We spend the weekend together on Ynys Mon, Anglesey, one of our favourite places. A world away from Liverpool but actually very close to here. In fact we spend much of our time on Ynys Gybi, just off the main island.
And as you can see, we are very happy here.We stay near to the beach at Porth Dafarch.
A beautiful beach.With an art gallery!Here’s the artist.And one of her exhibits.All her work swept away by the next tide.Much of the beauty of the place is in its wildness.And in its wildflowers. Spring squill here. ‘Grows within sight of the sea’ Sarah tells me.She has her ‘Collins Book of British Wildflowers’ with her, of course for identification purposes.Alexanders, yellow, similar to the white flowered cow parsley.Herb Robert.Bugle.Silene.Sarah holds some Spring Squill.See its blue pollen really closely.Marsh Marigold.Primula.Sea Thrift, Armeria. ‘Defines British coasts and cliffs’ says Sarah.And at the moment Bluebells are all over the place.Native types, deep blue and all hanging off the same side. Unlike the pale hybrids you often see in cities now.On Ynys Llanddwyn, off the main island, Bluebells cover the hills.
A beautiful place on a windy day.Perfect for kite surfing, with Snowdonia, on the mainland, in the background.A particularly brilliant kite surfer leaping into the air.
No, that isn’t one of us. We’re here for more peaceful pursuits.
We’re here on the cliffs by South Stack Lighthouse.Looking at the ancient rocks.And looking for Puffins.
Though today we just find Guillemot and Razorbill on the cliffs here. Too early for the Puffins?
Around Rhoscolyn.
That’s Rhoscolyn Beacon out there. An ancient warning to shipping.
Much more ancient though, are the rocks around here. Cambrian and Pre Cambrian. Amongst the oldest things on Earth.
Molten, folding, settling. Around 500 million years old. Looking at the Earth being born.Memorial stone for one of the area’s principal geologists working in a surprisingly controversial field.
Being 500 million years old doesn’t mean it’s all settled then?
Also ancient near Rhoscolyn, the well of St Gwenfaen.Walking further north on Ynys Gybi to the White Arch.
More meandering on the cliffs now up towards South Stack.
We find a ‘secret cove’ we think we can get down to.And we do. Down by the side of a little waterfall.To our own secret beach for the morning, the tide on its way out.A peaceful morning of reading and painting.
Appropriately I’m reading a book called ‘On some faraway beach’ – actually a biography of Brian Eno.
While Sarah paints the place she’s in.This lovely place.The place in abstract.The place itself coloured in while she’s at it. More art that will be gone by the next tide.Sarah loves these littoral places. Studying the space between the land and the sea.Studying closely with her camera.Taking this picture.
And crouching over rock pools to photograph tiny worlds full of life. Muscles, limpets, barnacles, anemones.
These sea anemones are a particular favourite. Closed up waiting for the tide to come in, or opened and multi-coloured under water.
A wonderful place. Different with every tide.We stayed here, again, at Anglesey Outdoors, and highly recommend it.Sarah particularly enjoyed feeding their hens with our leftovers.In fact we had a wonderful time on Anglesey and will definitely be back.
So Celtic, so wild, so beautiful, so close.
And yes of course, on our trip monkey puzzle trees were found. See them on Sarah’s blog.
Writing about life, Liverpool and anything else that interests me. As well as working with others to make the world a fairer and kinder place: http://asenseofplace.com.
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Excellent – whetted my appetite for our midsummer break on Anglesey!
Excellent – whetted my appetite for our midsummer break on Anglesey!
Glad to hear that Gerry. I seem to need pretty regular Anglesey recharges these days.
My family spent so many summers here when I was a child its part of me now! Lovely photos.
Yes, it’s that kind of place Karen. One of the earliest family holidays we ever had was here too – in 1966!