Annnddd relax

I’ve been off work this last week!

It’s wonderful to have a break for many reasons (family time - jobs around the house -relaxation - recharging of the batteries - etc…) but from a selfish point of view, it’s fitting in more riding than I normally would that makes it a real treat.

Hence, a weekday trip to Anglesey with Steve was arranged. It was suggested when we rode last on Monday (mainly into a headwind!) and with a favourable forecast on the island for Thursday, the plan was hatched.

I picked Steve up at 6.30am and we were on our way. Even at this early hour we were both wide awake and chatty. It seemed like we’d only been driving for a short amount of time before we were at McDonalds on the A55 (a tradition on these Anglesey trips) and wolfing down the usual ‘questionable’ food stuffs!

We were making good time and soon crossing the bridge in fine spirits!

Steve had chosen a different part of the island to show me this time around, on previous trips (see In Search of the Holy Grail and Monolithic Monday) we’ve always used Camaes as our starting point…

Beaumaris was to be our base for this visit. Once a Viking settlement known as Porth y Wygyr (“Port of the Vikings”) The town itself began its development in 1295 when Edward I of England, having conquered Wales, commissioned the building of Beaumaris Castle as part of a chain of fortifications around the North Wales coast.

The castle was built on a marsh and that is how it’s name was decided upon, the Norman-French builders called it beaux marais which translates as “beautiful marshes”.

We unfortunately found our proposed car park just beyond the town closed, presumably for improvements before the upcoming tourist season judging by the building materials stacked upon the site!

Quick thinking by Steve had us continuing on for a short distance and we soon pulled up at Lleiniog Beach on Penmon. A far better location…

A promontory, village and ecclesiastical parish on the south-east tip of the Island. The name comes from the Welsh: pen (which can mean “head”, “end” or “promontory”) and Môn, which is the Welsh word for Anglesey.

A quick fettle, a shoe change, the requisite amount of faffage and we were off, very quickly following a delightful woodland trail, surrounded by Bluebells and the scent of Wild Garlic. We were seeking a nearby curiosity, Castell Aberlleiniog.

A motte and bailey fortress built between 1080 and 1099 atop a very steep hill. The original Norman timber structure is long gone, replaced by a sturdier stone version at some point prior to the mid-17th century.

The site most definitely has a magical quality to it and is quite rightly regarded as a hidden gem.