Wales Little Italy. Any one been? How to get in?

mickledore

mickledore

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This might be a thread for @Alan Clogwyn or possibly Andy @viewfromthenorth

This place keeps cropping up, and I keep meaning to have a looksee. I know more or less where it is. It is supposedly not open to the public any more, but word on the street is that the local dog walking fraternity go in there all the time. There's no shortage of images taken in there so I presume access is pretty easy. I've been poring over OS Maps and Google Earth but they are not a lot of use. Google Earth doesn't even go down the road in front of it, and the 1:10,00 map doesn't show all the little local cut throughs that will be used.

So, has anyone on here been inside, and if so are there any pointers as to how/where acees can be gained?

If this weather holds I'm planning a trip over there next Saturday, but as it's getting on for a 3 hour drive I'd like to know that I won't be wasting my time!
 
You make it sound as myterious as the Village in The Prisoner, but all I can find is a closed pizza restaurant in Durham. We've got a Little Italy in London if it helps.
 
Retune said:
You make it sound as myterious as the Village in The Prisoner, but all I can find is a closed pizza restaurant in Durham. We've got a Little Italy in London if it helps.
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Well it's not too far from The Prisoner village.
When I get back to my PC I'll post some links/images.
 
Mr Perceptive said:
Sound like its actually in someone's garden, original owner (and builder of village) died in 2012, it might be a permission visit, rather than an entrance through an open gate!!
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Trawling the interweb I found comments about dog walkers regularly going in, and I have found another Flickr page from a couple of weeks ago taken by someone who wouldn't trespass anywhere on private property, so entry must be relatively easy - if I can find it.
 
Yes, I've seen that map but it only says the place exists. Can't see how to get in, unless my knowledge of Welsh is not what it was.
 
This Corris Hostel site mentions “Italian Gardens” and has phone numbers and email address for the hostel.
 
Mr Perceptive said:
OK, I claim the beer token now :beer:, here is a map, showing paths and showing location of Little Italy - Point H on the map......... (its even in English (and Welsh))!!!!

http://providerfiles.thedms.co.uk/eandamedia/MW/1034649_2_1.pdf
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Well, well.....there's several of my photographs on the that leaflet, so I should know all about Little Italy, shouldn't I?:cool:

To be honest I didn't realise it was called anything, and as far as I'm aware it isn't something that you need to get into. It's just a house and garden by the side of a minor road......... the best photographs are taken from the road IIRC.

But Corris generally is a really graet location if you like industrial remains.

_MG_5957.jpg

Don't imagine you can get into any of those buildings! They are built to scale. :)
 
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jerry12953 said:
Well, well.....there's several of my photographs on the that leaflet, so I should know all about Little Italy, shouldn't I?:cool:

To be honest I didn't realise it was called anything, and as far as I'm aware it isn't something that you need to get into. It's just a house and garden by the side of a minor road......... the best photographs are taken from the road IIRC.

But Corris generally is a really graet location if you like industrial remains.

View attachment 139295

Don't imagine you can get into any of those buildings! They are built to scale. :)
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Yes. I realised they are to scale!!!
Did you know your photos are on the leaflet?
So, from what you say just a walk up the road will give good viewpoint?

Seems like a goer. Might include the rest of Corris if I'm making the journey.
 
Looks a bit overgrown in the photos.
 
mickledore said:
Yes. I realised they are to scale!!!
Did you know your photos are on the leaflet?
So, from what you say just a walk up the road will give good viewpoint?

Seems like a goer. Might include the rest of Corris if I'm making the journey.
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Well I've been a bit confused about the place to be honest. I couldn't remember going in to the garden until I saw the pics in the Flickr link that you posted, then it started to come back to me. But it was more than five years ago and even then I recall it being more overgrown than in 2007. If the owner died in 2012, I wonder what state it is in now? There was no security at all, i just walked in. I think, to be honest I didn't do the place justice in my photographs.

Yes, the photos I took were for a series of leaflets on the area surrounding Machynlleth. It was the last paid job I've done. There's a Craft Centre on the main road at Corris which might have the leaflets but I doubt it will be open at this time of year. If you search for Discovering the Dyfi / Darganfod Dyfi you might find them.

Lower Corris is quite photogenic generally, as is Aberllefenni, a bit further on up the side valley on the right. If you take a left in Aberllefenni and keep going up and up, you eventually get to the top where there is a small parking area ; stop there and five minutes walk away you are at CAD East for low-flying jets. (Monday - Friday.....).

My favourite discovery was an abandoned "village" around Ratgoed Hall (OS 780.120) but its quite a trek to get there.

_MG_6038.jpg

I'm sure you'd find the area interesting.
 
Thanks. I suspect the visitor centre will be closed. The railway is closed now for the season and their car park seems to be the only available spcae!
The plan was to go past/through Little Italy nd then up to Abercorris/Cwmodin.
I've seen some pictures taken in October and the site doesn't look too bad. If I don't go I'll never find out!
Google Earth seems to show cars parked a long way up the road to Ratgoed, but how easy access is remains to be seen.
Not sure how time will pan out, but there definitley won't be time for the Mach Loop, but as they tend not to fly on Saturdays that is immaterial.
 
jerry12953 said:
Well, well.....there's several of my photographs on the that leaflet, so I should know all about Little Italy, shouldn't I?:cool:

To be honest I didn't realise it was called anything, and as far as I'm aware it isn't something that you need to get into. It's just a house and garden by the side of a minor road......... the best photographs are taken from the road IIRC.

But Corris generally is a really graet location if you like industrial remains.

View attachment 139295

Don't imagine you can get into any of those buildings! They are built to scale. :)
Click to expand...

Well since I recognise the two as San Stefano in Bologna and the spiral staircase (Bovolo IIRC) in Venice as I have visited the real ones already this year, I can't see much attraction going there, especially in that state....
 
welshwizard645 said:
Well since I recognise the two as San Stefano in Bologna and the spiral staircase (Bovolo IIRC) in Venice as I have visited the real ones already this year, I can't see much attraction going there, especially in that state....
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Think you've missed the point by some distance.

jerry12953 said:
I didn't realise they were models of actual buildings.......:)
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Really?

jerry12953 said:
I'm thinking I may have to revisit the place myself....
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Well I'm still planning on going on Saturday. This weather is supposed to have blown over by then.
 
It occupies the hillside garden of a private house.

Certain of the follies can be inspected from the unsurfaced track passing the frontage of the property, on which track there is public right of way on foot. The track connects with a single-track public road, but parking nearby is limited or non-existent and the best bet might be the Craft Centre by the main road just across the narrow valley. About a quarter mile north of the Centre there's a footbridge across the river. Various circuits can be done on foot.
 
Did you ever go Frank? I've never heard of it till now.
 
Alan, no. Never went. Weather has been too crap for me to set out on a 2.5 hour journey. I want to go up into the quarry behind the place but that's somewhat overgrown and don't want to be continually drenched from overhanging branches.
I've not ruled it out and as soon as we get some settled weather I'll be coming down. Are you interested? I can let you know through here or maybe by text if you'd prefer. Suspect it won't be till March at the earliest, unless you want to go sooner. I'm free most weekends.
 
Might pop down with the girlfriend at the weekend for a look at access, I'll let you know - if it's a nice day I suspect she'd rather we got on with finishing a fence we started before Christmas!
 
From what I can gather the site is right next to the road and you can get a good view of nearly everything without having to enter the property. The biggest problem appears to be car parking. There is a visitor centre of sorts, and the heritage railway, both of whose car parks can be used at this time of year when the grockles are absent.
 
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