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 May 29th - Part 2 - Menai Bridge and the Belgian Promenade

After leaving the Hidden Gardens, and not wanting to spend time driving backwards and forwards across the island, I decided go back through Menai Bridge town, park up at the Waitrose supermarket near the bridge itself and have a wander down the hill and along the Belgian Promenade which runs by the shore. At the bottom of the hill I had a choice of left or right - I chose left first and the lane took me directly under the bridge, where there was a very pleasant picnic area overlooking the water.

Retracing my steps back under the bridge I continued along the Belgian Promenade (so called because it was built by Flemish refugees during the first world war) to Church Island which is reached by a causeway across a quiet corner of the straits. There's nothing on the island other than the small 15th century St. Tysilio's chapel and the churchyard with a large war memorial on top of the central hill - it was a bit of a steep climb up the steps and paths but worth it for the view when I got up there.

It was while I was walking back along the causeway that I saw a sudden movement in the water a distance away, but whatever it was had gone again in an instant. I kept looking though and a few minutes later it appeared again - it was the head and upper body of a grey seal, though even with my zoom lens I couldn't get a really good shot of it. It stayed for several minutes before finally disappearing and as hard as I looked I didn't see it again. Back on the Belgian Promenade I went down onto the sand and walked along at the water's edge until I got back to my starting point, then with one final shot taken I made my way back to the van.


It was almost 5pm by then and time to think about sorting out my evening meal so instead of going somewhere else I drove back to the camp site to spend the rest of my time chilling out and thinking about my day. I'd had a lovely time out, the weather had been fantastic, the Hidden Gardens were beautiful, I'd got some great photos and I'd even seen a seal - I don't think life could have got any better just then.




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6 comments:

  1. Eileen H3 June 2016 at 05:43

    Lucky you spotting the seal. A lovely trip out to see grey seals is to take a boat trip from Beaumaris pier to Puffin Island. We've done it and we could even take our dog on board for the trip. Does sound like you had a lovely, lovely day.

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  2. Tigermouse3 June 2016 at 08:43

    I don't do small boats on the sea Eileen - I went on one with my parents while on holiday on the Isle of Man when I was ten and was dreadfully seasick, so I've avoided them like the plague ever since.

    Not far from where I camp in Norfolk there's a beach with a resident colony of seals, I've been there a couple of times and sat quietly on the sand within a few yards of them just observing them and taking photos. I've also been to a place in Lincolnshire where I've been able to get close up to them, the babies are adorable and when they cry they sound like they are saying 'M-u-u-m'

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  3. Bag End Gardener5 June 2016 at 10:14

    Lovely pictures, as always :-} You certainly have had brilliant weather for this trip.

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    1. Tigermouse14 June 2016 at 22:43

      The weather was fab Jayne, and exceptionally warm too - it was a shame I had to come back home for four days.

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  4. Su-sieee! Mac13 June 2016 at 18:57

    I love your day's adventure. Neat discoveries. I like how pleasant the weather looks. Perfect for walking up steep slopes and seeing grand things in the distance.

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    1. Tigermouse14 June 2016 at 22:51

      I love walking or climbing up a steep slope to see things from up above and get a different perspective of the same view I got down below. I've even climbed up trees in the past just to get a shot that's a little bit different.

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