It’s the end of our second week on Anglesey, much cooler (15
C daytime temperatures) and changeable but with good spells of sunshine, so we’ve
been out again exploring as well as thoroughly enjoying all the animals we’re
looking after.
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| Jackie with Lloyd, her old university friend |
During our time here things are changing in the world, the
Syrian refugee crisis is in full swing with Europe seemingly unable to reach
any agreement in how to tackle it, Jeremy Corbyn has been elected to leader of
the UK Labour party, causing a huge interest in politics, which can only be a
good thing, our friends Simon and Diane, who we met in Vietnam last November
have returned from their year away and, on a more personal level, we have
arranged a Solihull Mountaineering Club ski trip to St Jean D’Aulps for next
March, staying at our friends Simon and Cassie’s chalet, just down the hill
from where we’ll be staying for the next ski season. Things are coming together
and, tomorrow we leave Anglesey without seeing Ken and Angela and drive down to
see Richard and Judith for our month or so stay at Redmarley D’Abitot.
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| Ginge and Tomas |
We’ll be sad not to see Ken and Angela return from their
holiday in Scotland, but they don’t expect to be back in Anglesey until about
5pm and, by then we need to be down in Redmarley, so need to leave here about
1:00pm, leaving dogs dozing on the sofas, Bobbie chatting away in his cage and
the cats in and out through the kitchen window as they want. It’ll seem strange
not seeing them and we’ll be really sorry to leave here, despite the full
house.
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| Bobbie carefully takes a piece of pear from Jackie |
Not only have we met many very friendly locals who have made us very
welcome, we’ve become quite attached to all the animals here. Minnie had to
come on the bed a shivering wreck in the middle of last night following a clap
of thunder, Jackie found the way to Bobbie’s heart when she found how partial he
is to apple and pears, taking a piece gently from her hand when she happened to
walk in with a piece and she has really bonded with the cats, particularly old
Ginge, who just wants fuss and strokes and for Jackie to brush him.
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| And thoroughly enjoys it! |
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| Caernarfon Castle |
Since last weekend the high pressure moved away, we had some
rain over the weekend and on Monday so Jackie decided the time was right to
contact her old university friend Lloyd and drive into Bangor to meet up with
him. I went along to keep her company, hear all her reminiscences as we drove
round town and to give her an ‘out’ just in case the conversation didn’t flow
freely with someone she hasn’t see for nearly 30 years. In the end it wasn’t a
problem, we met in a pub in the town, drank coffee, had some lunch, Jackie had
a good catch up with her old friend and we learnt a lot about travelling Europe
in a campervan, which is what he does a lot of now he has retired.
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| Inside the castle, showing the circular platform of the investiture |
Better weather from Tuesday onwards meant we were out every
day, but back around 3:30pm each day to take doggies for their daily walks over
the forestry. We had a plan of things we wanted to see and now the weeks over
we haven’t seen them all, but we’ve had a good stab at it, we’ll just have to
come back again, maybe even stopping here again next year if Ken and Angela ask
us.
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| The Eagle Tower at the castle |
On Tuesday we visited Caernarfon castle, just across the Menai
Straits on the mainland and what a great visit that was. The town is
fascinating in itself and the monumental castle, build by Edward I in the
thirteenth century is fabulous and well worth a visit, the additional benefit
for me was that I got a senior citizen discount. The circular platform used for
the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969 is still in the
open area in the centre of the castle and we had great views from the tops of
the towers of the town, Anglesey and the mountains of Snowdonia, the many
climbs of spiral staircases gave us the added benefit of a good workout too!
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| At the ruined windmill on Parys Mountain |
On Wednesday we visited Parys Mountain, just inland from
Amlwch, north-east Anglesey, which is a huge old copper mining area, both open
cast and deep mines. Doesn’t sound appealing, but it was very interesting, the
wild scenery of brightly coloured acidic rock, equally bright lichens and acid
tolerant purple heather growing in abundance, the ruined mining buildings,
rusting machinery, even an old windmill and vast open cast holes in the ground.
It’s really ‘other worldly’ and, apparently an episode of Dr Who was filmed
here, depicting him landing on an alien planet, as long as you get the angles
right and keep out the blue sea, green rolling hills and modern wind turbines
in the distance we can quite see it!
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| One of the old open cast mines at Parys Mountain |
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| The bay near Pentraeth |
Had a quick chat with a couple who turned up in a campervan
of the type we envisage buying at some point and quizzed them about their van
and their experiences and then we headed off east along the coast to a place
called Pentraeth to follow part of a published circular walk to the coast and
back. Met more friendly local people who told us about an excellent 12 mile coastal
walk from Amlwch to Cemaes that we should do (have to leave it until a future
visit), before returning to get sleeping dogs excited for their walk!
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| Coastal walk at Pentraeth |
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| The WI building in LlanfairPG, formed on 16th September 1915 |
We had seen the building where the first Womens Institute in
the UK meet, but never actually stopped to take a photo, decided we would, just
as Steve Wright on Radio2 announced it was the 100th anniversary of
the first meeting today, just as we were passing, so it seemed only right to pop
in for a chat and a look at their museum. Was disappointed not to be offered tea
and biscuits despite the plate of biscuits on the table! Perhaps we are just
not the right sort!
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| Some old WI memorabilia in their museum |
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| Waiting for our boat (in the distance) at Beaumaris quay |
For yesterday we had planned a visit to Beaumaris castle and
a drive and walk out to Trwyn Du, the point in the north east of the island
overlooking Puffin Island, but when we got to Beaumaris our plans changed. Instead
we took a 1.5 hour boat trip on the Island Princess boat to and round Puffin
Island after speaking to someone in a kiosk at the harbour. Jackie got me
another senior citizen discount while I parked the car and we joined quite a
few others at the quayside for a great trip with two very knowledgeable and
able guides. We managed to see seals, shags, cormorants and many other birds
(but no puffins) on Puffin Island, now a bird sanctuary, plus a couple of
porpoises swimming around the Perch Rock lighthouse.
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| Seals on the beach of Puffin Island |
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| Puffin Island |
Instead of visiting Beaumaris castle (once you’ve seen one
you’ve seen them all – but it did look really good) we visited the old courthouse
and the old gaol on recommendation of the guy in the kiosk (that was after
going for hot chocolate in a tea shop and bumping into the couple with the
campervan we’d seen the day before), both really interesting and well
worthwhile. We’ve come a long way since the mid 1800’s, life was pretty cruel and
hard in those days!
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| Perch Rock lighthouse |
Today is a day in with all the animals to catch up with
things, write the blog and start packing and cleaning ready for our trip out of
here tomorrow. See you in Redmarley D’Abitot…
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| That there is a porpoise swimming close to the lighthouse |
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| Jackie listening to the audio commentary in the old courthouse at Beaumaris |
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| Sionyn and Tomas sharing a moment, showing dogs and cats can get on |
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| Minnie sitting on Sionyn, who doesn't mind a bit |
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| 'Old girl' Cassie showing that she can still act like a puppy! |
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| Tomas decided the new towels provided for us were much more comfortable than his bed. We used different towels! By the way, that's not a real duck! |
