A seaside escape...

Don't you just love that feeling, when all your bags are packed and you hit the road ready for an adventure? That is the feeling I had recently when I set off to spend just over a week in Anglesey, one of my favourite places in the world to unwind. We were staying in a traditional Welsh cottage which belongs to our friends, the cottage has been sympathetically restored and there is a cosy wood burning stove to snuggle up in front of at night. Perfect! I was so excited because I have not had a real holiday for some considerable time, most of my trips recently have been work related so this was a chance to relax as things have been pretty hectic lately. 

Anglesey is just heaven, with breathtaking beaches and sweeping mountain views to Snowdonia across the Menai Straits. We were staying close to Newborough, a village which has a breathtaking beach and forest. Newborough Forest has some amazing forest trails, so every day we went walking through the forest to the beach where we had a picnic and spent the afternoon relaxing and swimming on some of the sunnier days. It is remarkable because I have always felt such a connection to Anglesey and there is so much inspiration everywhere you look, which is so important to me as a writer. I am hoping to live there one day in the future, in a cottage by the sea, but until then I will content myself with visiting as often as possible.

On Sunday, we drove up to another of our favourite beaches, Cable Bay or Porth Trecastell as it is also known, which is a popular spot for surfers and kayakers. We got some delicious ice cream from Mon Ar Lwy, a local company which make their own ice cream on their farm in nearby Bodorgan. I had one scoop of blueberry and one of honeycomb whilst my partner had tropical cheesecake and blueberry. This was some of the best ice cream I have ever tasted, so creamy and with natural and intense flavours. The fact that this ice cream was of local provenance made it taste even better as I love to support independent producers. 

After that amazing ice cream, we walked up to the top of Cable Bay, where the Neolithic burial site of Barclodiad y Gawres is situated. This historic site has an incredible atmosphere and I love to visit it whenever I go to Anglesey. The views are stunning, as are the decorated stones which are visible inside the chamber, which is an example of a cruciform passage grave.

One of the most enjoyable things to do on a visit to Anglesey, is to walk to Llanddwyn Island or Ynys Llanddwyn, a tidal island situated on the end of Llanddwyn Beach where there is a ruined church, cottages and a lighthouse. Sometimes there are also ponies grazing the island, but they were not there during our visit. Legend has it that St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers lived on the island during the 5th century AD. I will leave a link below where you can read more about her and the fascinating legend surrounding the island. It is somewhere I love to visit over and over, there is a spiritual atmosphere to the island and the views are unforgettable with the sea and mountains forming a striking panorama. 

Another thing I love about Anglesey are the sunsets. Some days are inevitably overcast, but when the sun shines the sunsets are tremendous, filling the sky with a spectrum of pink, lilac and orange hues and turning the sea in to a golden pool of light. I cannot describe the sunsets in a way which do them justice, so all I can do is recommend a visit to Anglesey if you get the opportunity. 

I had a wonderful week and I am already planning my next visit to Anglesey. What do you all think, have you ever visited Anglesey and what is your favourite place for a relaxing holiday? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille

xo

Visit Anglesey History to find out more about Llanddwyn Island :

http://www.anglesey-history.co.uk/places/llanddwyn/