We holidayed on the Isle of Anglesey - an island in Wales, off the mainland's northwest coast acessed via 2 road bridges.
We started off by visiting
Bodnant Garden, a National Trust property. This is a world-famous garden spanning 80 acres. It has
two parts: the upper garden surrounds Bodnant House, a 1792 build
remodelled by Pochin, and consists of terraced gardens and lawns and the lower section, or the Dell, comprising of the valley of the River
Hiraethlyn, and forms a picturesque wild garden. I loved the magical Dell,
with its acres of green giant woodlands, riverbank and waterfall. In
fact, some of the tallest Redwood trees in Britain can be found around
the Dell. The steeply sided informal area contrasts wonderfully with the
architectural nature of the terraced upper gardens. The location is
unbeatable, too; Bodnant Garden boasts spectacular views across
Snowdonia.
We then drove to our holiday cottage and straight away we went to the beach for a quick paddle.
For out first day then visited South Stack.
Here is one of the most famous lighthouses on the island, which you can visit if you can face the 400 steps down from the island, as
well as the South Stack Cliffs RSPB Reserve, where we saw
guillemots, puffins and razorbills.
We then had another quick visit to the beach!
The next morning was spent at
Plas Newydd, a country house on the Menai Strait. The girls enjoyed the playground in the woods
We then had a game of Frisbee Golf before exploring the house and grounds.
On the way back to our cottage we stopped off at Rhosneiger beach as my Mum had been their as a child! It was OK but mainly full of kite surfers! We preferred our local beach!
The following day in a rare day of rain this summer we climbed Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 meters. Sadly there was no view at the top, but as we descended the rain stopped and the clouds began to clear.
The following day we also grey so we drove back to the mainland for the husband, I and E to do down the fastest
zipline in the world!
We then drove to
Newborough Warren, where you walk through a beautiful pine forest to a beach which then at low tide means you can walk to Llanddwyn Island. For centuries rabbits have grazed here (hence the term ‘Warren’),
helping to maintain a species-rich habitat. In the 1950s myxomatosis
drastically reduced their numbers leaving the dunes in a vulnerable
condition, no longer able to support plants and animals. However, rabbit
numbers are slowly increasing, and they now graze side by side with
horses, helping to keep the dunes healthy by controlling unwanted
vegetation.
Wednesday's treat was for my parents, G and myself went on a
rib ride to the Skerries. Our 2 hour boat tour took us to the rocky islets, The Skerries and then afterwards over to South Stack which we had previously visited on foot. We saw such a variety of wildlife - arctic turns, puffins, seals as well as caves and cliffs making a breathtaking backdrop.
That afternoon, we walked up to Holyhead mountain!
Our last full day saw E, P and myself going for a
ribride to Puffin Island - this one has a lower minimum age as it doesn't go so far out to open sea compared to the Skerries Island trip. I loved looking a the beautiful houses on the edge of the Menai Straight! We were so lucky to see a variety of sea birds including puffins and seals and a pair of harbor porpoises.
We then visited Beaumaris on the east coast. We got an ice-cream from the award winning
Red Boat Ice cream
before exploring the beautiful castle of Beauarmis. Edward I of England completed his conquest of Wales, with the construction of Beaumaris Castle beginning in 1295. This
is how the town got its name – the workers on the castle were mostly
French, and they referred to the marshland of the area as les beaux
marais, “the beautiful marshes”. Beaumaris Castle was designed by the
master stonemason, James of St George and is considered the finest example of a
concentric castles. Unfortunately, it was never completed as funds were diverted to
help finance Edward’s invasion of Scotland.
