via paths from the village and there is an additional 70 acres of wooded land surrounding the village.

A few photos are posted on line and we thought we had an idea of what we were going to see, but we WAY underestimated it. We walked through the archway entrance and into a miniature fairyland full of color and fancifulness.
I overheard one of the visitors mention that is was like being on a movie set and I had to agree. Besides the TV series, Portmeirion has been the inspiration for writers and musicians. Noel Coward wrote the play “Blithe Spirit” while staying there and the village is the setting for Festival No.6 which takes place every September. Needless to say, The Prisoner plays a pretty important role in the marketing of the village.

A 1965 Lotus 7 was featured in the series and while we were there a Lotus club was just completing a weekend stay at the village. There were Lotuses parked all over the place.
We thought Chester was a must see – and it is – but Portmeirion won my heart that day.

We were making a serious run south with our goal being The Eden Project in western Cornwall, the furthest most part of Britain, and a long trek. We had a long drive ahead of us after our morning at Portmeirion and it took its toll on us. After 5-6 hours and 141 miles of scenic but slow driving (never above 50mph and often in the 30s mph due to peaks and valleys) we finally made it to our camping in Newport, Wales where we promptly collapsed.
Newport was our day’s destination because we wanted to see the Romain remains at Caerleon.
After a nights rest, we drove to Caerleon, a blessed 7 miles away.
In its day, Caerleon was one of three major garrisons in Britain, the other two being Chester and York. It also has King Arthur associations, being a possible location of the mythical Camelot.
A great deal of the original fortress has been buried under the modern town, but there have been archeological digs uncovering the remains of the baths and barracks and a fine museum displaying artifacts found at the digs. A short walk away is what is left of the amphitheater, in recognizable condition for a neglected artifact 2000 years old.

Quite satisfied with our stop, we got back on the road – this time choosing to drive on the M roads – equivalent to our freeways – and made a short day of it by stopping south of Bristol at a port town. The weather is warm and muggy.