Monday June 9th 2014 - Plas Newydd & Llyn Y Gors

After a very cloudy morning the sky started to brighten up at lunch time and by early afternoon the sun was back so I decided to make use of my National Trust membership and take myself off to Plas Newydd country house. I'd been there a couple of years ago but my visit had coincided with a large garden party held to celebrate the Queen's jubilee (or whatever it was, I don't 'do' royalty) and part of the gardens and waterfront terrace had been cordoned off to the general public, so a return visit would give me the opportunity to see what I'd missed.

As it turned out, I hadn't missed very much. A walk along the waterfront terrace in one direction took me to a private little beach and slipway which seemed to be part of an adventure centre for school kids, and beyond that there was nothing but extensive grassy areas, woods and shrubbery; it would have made a great dog walking place but unfortunately dogs weren't allowed in the grounds. Walking along the waterfront in the other direction would take me through the woods which I'd been through on my previous visit so I spent ten minutes or so wandering round the terraced garden instead. 

Now although I've never been particularly interested in stately homes themselves - I really only go for the gardens - I decided that for once I would go in this one and have a look round, and I was so glad I did. After following the designated route round the house the last room I looked in was the long dining room, and on one wall was the most amazing painting I've ever seen. Painted by Rex Whistler in 1936 - 1937 it was, according to the room guide, 58ft long and 12ft high, and covered an entire wall. It seemed to be a very old fashioned scene but the room guide pointed out several features and quirks which, from the years just before the mid 20th century, would be considered quite modern. The detail in the mural was fantastic and the way the perspective changed as I looked at it from different angles was amazing. I could have spent hours studying it, it was totally fascinating and it impressed me so much that a return visit will be on the cards next time I'm staying on Anglesey. 

I would have loved to get some photos of the mural but unfortunately members of the public aren't allowed to take their own. I did think about trying to get a couple of sneaky ones but the very vigilant room guide made it impossible - her eyes seemed to be all over the place, even when she was talking to other people, and I didn't want to risk being told off. I couldn't write about it though without including some photos of it somehow so these two have been sourced from the internet, originally from National Trust Images. 

Back at the van I released the dogs and gave them a walk round the large car parking area before moving on to my second stop of the afternoon, Llyn Y Gors fishing lakes. Now I have no interest whatsoever in fishing, but I'd seen this place featured on an early morning tv fishing series which I was watching to see if I could get some ideas of places to camp; having noticed some caravans behind the tv presenter I thought I'd check it out for future reference, plus there was a chance I could get some nice photos. 

I found the place quite easily, in the countryside above and beyond Menai Bridge village; there didn't seem to be anyone around who I could ask if it was okay for me to look round, so leaving the dogs in the van - I didn't want to push my luck by taking them with me - I took the camera and went walkabout. I did see a few people fishing at various spots round the lakes but no-one asked me what I was doing there; I suppose each person assumed I was with someone else and was just wandering round while my 'other half' was fishing. I found the small pleasant camping area at the side of one of the lakes, but reading the list of charges on a nearby board it seemed that camping was only available to people fishing so the place was ruled out as a possible alternative to my usual camp site. I did get a few nice photos though so I considered my mission to be accomplished.

By the time I'd finished wandering about it was late afternoon and I was ready for something to eat so I found my way back along the lanes to the main road and headed back to the camp site. A couple of hours chill out was followed by a dog walk down to the beach and back, then I settled in for the last night on site with fingers crossed that the weather would stay fine for packing up the following morning. I didn't really want to pack up at all, but I certainly didn't want to be taking down and packing away a wet tent.