Anglesey plus other drives

I think like other parts of the county today started with rain. As today was a laundry day it did not really matter but we were very thankful for the car as we drove in the rain to Llangollen. We took the scenic route, however, unlike other days all we could see was a haze of clouds. After the launderette we took a random drive which my lack of navigational skills made us get very lost. Despite this we drove through some fantastic countryside of the Berwyn Mountain. This area has been called the ‘British Roswell’ as there was an alleged UFO crash in 1974. The mountains are very wild, remote and covered in heather which is a stark contrast from the lush green fields only a few miles away (will upload photos as soon as I can, my memory card is not working at the moment). On Wednesday we also took a random drive as it was really too wet for our planned walk, we found ourselves driving along a panoramic route along the valley above Llangollen and ended up in a village called Garth. As the clouds were dark overhead the contrast of the green was very striking.

Yesterday we drove all the way to Anglesey, what a fantastic drive through the Snowdonia National Park. The weather was good, however, we would often drive into a cloud and out of it again in a flash. Often the clouds in the distant obscured the views, then in a second we would turn a corner to see a vast expanse of countryside before us.

We first Stopped at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch which really is only famous for its name. Other than to take the obligatory photo and pop into the tourist shop there was no reason to visit. . We carried onto Holly Head where the only good thing about this town is that it is a gateway to somewhere else (Dublin). The houses were bland and different shades of grey, the shopping ‘high street’ was dead and the only remotely interesting part of Holly Head was looking at the ships. By this point in our journey I was very disappointed with Anglesey and dispute stopping at a beach and I could not think why anyone will want to visit, however, we then arrived at Beaumaris, which was lovely. A castle ruin, tea rooms all overlooking the tidal waterway which separates Anglesey from the rest of Wales and the mountains beyond. In fact, it reminded me of the lakes of Switzerland which are surrounded by mountains. I think we will be going back there if possible.

In the past week or so since we have had the car we have travelled over 500 miles. I am beginning to feel sorry for the little Nissan Micra, we have been up hills which only is possible in first gear, been down country roads and muddy lanes. It really has worked hard for us and is a far cry from the town driving it is used to. I bet it misses its little journeys to Waitrose.

Photos: Top is on the A5 near Llangollen, below is Snowdonia National Park, Station with the long name, Ferry from Holly Head and finally Beaumaris.