Wales - Easter and Miller's Mill

I took advantage of another dry morning and took a walk "up the hill"

Welsh cat and Welsh slate.

This is not "tourist Wales" its plastic buckets and barbed wire,

muddy fields and messy renovations.

But it is also narrow winding roads with steep banks, hedgerows and rolling hills.

Looking down at the house from "up the hill".

Christine and Chris' family all arrived for Easter lunch (except Ben and Nel who are traveling). 13 plus a newborn were seated for lunch and then an Easter egg hunt in the garden. Just as it started to rain we piled into a couple of cars and went to see the mill that Chris and Christine have bought and is their next renovation project.

Its an imposing stone building

with rushing water on 3 sides.

The mill is a listed Grade 2 building which means that it has to be rebuilt with the materials on the site and keeping everything original. Chris seems to find this exciting but I would find it a nightmare. Christine vacillates between the two.

The walls are thick stone and cannot be covered up even on the inside. So no insulation or plaster or anything.

Inside it is very dark and they can't put in additional windows.

My flash wasn't working so it was hard to get a shot of the mill workings inside. It was a flour mill and all the cogs and rods  and mechanics have to be retained in place.

Christine is trying to figure out what to do with the old millstones. She thinks maybe polish them up and put cushions on them as they are located in what will be the sitting room.

The back side of it is in ruins but all the materials are there to rebuild.

It has a slate roof and some of it will need to be replaced.

The old mill house (done up and occupied)  is next door and this little stone shed across the road.

We walked behind into the two fields that are part of the property. In this picture you can see the remains of the mill wheel. Chris plans to reopen the mill race and convert the old wheel to create electricity.

Hopefully we will get a brighter day and I will take better pictures.