Month: January 2022

Anglesey Day 4 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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Today we lost the chicken and gained a cat and a dog.. but more on that later!

We started the day by heading to Llanddwyn beach – a gorgeous stretch surrounded by dunes and forest, and views of Snowdonia and the Llyn Peninsula. At the end of the beach is Llanddwyn Island where there is so much to explore – you can spend hours here and it’s easy to see why it’s been voted one of Wales’ most beautiful places to visit. The island is named after St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers and the Welsh equivalent of St Valentine. The giant cross can be seen sitting proud towards the end of the island. There are also 2 lighthouses, both with Grade II status and the remains of St. Dwynwen’s Church – all of which are great to photograph. Llanddwyn Island is technically only an island at high tide as we found out, and this happens incredibly quickly 🤣 due to the very fast rising water, we had to whip the shoes and socks off and run. But my God the water was absolutely freezing – I dont know how people can happily swim in the sea in January! I’ve also recently found out that the beach is often frequented by nudists. Perhaps we should have stripped off and ran for it to save our trousers getting wet, although Santa would definitely have had a soggy sack!

Next stop was another hidden gem – the stepping stones across the tidal river, Afon Braint. Again we had another tide issue, and the middle 2 stones were under water 🤣 but it was so peaceful there. Due to them not being very well known and tucked away on the coastal path, we had it all to ourselves. On the way back to the car we acquired not one, not two, but three cats! And they followed us all the way back to Leon down the A4080. I was very tempted to keep them all to be a new friend for Misty.

All the tidal trauma from today made us gagging for a latte, so we headed to Jollys in Beaumaris for a drink and a Welsh cake. They were incredible! In the summer you can take boats from here to Puffin Island, but we had to settle for a walk around the outside of the castle as it was closing 🤣 this is definitely somewhere I would like to return when there is a bit more life about it and more things are open as it is full of cute shops and cafes.

Our final stop for today was Penmon Lighthouse, marking the passage between Black Point and Puffin Island. It was here we met Santa’s spirit animal. Out of nowhere came a dog carrying a John Smiths beer can and she followed us for the entire time we were there! I tried to throw a stick for her instead but all she wanted was the can. As the light was beginning to go we left our new 4 legged friend and headed back to base to get changed ready for our last supper at The Oyster Catcher. The food there was delicious so would definitely recommend here if you are in the area!

Anglesey day 3 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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Chilly weather and another nosey chicken greeted us this morning. After a hearty egg breakfast we packed up the car ready for our first walk of the day at South Stack lighthouse. Unfortunately the lighthouse itself is currently closed, but you still get great views of it from the RSPB carpark. From here we fired up the AllTrails and set out for the summit of Holyhead mountain. It starts with a gentle stroll overlooking the sea – there’s something so calming about a coastal walk. It’s just so peaceful! As we got closer to the top, the terrain became a little more uneven, but we were treated with great views over Holyhead and the Snowdon range in the distance. After bagging another trig it was time to head back down. Unfortunately the route we took meant Momma and Poppa had their first experience of scrambling. A lot of twitchy arse, a few choice words and ‘where shall I step’ later, we reached flatter land and went back to the RSPB centre where a latte and a massive slab of bara brith was waiting for us.

As with all good Airbnb’s, ours is full of leaflets and books with lots of inspo. Hidden Anglesey gave us the idea to go to Soldier Point House – because who doesn’t love a ‘reclaimed by nature’ photo! Constructed in 1849 and destroyed by fire in 2012, the eerie shell of the former hotel stands unloved and neglected, but ready and waiting for those with an interest in architecture and abandoned buildings.

Back to the Leon and off to another beach. Aberffraw Bay is a lovely sandy beach that definitely blew the cobwebs away. It also offers great views across the Snowdon range and is definitely somewhere I would be happy to sit with a chippy tea on a nice summers day. There is also an extensive range of sand dunes and is doggy friendly. This however means you are dodging poo 💩 as owners seem to think it’s ok to not clean it up…

Another recommendation was St Cwyfan’s Church – a Grade II listed medieval building known as ‘The little church in the sea’. Parking is basically non-existent and we spent a good 10 minutes driving up and down trying to find somewhere to leave Leon. Eventually we found a little pull in and left him there, with everything crossed an angry local didn’t attack him! We got to the church at low tide which meant we could walk along the causeway to it, and the remoteness of it meant we were the only people there to enjoy this special place. You can even get married here!

Our final stop was The Oyster Catcher for a gin and a beer. Santa enjoyed a Conwy beer – I would ask him for a review but he has spent most of the evening fast asleep! We are going back here for dinner tomorrow so very much looking forward to that!

Santa is now half awake 🎅🏻 but all he can manage is ‘very good’. I don’t think he would make a very good beer reviewer 🤣

Anglesey Day 2 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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This morning we had a delicious scrambled egg breakfast courtesy of the chickens who live on the farm where we are staying. One even decided to stand at the door and watch us, however she soon let us know how she felt about it by taking a turd on the doorstep. This act however could have been at the sight of Santa dressed head to toe in Lincoln City attire.

It wasn’t the speediest of starts this morning, as Huw and his massive lorry was blocking the exit to the road 🤦🏼‍♀️ but when we eventually got going we headed for our first abandoned destination; Parys Mountain. This is actually far from a mountain as it’s an ancient copper mine. Coming here makes you feel like you’re walking on another planet! Everywhere you go you’re surrounded by vibrant oranges, yellows, reds and purples. It’s amazing to think this landscape was shaped by miners using nothing more than picks, shovels and gunpowder. There is a viewpoint close to the carpark where you can get an idea of the size of the place, but we recommend you make time to take one of the many networks of paths around this weird and wonderful location.

Our next destination was another abandoned treat – Porth Wen Brickworks. It’s true what they say, the parking is terrible! But we managed to get a space on a layby on the A5025 and started the walk to find this ‘Gramable’ treat. It did involve a bit of mud and climbing over a gate, but it was definitely worth it when you get there. The ruins of the chimneys, factory buildings and kilns create an eerie backdrop to this pretty cove. It’s just such a shame that when people decide to camp here, they also decide to leave their tents as well.

Next stop was Camaes, the most Northerly village in Wales. By this point we were all desperate to use the facilities, however they all require you to fork out 20p! Who even carries coins these days 🤣 luckily the lady in the local newsagents helped us out with a bit of cashback in exchange for a KitKat chunky. I wouldn’t have minded.. but they didn’t even have toilet roll! I think the dull weather made this stop not particularly inviting, so we jumped in the Leon and headed for the Menai Bridge. This enormous bridge was built without scaffolding! So it is clear to see why it’s known as one of the great industrial wonders of the 19th century.

After a quick whip round Waitrose (posh for holiday!) we headed to out final destination for today… Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch. Momma got her camera out in the shop to take a photo of the sign, and the lady in the shop was less than impressed (although the fact it was 5 minutes until closing time probably didn’t help 🤣) luckily there was plenty of other signs outside to grab a photo of.

Tonight we’ve enjoyed bangers and mash made by my own fair hands and a glass of wine in front of the fire… cheers 🥂

The return to Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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Another bit of annual leave for me means another Welsh adventure! As much as I desperately miss my city breaks abroad, I’m loving seeing parts of the world a lot closer to home, and enjoying the beauty that is Britain.

We’re staying in Anglesey in a converted pig sty (obvs) and opted for a pit stop en route in Llangollen. Thanks to the AllTrails we were able to whip up the rather steep hill to Castell Dinas Brân. It was pretty windy up there, but the medieval ruins were a great place to explore and take in the surrounding views. Unfortunately the way back down was also on the steep (and muddy) side, but thanks to the trusty poles, we all made it down in one piece.

As we love to cram loads in to our days, and as the light was thinking of leaving us, we popped to the Co-Op for a quick sustenance stop before heading to another cheeky waterfall. Praise the Lord for the £3.50 meal deal 🤣

The last stop before the roadtrip to Angelsey was Horseshoe Falls. It has been awarded Canal World Heritage so I had high hopes! Unfortunately it’s a half circular weir, at the bottom of a grassy slope. It is however a very peaceful place and one where I would be very happy to have a picnic (should have thought about this before we gobbled the meal deal in the car in the car park)

Top tip for Airbnbers- arrive at your destination in daylight when the instructions are a bit confusing. We originally pulled into a questionable estate with equally questionable youths. But after lots of driving around incredibly lost and a few phone calls later, we found our home for the next 5 days.