We have a family tradition of renting a cottage here for a week every year.
The whimsical Italianate village, conjured up by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis
between 1925 and 1978, and its beautiful estuary setting, where the
Snowdonia mountains meet the sea, are reasons enough to come. But even more
seductive to me are the 70 acres of adjoining woodland, Y Gwyllt (the wild
place), where towering rhododendrons, tree ferns and other exotics are
strewn over rocky outcrops and stream-fed valleys. It is a magical place,
luxuriant, silent and primeval, and is one of my favourite gardens on earth.
Portmeirion, the book, was published by Antique Collector's Club in 2006.
Various people contributed, including Jan Morris and Jools Holland, and I
wrote the chapter on the gardens.
www.portmeirion-village.com