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

Wednesday April 1st 2015 - A is for Anglesey

Welcome to my first post in this year's A - Z Challenge - fingers crossed I manage to get right through to the end of the challenge, and I hope you enjoy reading this and all subsequent posts.

 Anglesey, the island which started my love of camping back in 1997, lies just off the north west coast of Wales and is connected to the mainland by the Britannia bridge and the Menai bridge. Low lying and very green, with 'mountains' spaced evenly over the north, the island covers an area of 276 square miles and almost three quarters of its inhabitants speak Welsh. It consists mainly of villages with just a few small towns, one of which has the longest official place name in Europe - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantisiliogogogoch - and the port of Holyhead where Stena Line and Irish Ferries make regular crossings to Dublin and Dun Laoghaire in Southern Ireland.

 The entire coastline of Anglesey is designated an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the 125 mile Anglesey Coastal Path, with its official start and end point at St. Cybi's church in Holyhead, follows 95% of the coast. The path passes through farmland, heath, woodland, salt marsh, dunes, cliffs and foreshore and caters primarily for walkers, although cyclists and horse riders can also use certain sections. The route is divided into twelve sections, and anyone who completes the full 125 miles is rewarded with a badge and a certificate recognising this achievement.

 Inland Anglesey is home to a few natural lakes and two large man-made reservoirs which supply water to the island, though rivers are few and small. Wildlife on and around the island includes seals and porpoises which can be seen at various points around the coast, and two colonies of red squirrels. Ellins Tower near South Stack lighthouse is managed by the RSPB and provides a good vantage point for watching breeding colonies of sea birds on the nearby cliffs - binoculars and telescopes are provided.

 There are many wide sandy beaches and smaller coves around the island which are ideal for families with kids, and sailing, wind surfing and jet skiing are popular water sports. There are too many attractions and places of interest to mention them all but they include a go-kart circuit, Anglesey Sea Zoo, Beaumaris Castle, model village and gardens, Marquess of Anglesey Column, Pili Palas butterfly and bird house, Amlwch Copper Kingdom, Plas Newydd country house, Anglesey Riding Centre and RibRide boat trips. Places to stay range from small B & Bs to larger hotels, and camping and caravan sites are plentiful across the whole of the island.

 So there you have it - a brief guide to Anglesey, and if anyone wants to know why I love it so much then why not check back through the blog archives and look at the photos. Who knows - this post may even have inspired some readers to go there in the near future and experience this lovely island for themselves.




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4 comments:

  1. Christine1 April 2015 at 11:51

    It sounds like a lovely place. I would love to visit someday.
    I wonder how to pronounce that town with the longest name. It reminds me of a comedian who joked about people whose names are spelled with all sorts of extra letters. "My name is spelled Xrsutqubelp, but it's pronounced Ben." :)

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    Replies
    1. Tigermouse1 April 2015 at 16:32

      Anglesey is a beautiful island Christine and I never get tired of going there. I often think that if I ever moved from here I would like to live there.

      The town with the longest name is generally known as Llanfair P, but next time I'm there I'll ask the camp site warden how to pronounce it properly and I'll put it in one of my posts.

      Delete
  2. Pearson Report1 April 2015 at 16:41

    You've done a great job setting the visual tone for my imagination. If I could manage to get over there I know I would enjoy this beautiful spot.

    Lovely and inviting "A" post - great start to the A to Z Challenge.

    Jenny, Pearson Report
    2015 A to Z Challenge Ambassador
    @PearsonReport

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    Replies
    1. Tigermouse1 April 2015 at 19:20

      Thank you for the comment. Anglesey is such a lovely place I defy anyone who visits to say they don't like it.

      Delete

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