About Me

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Hi! I'm Eunice and I live in Bolton, Lancashire, with my two dogs Sophie and Sugar and an assortment of cats - well it used to be Sophie and Sugar, now it's Sophie and Poppie. I first began camping back in 1997 when my then partner took me to Anglesey for my birthday weekend. We slept in the back of the car - a hatchback - using the cushions off the settee at home as a mattress, and cooked and brewed up on a single burner camping stove. The site was good, the views were great, the weather fantastic and I was completely hooked. Following that weekend we got a two-man tent and some proper accessories and returned to Anglesey two weeks later, then over time we progressed to a three-man tent followed by an old trailer tent, then a new trailer tent, a campervan and finally a caravan. When my partner decided that the grass was greener on the other side of the street - literally - in April 2009 and I suddenly found myself alone after fifteen years, I decided there was no way I was going to give up camping and caravanning if I could cope on my own. This blog is the story of my travels, trials and tribulations since becoming a solo camper - I hope you like it

Thursday June 5th 2014 - Revisiting Llanddwyn Island - twice in an hour

After the lovely sunshine of Tuesday the weather on Wednesday had gone back to grey cloud so I'd had another chill-out day and stayed in and around the tent. With no other campers around I had virtually the whole site to myself so it was lovely and peaceful. The sun had returned now though so it was time to go out with the camera again, my mission this time to return to Llanddwyn Island and see if it looked any nicer in the sunshine than it did on the grey day when I'd gone there a month ago.

Arriving at the barrier at the top of the lane leading down to Newborough beach I paid my £3 to gain access and drove down to the car park, finding a nice shady spot to leave the van. Although the day was sunny a very cool wind made sure that it wasn't too warm, so in the shade and with the windows open a snatch I knew the dogs would be okay while I went to explore. A brisk mile long walk through the forest and along the beach got me to the island; the view back across the beach towards Snowdonia looked good and I'd just got one shot when my camera batteries died - and realisation dawned. Not only had I forgotten to put my spares in my pocket, I'd also forgotten to put them in the van - they were still in the battery charger back at the tent!



With no means of taking any more photos there was no point in actually going onto the island so I had no choice but to walk the mile back to the van. My first thought was to drive back to the camp site and return to Llanddwyn the following day, however the current glorious weather was just too good to miss and there was no guarantee that the following day would be the same, so I drove up to the nearby village, bought a couple of packs of cheap batteries, then drove back down to the car park - it cost me another £3 to get access through the barrier but it would have cost far more in fuel to drive all the way back across the island then return to Llanddwyn another day. 

And so for the second time in an hour I walked the mile from the car park to the island, and as I wandered round and explored I was glad I'd made the decision to return. On my previous visit I'd been distinctly underwhelmed and unimpressed, no doubt because of the grey cloudy weather, but now, with the clear blue sky and sunshine, the island looked completely different. I was glad I'd just got two packs of batteries for the camera, it looked like I was going to need them.

The first two photos I took were exact replicas of the ones in the book - I had to scramble half way up a steep rocky outcrop to get the second one but it was worth the climb when I was rewarded with a great view looking across to the Snowdonia mountains on the mainland. With no-one else around and nothing but the sound of the sea and the gulls as they wheeled and swooped overhead the peace and tranquility of this place was almost tangible, and with the many lovely photo opportunities the island offered I was glad I'd made the effort to return.


After well over an hour spent wandering round I snapped the last photo of the ruins of St. Dwynwen's Church then made my way back across the island, and for the fourth time that afternoon took the mile long walk between there and the car park. Back at the van I gave the dogs a drink then took them on the beach for a while before heading back across Anglesey to the camp site, and the rest of the late afternoon and evening were spent relaxing in the tent.

Looking through my photos later on I was glad I'd given Llanddwyn Island the benefit of the doubt and gone back in the good weather. I'd got some lovely shots even if I had walked a total of just over five miles in the process, so it had been well worth going back. And as there were some parts of the island I still hadn't fully explored a third visit would certainly be on the cards in the not too distant future.




4 comments:

  1. It looks like a dream of a day! Well, except for the lack of batteries. :)
    I know I'm going to have a wonderful time in London, but seeing these photos really makes me want to explore the rest of the country. It may take another 15 years, but I'll get there someday!

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  2. It WAS a good day, though I was tired at the end of it. Part of the walk to and from the island is along the beach and the very soft sand makes it hard to walk - by the time I'd done it four times, plus walking round the island itself, my legs felt like I'd run a marathon without any prior training!

    I did well with the replacement batteries, to say they were only cheap the first four have lasted longer than I expected and are still in the camera. I'm keeping the other four in the van in case I need spares sometime in the future.

    I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time in London. It would be good if you could come back another time and explore more of this country - we have so many lovely places here you'd be spoiled for choice where to go. Unfortunately though, we don't always have the lovely weather to go with them!

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  3. Coming back to your blog I see the Puppy has disappeared. Only a link. Sad !

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  4. Sorry about the Daily Puppy AT but it's beyond my control. Google/Blogger stopped supporting it in March so I can only get the link now, not the photos. I'm disappointed too but if I can ever find a way to get the photos back I will do.

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I really appreciate good comments - who doesn't? - but due to a recent tide of spam from anonymous readers all comments will now be moderated, and only those with a direct bearing on this blog will be published. I'm sure my regular blog readers/commenters will understand the need for this - and to anyone whose comment isn't published, you know why.