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Sometimes there is nothing better than saying…”Right, lets go!”leaving the house and going on a random journey. We’ve done this a few times recently, one trip taking us don to Dorset and hiking up to the highest cliffs in England. A number of times we have jumped in the car and driven into Wales. On one of these trips we hit the North Wales coast, and once we started, we just had to keep going!! “Lets just see this, Lets just see that!”. We’ve had some awesome adventures doing this. The North Wales coast is beautiful and there are so many awesome places to explore! We tend to do these missions inexplicably when it’s cold and usually the weather is not great! Our recent trip along the coast though, although chilly the skies were clear and we had an amazing time.  Our first stop off was Colwyn Bay! It has an amazing stretch of beach and was a place that really blew the cobwebs away after a fairly long drive. The beach here is really great, golden sands, blue sea, is this really Britain? Then when you look back towards land and look at the sweeping promenade and the buildings lining the coast, it is unmistakeably British! It maybe doesn’t have the traditional fun fairs and arcades and hustle and bustle of some of the traditional British seaside towns, but the bay is picturesque.  Between Colwyn bay and Conwy is Llandudno which is more of a traditional Victorian town. It makes a great base to explore the area from and there is a bit more to do here, there is a great cable car ride which takes you to the top of Great Orme 679 feet above the town, the views down over the coastline are beautiful. Opened in 1969 this is still the longest cable car system in Britain! Across the River Conwy which you can reach by a suspension bridge is the fishing town of Conwy. I love Conwy, for me it’s a really magical little town, with the traditional fishing boats, the amazing castle, and awesome fish and chip shops, what more could you want?!  This is a real castle, something that your own imagination conjures up when you think of British castles. Built in 1294-1295 by Edward 1 costing ￡15000, a massive amount at the time, this castle was a real military fortress. With its deep moat and long drawbridge leading to the gatehouse, its everything you imagine of a British castle.  The walk along the defensive walls and platforms provide some really cool views of the town and surrounding area, it’s definitely worth paying to enter and explore!  Conwy also has a strong tradition with fishing and this is still thriving, in the bay you will see many small fishing boats moored up and people bringing in their catch of the day. The sounds of Seagulls over head, this is the British coast!  I loved having fish and chips here looking over the bay, what could be more British? Just wathc out for the seagulls trying to pinch your dinner…they are fearless round here!!  There is evidence of the industry all around here and it makes for a really charming place to spend time and wander, there are loads of camp sites local as well which make great affordable bases to explore the area. You can get pitches for ￡10-￡15 per night at several local sites around here. My favourite way of exploring this beautiful part of the country. This most recent journey we took, we carried on all the way the the isle of Anglesey. This was my first time here…WHY had I not been here before??? We hadn’t planned on going there…we ended up there…we were in a “Why Not?” kind of mood, we’ve had so many brilliant adventures and stumbled upon amazing sights doing this. This time though…we hit the jackpot! We travelled along the North Wales Express Way all the way across Anglesey, and ended up on Holy Island, I had seen on the map that there was a lighthouse on a small island right at the end of Holy Island and we made our way there…wow!!!  The coastline here is spectacular I’ve ran out of superlatives for this place! The colours are amazing, the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs its an assault on the senses! I hadn’t realised places like this existed, here in Britain, on my door step! Here there is a nice café overlooking the coast and the lighthouse. A great place to take a break after the long drive, but you will not want to wait here long, as soon as I saw the sights, the sea air hit my lungs, I caught a second wind. This is the kind of place which makes you feel alive!  There is a small charge to go out onto the island to visit the lighthouse, it includes a tour of the lighthouse and is a small price to pay for such an amazing experience. You walk down man made pathway with steps down the cliff face, the views from here are breathtaking, looking out the lighthouse, looking back at the cliffs on the main land, you are surrounded by nature at it’s most magnificent. You then cross a small bridge to head out onto the island, this in itself is another cool experience. Looking down at the water crashing against the rocks beneath your feet, back up at the cliff face you have just climbed down, it’s great.
Amazing, we were lucky to visit when the weather was so amazing as well, the coastline really revealed itself to us in all its glory. Once on the island a guide will tell you when they are ready to lead you up inside the lighthouse. There has been a lighthouse here since 1809 to warn sailors of the dangerous surrounding rocks. The light has a range of 24 miles from the top of the 91 foot tall structure. The stories of how supplies were brought to the island, how people lived here during the years it was manned are incredible.
A great experience, I would recommend to all! It’s moments like this when travelling, things you aren’t expecting which make me want to keep exploring! Around May/June Puffins arrive at the island in abundance, unfortunately we didn’t see them on this occasion…shall we go back? Why not? |
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