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!
The Travelling Ginger 