Jo’s Monday walk : A Spring jaunt on Anglesey

After the sophistication of Italy, where can I offer you next?  Still a little disoriented, with my head full of Algarve ramblings, I’m going to opt for the simple life and a lovely little stone cottage in the Welsh village of Cemaes, far flung on the island of Anglesey.

I had hoped to take you along the shoreline from Beaumaris, with the smoky blue of Snowdonia as a backdrop.  Thanks to the antics of a lovable but very skittish Border collie, that notion had to be abandoned.  Cars made her nervous, as did the scrunch of pebbles and the swoosh of waves.  It was high tide and hard to avoid any of these, as we walked by the roadside.  What was needed was a gentle expanse of rolling country.  The soft lap of the sea would be a welcome addition.  Moelfre seemed to have all that we needed.

A pretty little harbour offered a walk around the bay, and sweetly undulating coastline.  Golden gorse tipped the bushes and lambs frolicked in the fields.  Almost idyllic!  Islay’s instincts to give chase had to be curbed, of course.  Pools and dimples in the shoreline just begged to be explored.

A small cove invited too, but those nasty pebbles were ever present.  Islay tiptoed across to dip a paw.  Not to be thwarted, we pressed on.

Steady, Islay!  They’re just playing.  Beyond a well kept caravan park, the masts of a cluster of yachts urged me on.  And sure enough, there was a reward waiting.  The perfect place for a spot of dog training!

Delighted with my small success, I had an eye on a further headland.  A little up-ing and down-ing brought us to this.  At last the tide had turned.

In the cottage in Cemaes, the owner had thoughtfully provided a range of books on walking and the geology of the area.  Lynne was interested in a particular rock formation and, as Islay romped giddily to and fro, I thought I might have spotted it across the bay.

But my dog loving friends were wreathed in smiles at the unbridled joy of their pet.  Time to quit while you’re ahead!  The walk was intended to be circular, turning inland, but we opted to return along the coast.  The views were lovely, and reminiscent in places of my familiar Yorkshire cliffs.

I have to admit to a little indecent haste on the return trip.  It was now well past 3 o’clock and we hadn’t eaten since breakfast.  Back in Moelfre I had spotted highly promising Ann’s Pantry. We did stop to ponder over some wild flowers, and I made a half-hearted attempt to get to grips with the Welsh language.  What a mistake!  We arrived to be advised that they had stopped serving meals at 3pm.  The menu looked so tempting and we had the perfect garden setting, but lunch would just have to be cake.

I was impressed with my first visit to Anglesey.  With 130 miles of Coastal Path even someone as restless as me could be happy.  You can download my circular walk, from Moelfre to Pentraeth, on the Anglesey website.  Tish Farrell has written some beautiful, and informative, posts on the island.

It’s good to be back walking with you again, though I have to admit I dithered a lot before selecting this week’s walk.  Thanks to all of you who kept the walks rolling in my absence.  It is much appreciated.  No breaks planned in the immediate future so I’ll be delighted if you have a walk to share. And if not, I’ll just enjoy your company anyway.  Details are on my Jo’s Monday walks page.  Time for a cuppa and a good read!

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Nice to find a new friend.  Small Step Closer reminds me of good times in Southern Poland :

Mount St. Ursula (Slovenia) – Urslja Gora

From new friends to old, but young at heart- thanks Drake!

A little bit wild

Masquerade in the streets

And talking of old friends, there’s a certain lady at Potato Point :

A daybreak walk by Coila Lake

Meanwhile, Lady Lee is still very much at home in the Philippines :

Batanes Trip, Day 3 – Batan Southern Tour

Woolly is another gentleman who often makes me smile :

Jo’s-Monday-Walk2017-Wk13-Lucerne3-Mt.-Rigi

Jo’s-Monday-Walk2017-Wk14-Salzburg-1

And what can you say about Jackie in La-La Land?

Day1 So Cal- La-La Land

Hmm… Cornwall… now who do I know in that part of the world?

Meander around Mevagissey harbour

Much closer to home, Becky reminds me why I love the Algarve so :

What a difference a few weeks makes

While Susan shares the natural beauty of her native California :

Walking with the Spring Bloom

And funnily enough, Kathryn does the same!

Wildflower Hike

Eunice rounds me off with some wonderfully English moorland :

A walk in two parts and some more local history

Hope that Spring is being kind to you or, if you’re Down Under, that Autumn does the same. Happy walking and see you soon!

139 comments

  1. Anglesey looks beautiful and those are some enormous dimples there. Hope you watchex your step 😉 Beautiful rock formations and Lynn sounds like that was a great for her 😊 Just cake for lunch. I approve and you can’t go wrong with that 🍰😊

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  2. What fabalus weather you had to yourself in Wales. And who knew lambs could read numbers. Good to know they can easily find Mum. And that first little lamb is a chubby chops. Or maybe that is a bit tactless. Probably will be on someones Easter dining table come the weekend. Anyway, Jo, a lovely walk with you in a surprising location that I was not expecting at all! I guess the Algarve will be on the menu next week… now speaking of menus, I wonder what we will have for dinner on Sunday.
    😉

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    1. Bright little chaps, weren’t they? I hate to think of them on the table. I’d rather have a cheese toastie, Jude 🙂 Go wild and add a bit of tomato, maybe 🙂 🙂 I didn’t know which of my Algarve walks to start with and I still have odds and ends outstanding.

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      1. Crikey, didn’t expect you to be up still! I am playing catch-up after a day of moving furniture back into rooms, cleaning, washing and a bit of DIY. I seem to have suddenly got a burst of energy after weeks of feeling lethargic.

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      2. I’m not! Well, barely just 🙂 I was having late night conversations with my night owl son, back for another of his flying visits. You can loll in the garden with a book today, if the weather plays its cards right. 🙂

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      3. Loll? Not a chance, I have more lawn to discard of and then plants to buy and gravel to lay… I shall collapse over the weekend!

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      5. Not this year, they are in the midst of renovations themselves, and who knows what the rest of them are doing! No, we have a reprieve until the end of May 🙂

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      1. We haven’t been to Wales at all. I think we could easily devote a whole five week trip just to exploring Wales, and another five weeks for Cornwall. We only scratched the surface there. Oh dear, I need to win the lotto and retire…sooner rather than later. 🙂

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    1. Apparently Anglesey has a milder climate than mainland Wales. It’s years since I was in that part of the world and it always rained! Good to be back there in sunshine, Gilda. 🙂 🙂

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    1. No idea what the connections are from Brum, but the drive along the north coast of Wales is much easier than it used to be. Pretty little place 🙂 Thanks, Richard.

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  10. Your cake looks delicious from Ann’s Pantry, but I was totally wow’d by the gorgeous shots of Moelfre! I would love to spend a little time there myself! Have a wonderful week Jo ~

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  12. Such beautiful scenery. And scenic. Not much can beat the joy of seeing a beloved pet having the time of its life, charging sticks, running along the ocean or being frisky in the grass. 🙂

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    1. They’ve always had collies, Liesbet, and are quite besotted with her. 🙂 Thanks so much for the kind things you said the other day. I can’t reply to your comments unless I come to your blog (because it’s not WordPress) and I hadn’t much time.

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      1. No worries, Jo. From one kind person to another. 🙂 I do have a WordPress blog, but it is self-hosted, so things might be a bit different, I guess. I hope I am not causing you unnecessary headaches!

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  14. Splendid ramble in some familiar places, Jo. And thanks so much for the link. But am astonished that Ann’s Pantry is still on the go in Moelfre. I think I was about nine when we last went there. My sister and I came replete with hug-a-bug babies on our arms on that particular visit. And I’m not saying quite how long ago that was 🙂

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  15. I really loved this. My mum’s dad, my very beloved Grandad, was from North Wales. We often visited with him as children and I have happy memories of walks at Anglesey. Thanks know you for bringing ginger back some very happy memories!

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  20. Another fab jaunt Jo, can I ask you something? In relation to all your experience of travels, I am going to Rome, in September, from your knowledge is there anything that would of great help. I am trying to learn some of the language, slowly, and do regular searches including Google walks. Looking forward to it very much. We have been to Spain and France but Italy is a new venture.

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    1. Eek! 🙂 🙂 I’ve never been to Rome, Gerry. Big gap in my CV! You will manage fine without the language but it’s always nice to try a little. When I have a minute I’ll look you up a couple of friends who’ve been and send any advice your way. (or I could snuggle in your hand luggage 🙂 )

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