Thursday 27th July
It was raining for our last morning in Liverpool so there was no early morning walk. Instead, we got on the road a bit earlier than planned for our tip down to Beaumaris, Wales. We made one stop on the way and this was at the 13th Century Conwy Castle. You would have thought it was the weekend by the crowd that was there but this must just be what school holidays are like in this area. The Castle cuts a rather dramatic site in the landscape from the moment it comes into view and is considered one of the most impressive medieval fortresses in all of Europe. The Castle and the unbroken 1.3km ring of city wall is a most imposing structure on the Harbour front at Conway. Apparently King Edward I, and his architect Master James of St George, built both castle and city walls in just four years (1283 – 1287) and it was just one of many built by the King in his effort to conquer northern Wales. We spent about an hour walking through the Castle ruins before heading on to our lodging at Beaumaris.
Our accommodation for the next 3 nights was sourced through AirBnB and was a 2 bedroom loft apartment located in a terrace building across from the seafront in the small village of Beaumaris. Beaumaris has a population of approximately 1,121 (as of the 2021 census) and is located on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales which has an overall population of about 69,000. The apartment was lovely and clean and in a great location, near the village shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs, making a pleasant change from the Liverpool apartment that we had ditched. It didn’t have parking but there was a council parking lot just a 3 minute walk away. The apartment was modern, light filled and clean and offered great views out over the Menai Strait from the windows in the kitchen and lounge area. This was a place you would be very happy to while away the time of an evening or if you couldn’t be bothered to venture out. I spent time on the couch blogging and reading with the lovely water view as a backdrop.
We dropped our bags after our arrival and went for a walk to source a few breakfast items and couldn’t get over the number of tourists in the area. There were huge buses pulling up and disgorging them, with their tour guides, onto the narrow village streets. It is clearly a popular area to visit so that was encouraging for us. We had a wander around the village and then a rest back at the apartment before heading out for dinner at Pier House, just around the corner from our apartment. The food was pretty ordinary but the view was great but, oh, the dogs inside the restaurant again 🙁
There was a lot of activity out on the Pier whilst we were eating our dinner so we thought we would go and investigate afterwards. It seems that ‘crabbing’ is a big thing in this region. Apparently there are loads of small crabs in the waters here and these are easily caught using a lure of bacon inside a small mesh bag. The joy seems to come from the catch as they are always thrown back into the water at the end of a session. That was a pleasant way to cap off a rather full day.
Friday 28th July
It was a grey and gloomy morning that greeted us for our first full day in Wales but at least it wasn’t raining. Mark got out for a bike ride and I got out for a walk before we set off at around 9 am for a drive to explore the southern part of the island.
Our first stop was just a quick one to a village just 10 minutes down the road but this place holds the mantle of fame for having the longest name in Europe and the second longest in the world. This is the village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Imagine having to write that out whenever filling in online forms!
From there we travelled further south to the windswept beach area of Newborough where we were surprised to see a family of four dragging boogie boards out of their car. It was 16 degree out of the water, but with added wind chill, and the water looked even colder and quite uninviting. Give me Bondi Beach any day!
We headed back along the road, the way we had just come, to Plas Newydd as by then it was nearing the 10:30 am opening time. Plas Newydd, or new place, is a substantial country home located on the banks of the Menai Strait. The current gothic structure dates back to the early 16th Century but this replaced an earlier Tudor home that dated back to 1470. The house has been home to the families of the various Marquess of Anglesey until the 7th Marquess gave the home to the care of the National Trust. However, with this arrangement, the family have kept possession of a top floor apartment which is in the care of the current 8th Marquess of Anglesey. He is an man in his early 70s and resides in London though so his son, daughter-in-law and young grandchild currently occupy the apartment. It was interesting to wander the large but rather run-down rooms of this grand building where restoration work continues. Neither of us think it was worth the 11 GBP p/p entry price though as, yet again, information was scant and I had to search Google for all the details that I was after. We both feel we could consult to these institutions to guide them about how best to curate their exhibitions.
We headed home for lunch with a stop at Waitrose to source some dinner supplies as we were a bit sick of paying lots of money for stodgy food. Our first activity for the afternoon was a 2 hr boat cruise with Seacoast Safaris and we did the Puffin Island and Menai Strait cruises sandwiched together. The vessel was an open top boat, which meant it was very windy, but thankfully it wasn’t raining. There were about 16 passengers and 3 dogs; yes, you read that correctly. Why anyone would take a dog on a boat cruise is beyond me. Anyway, it was a most interesting journey inspecting the coastline, coastal homes, buildings and bridges from the water and we even got to see a few of the quite rare puffins. This was definitely an activity that I think is worth doing if you’re ever in this part of the world.
Our boat docked back at the Pier just after 3 pm so we used the rest of the late afternoon to visit the 13th Century Beaumaris Castle, which was just across the road from the Pier and around the corner from our apartment. This was another defensive Castle that had been commissioned by King Edward I and designed by his architect Master James of St George. Sadly, the Castle had earned the nickname of the ‘greatest Castle never built’ as funds dried up and the project couldn’t be completed. The Castle was built on flat marshy land giving the area its name as Beaumaris translates to ‘fine marsh’ and the absence of cliffs and water ways allowed for free design which resulted in what has been described by one historian as Britain’s most perfect example of symmetrical concentric planning. What remains of the Castle today is very impressive and Mark said he enjoyed looking around this one rather than yesterday’s Conwy Castle. We’d had a rather full and very interesting day so we were glad to get back to the lovely loft space for a night in and some home cooking.
Saturday 29th July
There was sunshine for our last day in Beaumaris but unfortunately there was a lot of wind as well. An early shower meant that Mark couldn’t get out for a ride but the sun wasn’t far behind. Our plan for the day was to travel over to the western side of the island and do a bit of exploring and a walk so we set off at around 9 am for Holy Island, so named due to the large number of religious burial sights and stone patterns on the island.
I had read that there was a pleasant coastal walk from the South Stack Lighthouse to the North stack, which was about a 5 mile route, and that’s what we planned to attempt for the day. Bear in mind that based on my reading I was expecting a path, perhaps just gravel, but along the lines of the Bondi to Bronte walk. It ended up being a bit of uphill and down Dale that involved the odd rock scramble here and there and was nothing like I had been expecting. There were spectacular views along the way but it was one of those walks where you spend quite a lot of time watching your feet, making sure you don’t stumble on the rocks, rather than watching the scenery. It was an enjoyable outing though and one that I would suggest is worthwhile attempting but at least YOU all now known what to expect.
From there, we headed towards home but skirted up and around the northern part of Anglesea where we made a stop at Cemaes Bay, which was very beautiful, and a little bit further along at the Ship Inn at Red Wharf Bay where Mark had a beer. Apparently Red Wharf Bay gets its name from a Viking battle back in the 12th century where spilled blood turned all the water red. This was another coastal area that was very pretty though, and there wasn’t as much wind in this part of the island, making for calm waters where lots of people were swimming and children were playing in the vast expanse of shallow water. It was a lovely scene to take in.
After that we headed home with another stop at Waitrose for dinner supplies as we planned to dine in again tonight. I had one final walk around the shops, and inspected the local markets, whilst Mark had a final beer at the pub. We had enjoyed our short visit to this area of Wales despite the mixed weather. Anglesey in Wales is a most picturesque part of the world and, given that it is a small island surrounded by water, you are never too far from lovely inlets, rocky coves, long windswept beaches or small fishing villages. There is also beautiful scenery from the lush pastureland, dotted with farm animals, that roll down in various parts to meet the waterfront. It is really a very special place for a laid back and relaxing holiday and the loft we stayed in would be an ideal accommodation choice.
