VISITORS to the small, but world-famous, Welsh town of Llangollen will notice something unusual about it straight away.
The picturesque river, the plumes of steam rising from the railway, the horse-drawn barge slipping slowly up the canal all belie the knowledge of a previous invasion of the town.
But the road signs remain as a warning - Daleks have been found in these parts. Nestling up close to the red Welsh dragon symbol, and the blue parking P, are Daleks.
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Unable to resist their lure, I set off on the trail of the wheeled threat, to see what might be in store. My journey started from the town centre, where an unusual selection of shops greets the tourist.
From Mushroom World's display of personalised fungi to a range of feline gifts in Wholly Cats, and on to a vast selection of teddy bears in Paws 4 Bears, the town offers a unique range of gifts and curios.
The shops were just around the corner from our very own Tardis for the weekend - Gales of Llangollen. Cleverly disguised as a wine bar and bistro, this bed and breakfast opens up across the upper floors of the adjoining gift shop, to offer spacious accommodation.
HIDDEN TREASURES: Steam trains and canals
Ours, set in the low, timber eaves, included a comfortable living room and en-suite bathroom, as well as a spacious double bedroom complete with large iron bedstead.
Gales also served up some great home-cooked food, with an ever-changing blackboard to choose from and its own wine menu - complete with pictures and tasting notes. This is a bistro very much in the 1980s sense of the word, with comfort from the past appearing on the menu in the form of steak and chips, prawn cocktails and gooey puddings.
The servings are on the large side and, because the place is so popular, there's plenty of sharing tables going on in the welcoming and informal dining area. The bar area also doubles up as the breakfast room, with a full buffet-style continental breakfast laid out at the weekend.
But it was time to get back to the Dalek trail, and, from the shopping area, the signs continued to direct me across the river and along a road where the canal, famous for the feat of engineering that is the aqueduct, sits on one side and the steam railway on the other.
These landmarks of industrial heritage are still attracting visitors, all these years on, with regular trips available on both the canal and trains. Hats off to canal engineer Thomas Telford - and then this short dip into time-travel led me on towards the riverside car park . . . which promised the Daleks.
And at the end of the signed route? It was disappointing to discover that The Doctor Who Experience is now closed. Looking through the door, I could see the legacy: "Experience another dimension in time" . . . the discarded leaflets and some broken furniture - all that's now left from the Daleks' invasion.
But what this now-closed tourist attraction couldn't fulfil, the town itself can manage - time travel in various forms and a richly varied weekend break.
Wales: Time travelling to Llangollen
