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Monday 1 October 2007--I have two full days in this area--more, actually, since my next stop, Chester, turns
out to be only an hour's drive away. I feel no urgency, then, as I set out this morning. I kill a couple of hours in town,
idly looking for an ATM and doing some casual shopping. I hit the road after 11:00, intending to go to Caernarfon. The
bridge to Anglesey comes first, though, so I decide to cross and see a thing or two there first.
I pass through Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllandysiliogogogoch without pausing, mindful of the guide books' warning that there is little of interest there beyond the name. (I suppose I should take a photo of the railway station sign, but I don't.) Somehow I miss Bryn Celli Ddu, a chambered cairn that is one of Anglesey's three notable ancient sites, but I do find Barclodiad y Gawres, which sits on a headland, a short walk from the road. The guides say that it is kept locked, and the key can be had from the shop down the road; but when I ask, I'm told that CADW, the Welsh heritage agency, has decided to deny public access entirely, due to repeated petty vandalism. I walk out to the tomb, anyway, and it turns out that you can look in at it through the gate. What you see are the remnants of the chamber, covered over by a large dome and reconstructed earth mound. What you don't see is what makes this tomb so interesting, chevron and zigzag carvings in the stones, said to be similar to those in Newgrange in Ireland, which is what the decidedly artificial arrangement has been built to protect. I try a few photos [not very good, but here they are] and enjoy the scenery. I meander up the coast and cross onto Holy Island, a smaller island off Anglesey. The town of Holyhead is dominated by the rail and ferry terminals, serving passengers bound for Ireland. On the western side is a picturesque lighthouse on South Stack, a smaller island still, accessible by bridge to those who care to pay an entry fee and walk down the steep access path. I don't, not today, anyway. Circling clockwise around Anglesey, I'm thinking I will have an hour or two to see Beaumaris and its castle, but I'm sidetracked by another ancient site, or sites, actually. First is the Lligwy Burial Chamber, a peculiar squat tomb with an absurdly massive capstone. Around the bend from there, a path leads into the woods. A ruined medieval chapel stands nearby, but the prize here is the Din Lligwy Hut Group, the foundational remains of a clutch of second- to fourth-century dwellings. It's an evocative spot, perhaps because it stands in a clearing in the woods, and I linger a while. It's too late now to go to either Beaumaris or Caernarfon, so I return to Llandudno, stopping at the local ASDA to buy a single-use peppermill filled with black peppercorns. I'm sick of the powdery clouds of white pepper that issue from the shakers in most pubs. I get one filled with sea salt, as well. There's nothing wrong with my dinner at the Kings Head this evening (made all the more appetizing by freshly-ground pepper), but I'm suffering from indigestion, and have trouble forcing down a couple of pints. I retire early, and sleep uneasily. Next |
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Beautiful Downtown Llandudno
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Barclodiad y Gawres
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Barclodiad y Gawres
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Barclodiad y Gawres
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South Stack
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Lligwy Burial Chamber
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Lligwy Burial Chamber
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Lligwy Burial Chamber
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Lligwy Chapel
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Din Lligwy Hut Group
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Din Lligwy Hut Group
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