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

Sunday September 23rd 2018 Part 1 - Parys Mountain

When I woke that morning the wind had returned but at least it was fine, and though it started off cloudy it came nicer as the morning went on so I followed the sunshine and blue sky northwards and went to explore a part of Parys Mountain I hadn't previously been to. From the car park I took one of the lower paths round the side of the mountain and followed it along, up and down until I came to what I was looking for - the old engine house on the east side of the mountain. Unfortunately the heather was no longer in full bloom, which it would have been only a month before, but the views from the mountain's lower slopes were great and I could even see beyond Cemaes Bay to the old Wylfa power station.


 There was nothing particularly exciting about the engine house, it was just an empty shell with various bits of rubble on the floor though at some point in recent years it's been re-roofed. High up on one wall was a bricked-up window and in the recess was what looked like a large bird's nest - I couldn't quite figure out if it was a man-made one or a proper one but if it was the genuine article it must have been home to a bird the size of an elephant.

From the engine house I took the nearest path and worked my way round and up the hill to the old windmill, and with the colour of the stones underfoot I felt a bit like Dorothy following the yellow brick road. With other places to go to I didn't want to linger too long on the mountain so instead of going across and round by the Open Cast I followed the path straight down from the windmill and took a short cut back to the car park.

I still had a lot more of the mountain to explore but I could do that on another holiday; it was time now to go to my next port of call further along the north side of the island, a place I'd previously missed when I went looking for the old Porth Wen brickworks back in June, so with the dogs safely back in the van I set off on my next quest.

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10 comments:

  1. Eileen H1 October 2018 at 08:46

    I'm not sure a bird would build a nest that tall but who knows :) That is a lovely colour of the stones and landscape, I hope you were wearing your red glittery shoes for the visit :)

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  2. Tigermouse1 October 2018 at 10:31

    I'm not sure what to make of the bird's nest - maybe it started off small and various birds have added to it over time, or maybe someone cleared up a pile of old twigs and just shoved them up there out of the way. I'd love to know just for curiosity' sake :)

    I don't think glittery red shoes would be advisable on that landscape as the terrain is very rough and rocky, though somehow I can't imagine Dorothy wearing trainers or stout walking boots :) :)

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  3. Kernow Camper1 October 2018 at 11:30

    Hi Eunice. Just blitzing your blog (again it's a delight to read!). Just to let you know I decided to start a new blog after selling our motorhome. It's all up and running now if you want to follow it? I've called it 'Home & Away' so I can use it for our trips and local stuff too.
    Here's the link - https://budehomeandaway.blogspot.com/
    Hope all is good with you?

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  4. Tigermouse1 October 2018 at 16:15

    I'm fine thanks Sharon if you don't count the various problems of life sometimes getting in the way :) I've just had a very quick look at your new blog, in particular the Llanberis page - it looks like your weather was similar to mine :( I've been there in the sunshine in previous years and it's beautiful along the lakeside :)

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  5. Anabel Marsh1 October 2018 at 17:32

    I always like seeing your pictures of Parys Mountain.

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  6. Tigermouse1 October 2018 at 19:33

    Thank you, I'm glad you like them. It's a lovely place when the weather is good but I don't think I'd like to walk round there when it's raining :(

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  7. Unknown1 October 2018 at 23:08

    I went on a geology field trip to Parys Mountain when I was a student. I remember there being a red iron-stained lake and my classmate dreaming up the plot for a crime novel that used the lake as the scene for its setting … I don't think she ever wrote it though!

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  8. Tigermouse1 October 2018 at 23:32

    It sounds like your classmate dreamed up a good plot - Parys Mountain would make a great setting for a crime/mystery/thriller story. These photos are only a small handful I took this time - if you want to see some more colourful ones have a look in the archives for my post from August 27th last year, published on September 3rd. The heather on the mountain was in full bloom then and the whole place was awash with colour :)

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  9. Bag End Gardener2 October 2018 at 08:04

    What a lovely place, I reckon that nest is added to each year. Guess you didn’t see anything flying around that was a canditate for the builder?

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  10. Tigermouse2 October 2018 at 09:58

    The mountain is uniquely beautiful with its diverse range of colours, it's a shame the heather wasn't still blooming or I would have got some spectacular shots on the lower slopes. I didn't see anything flying round near the engine house so I guess the nest will remain a mystery.

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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.

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