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

Friday June 10th 2016 - Castle Gardens, Beaumaris

After several overnight showers the morning arrived grey, damp and drizzly, not the sort of morning to be going out anywhere with the camera. It was well after lunch time when the drizzle finally stopped and the sky started to brighten; it wasn't worth going out to anywhere special but as I was still on the hunt for a cheap plastic tablecloth I decided to drive into Beaumaris to see if I could find anything there. I was out of luck though, even the kitchenware shop didn't have what I wanted - it seemed like I would have to either buy a good quality thick one from somewhere, which wouldn't exactly be cheap, or look for one on ebay when I got home.

While I'd been looking round the shops the sun had decided to put in an appearance, so on my way back to the van I called in at Castle Gardens for a look round. Now although this garden is less than a hundred yards from Beaumaris castle it has nothing whatsoever to do with it even though the name suggests otherwise; it's a small private informal walled garden divided into different areas and with plants for sale and a couple of friendly black cats mooching about, and visitors are welcome to go in and wander round even if they don't buy anything. 


With a few photos taken and no plans to go anywhere else I drove back to the camp site and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening relaxing with my book and also planning my 'big day out' if the weather turned out exceptionally good. I still had another three full days of the holiday left so I was keeping my fingers crossed that at least one of those days would be nice enough for what I had planned.



6 comments:

  1. Reading your wonderful posts I feel I have been there with you. Awesome picture.
    Have a great week-end.
    Yvonne.

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  2. Thanks Yvonne, have a good weekend yourself.

    The 'flower' setting on my camera is one I don't use a lot so I'm always pleased when any close-ups I take come out well :)

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  3. Lovely photos. I've not been in the castle gardens and will keep an eye out for it next time we go there. I really love Beaumaris, we like to take chairs and sit and relax on the green then go and have a meal in the dog friendly pub. Simple pleasures are the best!

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  4. I agree Eileen, simple pleasures often are the best.

    Castle Gardens is one of those places that you wouldn't know was there unless someone had told you about it or you found it by accident as it's behind the shops. If you turn off the main street by the Spinning Wheel tea rooms, pass the entrance to the castle and follow the road round you'll find it on the left. It's not always open though - if it is there'll be a board outside. Check the 'featured places' column below for a link to the website - you could always ring for opening times next time you're going to be down that way.

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  5. Gosh, those flowers are gorgeous. Last year, I went nuts looking for a decent-priced oilcloth tablecloth. I ended up buying an oilcloth-like fabric. The print is pretty, but it's not holding up well.

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  6. The flowers are rather nice and I think the photos came out well, especially the bright pink star-shaped one.

    I could probably have bought some oilcloth-type fabric and made my own tablecloth but that sort of stuff isn't cheap over here and when it's only for camping I couldn't justify the price. The shower curtain should work quite well as a tablecloth, and cut into two means I'll have a spare if I ever need it :)

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