North Wales – Anglesey
Menai straights and Beaumaris .
This trip to Anglesey (Ynys Môn), in North Wales (Cymru), brought us to an isolated Manor House called Henllys, a few miles from the Menai Bridge, tucked away in the hills above the quaint little village of Beaumaris
We checked into a two bed apartment run by HPB, with some stunning views over the Menai straights into North Wales and the Great Orme peninsular.
Bizarrely, and luckily for us, the weather turned out to be fantastic, mainly blue sky days interspersed with short lived weather fronts. This took us completely by surprise given as constant rain was forecast.
It was my first time to Anglesey, and the Menai Bridge was a sight to behold; built almost 200 years ago it was the worlds largest suspension bridge at the time, and still looks an imposing and solid structure.
Château Rhianfa
A short distance from Beaumaris, along the coast road towards the Menai bridge, is a rather special place called Château Rhianfa. We popped there on Thursday morning for coffee, and it turned out to be a real treat. It was a little pricey but well worth it!
Steeped in history, this place resembled a manor which wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Loire Valley in France…
Painstakingly restored and converted to a plush hotel and restaurant, this venue is a draw for weddings and similar events. The gardens were gorgeous and well manicured so, with the lush blue skies overhead, we just had to take a stroll after coffee.
The staff here were incredibly friendly and eager to tell us about the place; they also offered us a folder containing its history in lot more detail. Indeed when we read the book we discovered that this place did indeed take inspiration from French architecture, so our original hunch was correct…
Lady Doreen (otherwise known as Emma’s mum) was in her element!
There was so much to learn about this place, its owners Imperial past and its close ties with India.
Indeed, hidden under an old gramophone at the far end of the music room is a solitary diamond shaped tile (photograph below), which was ‘taken’ from Agra Fort in India when British forces decided to repurpose it into barracks in the early 1800’s. The white marble tile, inlaid with semi precious stones, was offered as a gift to Château Rhianfa’s owners by the Duke of Northumberland. Not the most glorious period of our history, when our forefathers (and their private armies) ransacked much of the empire, syphoning off anything of value whilst re-writing history in the process.
Around the Château there were countless other examples of architecture and items either influenced by, or taken from, the far flung corners of the globe, many of which had connections to the East India Company (and we all know how morally corrupt that organisation was).
Fascinating stuff!
Château Rhianfa is not alone in being an incredible place of interest, as there is a lot of history in this isolated corner of Wales, from the Druids and Romans, to shipwrecks, and religion.
Not far from here is another gem, the original grand design of Beaumaris Castle, built in the 1300s by King Edward I. It ended up only being only partially constructed on account of him having bigger fish to fry and running out of money!
The Gazelle Hotel is well worth a visit too. It can be found down a narrow road just opposite Garth Pier, stunning views of the straights and Menai Bridge in the distance… the hotel itself isn’t pretty but its location is stunning!
Other days saw us heading for Newborough Beach where we had to retreat to the car to avoid the threatening rain which didn’t materialise, but it was a tad windy! We sat down for lunch on a felled tree, next to some rocks in the lee of the wind. Not bad for a 90 year old (I’m not talking about the tree)!
Hannah joins us for the weekend.
As we approached the weekend, we were joined by Hannah, who travelled across from her base in Manchester.
Hannah shared a room with her grandma and we set about exploring the island a little more.
Easter Sunday brought with it some amazingly warm weather, so we headed for Red Wharf Bay and the Ship Inn for Sunday roast.
The place was buzzing, with live music entertaining the crowds and everyone out enjoying the sun.
When the tide is out Red Wharf Bay has the most extensive expanse of sand, allowing you to cross over to the other side… you have to be quick on your toes though as the tide waters can catch you out quickly leaving you with a long walk back!
Locals had turned up wearing easter bonnets…. some arty, others more sinister! I’m sure Mr Bunny will give children nightmares!
We rounded most evenings off with trips to the local village at Beaumaris, were there is an abundance of artist shops and makers markets, fish and chip shops, pubs and a great ice cream parlour.
The Great Escape.
Well with a grandmother, daughter and granddaughter all in the same close proximity (none of whom I am related to), I was feeling a little outnumbered….
It was time for me to hatch a plan to escape the coven!
So a short trip (2.5 hours south) to the Mid-Wales town of Newtown was arranged
Doug, a good friend of mine, has recently relocated here from Southampton, buying a beautiful new home in the centre of a rather quaint town in a very quiet corner of the country.
Well, if I’m honest, I had planned this short 24 hour “trip within a trip” as soon as I knew I was coming to Wales! How could I visit Wales without popping in to see Doug!
Leaving the island, I travelled south through the western parts of the Snowdonia national park, though the mountains and onto the rolling hills of mid-Wales.
I took one route down, and another route back. The roads were empty leading to a blissful driving experience.
I later discovered the reason why the roads are so empty!
95% of the entire Welsh population live in the red and amber parts of the map to the right. That leaves a lot of land free of traffic and people. There really are more sheep than humans in these parts!
I also discovered a little more why Doug might love it here…
The Mountains and Hills of North Wales, Scotland, Northern England and Ireland are geologically made of the same stuff that created the Appalachians back in his native USA. Home from home?
We had a great evening in the Sportsman, a local pub within staggering distance of his house; we managed to catch up on news and the 24 hour break allowed me to build up the courage to return to the coven…
Meanwhile – back in Anglesey
Whilst I was visiting Doug, the ladies tell me they had visited markets, explored museums, sought out ice cream and chip shops, and relaxed.
Hmmmmm….
Oh, and this one knows how to enjoy a Steve Backshall programme on telly.
Bank Holiday Monday.
We spent the morning with Hannah before she headed back to Manchester. We then headed up to the northern extreme of the island to explore.
Our first port of call was Rhoscolyn on Holy Island via some incredibly narrow roads, which made those in Cornwall look like motorways!
Here we went for a hike along the some footpaths stopping for lunch overlooking Ynys Defaid monument on the other side a shallow bay.
With the rest of the UK appearing to experience rain, this felt very much like a bonus day with wall to wall sunshine from mid-day onwards….
We headed off to South Stack lighthouse and the Blackwater Country Park near Holyhead, before heading back down the North Wales Expressway to the Menai Bridge and our apartment.
One final stop at the Menai Bridge before heading back for a swim, and sauna before our last night and trip back to London!
Scenic route home
We took the scenic route via the Snowdonia national park and Betws-y-Coed before stopping for lunch at Llangollen. We found the most beautiful pub called the Corn Mill, which provided top notch lunch at a reasonable price. The views from the pub are stunning, as the old Corn Mill sits alongside the River Dee.
A very late one!
Unfortunately after stopping at Shrewsbury for car fuel, a red light warning sign came up on my dashboard. The alternator had packed up, and with another four hours ahead of us to drive, it meant we had to call the AA for a lift home…
We had to swap trucks at Beaconsfield (due to driver hours being at their max), so it meant a 2am finish…. However, Doreen took it all in her stride, I guess it was something of an adventure!
Hints and Tips
As usual, I’ve included a few hints and tips.
Accommodation: Holiday Property Bond (HPB).
The two bedroomed apartment we stayed in was incredibly good value and worked out at £150 per person per week. It also didn’t cost us any Bond points as it was booked last minute…
HPB has amazing facilities which, at this venue (like most) include a sauna, steam room, swimming pool, bowling green, games rooms, snooker hall, study etc… It really does work out a great VFM, the catch is the upfront investment needed, but most people view it as a long term investment that can be passed onto children, or built on in order to acquire more points.
The beauty for us is that we shouldn’t need more points as we can book outside peak times, when fewer are needed; this avoids the ankle biters too.
This is my seventh trip in the past few years, and we have another one booked in June, when we are going away with my parents to Pembrokeshire, and another in December when the two of us are heading off to Austria for a week in a place that is quite literally ski-in and ski-out. I’ve created a link that consolidates the HPB holidays we’ve had here.
The venues are usually hidden away in quiet corners of the country, old manor houses that were derelict or even entire villages that have been abandoned, like the place we stayed in France that HPB had converted into multiple holiday cottages, each with their own unique character.
If Marks and Spencer did holidays, this would be it!
If you are interested in HPB
No one likes a pushy friend, or someone who lacks transparency. So this is a gentle introduction…
If you are interested in HPB, by clicking on the link it will automatically give YOU a £20 voucher – simply for requesting a brochure! We get a little reward for the introduction too.
The link is here request a brochure.
I have included one image not created by me or Emma, but by Cauldron Stock photos by Vecteezy