Holyhead to Trearddur 5/10/26

Thank you so much for all your encouraging emails and texts AND the birthday wishes.  I read them, but I can’t always reply.  Happy Mother’s Day to all you gals, especially to the best Mom ever - MINE!  AKA Sylvia Sylvia Garmon. 

I didn’t get to climb up to the summit today because of the high winds.  I could have chanced it, but it was a nine-hour day if all went perfectly; if I couldn't finish due to the winds, I was stuck in the middle of nowhere. I really hate using common sense.  It is not nearly as much fun.

This is a pedestrian bridge in Holyhead.  It crosses over the railroad tracks.

High on a hill as I was leaving Holyhead, I saw this tribute to John Skiner. "Born in Perth Amboy, in the State of New Jersey. His father Courtlandt Skinner was the last Attorney General for the State of New Jersey. When the American War of Independence broke out in 1776, John’s father formed a militia army (Skinner Greens) to support King George Ill and the Royalist movement. John aged 16 years joined the Royal Navy as a Midshipman aboard the H.M.S. Phoenix. He sustained a serious injury to his right arm, which caused the amputation of the arm below his elbow. At the end of the war, with the Skinner family having been on the losing side, they left the now, newly formed United States of America; some of his family moving to Canada and John, with his mother and father returned to Bristol, England. John continued his naval career, eventually becoming Captain of one of the mail packet ships based in Bristol. In 1799, John was given the post of Senior Captain of the Mail Packets in

Holyhead, where he stayed until his death in 1832, when he was washed over board along with his First Mate off the South Stack. He was a generous benefactor to the town, feeding numerouspoor people every day; from his kitchens in Stanley House

situated in the old market square. A number of artefacts are on display in the Maritime

Museum."

The old lighthouse

Such a pretty trail.  I was actually chasing this black and white bird, trying to get a photo.  The bird is that spot in the center of the photo.

I have seen this ship from a distance for several days.  For a while, I thought it was a cruise ship, but when I got closer, I realized it was a ferry to Ireland.  This is the Irish sea.

There are many skeletons of old stone buildings dotting the coastline.

The good news about common sense was I found this cute place for a sit down lunch  

This is the Welsh version of a tuna melt, one of my old favorites.  I can not remember the last time I had a tuna melt in the U. S.  This had European Tuna (which is way better than that canned stuff we get), Dragon’s Breath Cheddar, and onions on a soft but slightly grilled roll.  It is still all about the bread. And it went a long way towards making up for not taking the scenic route. There is always a bridge side.  

A Celtic Cross

And more and more views of the beautiful coastline.  There is a tiny human standing on a rock just to give some perspective.

A tribute to dachunds in front of this house.

There mst be an artist who lives here because on the balcony was this giant lamp made out of the same substance.

I ate dinner at the Sea Shanty.

It may look boring for a birthday dinner, but it was anything but.  I ordered the Fish Chowder with white fish, shrimp, crab, and mussels.  I had intended to get something to go along with it, but it filled me up, especially served with those two pieces of toasted sourdough bread.  It was delicious. Instead of cake, I had a Ritter Sport chocolate coconut bar squirreled away in my suitcase.  In case you don’t know, Ritter Sport is an excellent chocolate company based in Switzerland.  YUM!

As I was waddling back to my hotel, I saw this sign.  It looked like a golf course but, the photo shows someone kicking a ball.  Interesting.

So that is all of today's news.

Good Night and

God Bless

Church Bay to Holyhead 5/9/26

Good Morning!  My trek today started at the little cafe where I had the incredible cheese-and-onion pie. 

Almost next door, the restored "Swtan House represents a way of life once common on Anglesey. Known in Welsh as a 'tyddyn', this simple type of dwelling, together with a few acres of land, formed the basis of an ancient land-holding system throughout rural Wales. Step inside its rugged, uneven, stone walls onto the brushed earth floor and you can begin to appreciate how poor labouring communities in the 19th century and earlier lived. Life was hard. Most men worked all day on a local farm, returning to work the family smallholding in the evening. The woman's work was endless looking after children, washing, cooking, tending the animals and helping out on the smallholding. The diet was basic but nourishing - barley bread, potatoes, beans, turnips, carrots, fish and occasionally meat. The family cow, or cows, provided milk and butter. " (From the sign) A local woman told me that it is the only one left in Wales.

An outbuilding.  I wasn’t able to see the inside of either structure because they only open a few hours in the afternoon.

On the coast again.

Although today’s hike was 19.1 miles, it lacked the mountains.  That didn’t necessarily mean that it was easy. It did have some hills.

This beach would rival Pensacola’s legendary white sands.

I tramped through numerous cow pastures and sheep pastures.

And corn fields.

She had four dogs, and her friend behind her also had four dogs - all on leashes.

This bridge evidently cuts off some of the distance between Church Bay and Holyhead. Thank the good Lord.

I did not like this part of the overgrown trail. I got into some stinging nettles, and my ankles are still stinging. At least I didn’t step on any snakes. And it went on for better than a mile.

A surprisingly long concrete bridge. This whole area floods when the tide is up.

It was really windy and chilly today.  I think all these sheep were huddled together for warmth.  I got a bit lost in this area.  Everywhere my map told me to go, there was a barbed-wire fence.  I wandered all over hell's half-acre before I found the trail.

The Four-Mile Bridge is one of three bridges connecting Holy Island and Anglesey. The bridge is not four miles long, but it is roughly four miles from Holyhead. A bridge at this location existed by 1530 and was the only land route to Holyhead until 1823. It is 390 ft long and carries the road over the Cymyran Strait.  I thought I was almost there.  Ha Ha, four more miles, which I turned into five, trying to find my lodging.  Holyhead is pretty big.

Holyhead is a historic port town and the largest town and community in the county of the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north

A  pet Cemetery.

Today was beautiful.  The wind picked up so much at the end that it kept causing me to misstep on the narrow footpath.  Nothing dangerous, but I could really feel it.  It was causing the waves to crash against the rocks, and that was spectacular

 

This is my tiny room. The end of the bed touches the other wall, and the end of the window touches the bathroom wall.  I have had way bigger rooms on ships. And the bathroom barely has room to turn around in.  I am not complaining.  It is a great area, and I can see the ocean from my window. I had a really good restaurant picked out, but it was a third of a mile away.  I took about ten steps toward it, but my feet screamed NO! I went to the pub next door and had a cheese-and-onion panini and a cup of tomato soup. An updated version of a grilled cheese and Campbell’s tomato soup.  It was pretty good, but not as good as my Mom’s.

It is almost time for bed, and I still have to get ready for tomorrow.  So...

Good Night and God Bless.

 

Cemaes to Church Bay 5/8/26

 HiYa!

What an amazing walk I had today. It turned out to be about 15 miles, counting a couple of wrong turns. This section of Wales is stunning, and I consider today's trail among the best I have ever traversed. 

There were lots of gates and lots of climbs.

I had to figure out how to get back on the trail - my map did not show an alternate way. Luckily, I didn’t have too much of a problem. 

I walked by the Cemlyn Nature Reserve, which is home to the largest colony of  Sandwich Terns in the world. From the sign:

"Cemlyn Nature Reserve is internationally important for its

Sandwich tern colony. In summer, lie on the shingle ridge

     (Esgair Cemlyn) and enjoy watching the birds fly overhead,

bringing fish back to nests on the sheltered islands.

Sculpted by the sea and its storms, this harsh

environment hosts specially adapted plants, such as sea

kale and yellow horned-poppy. Beyond, the rare spiralled

tassleweed can be found in the shallow lagoon, whilst

nearby gorse and grassland provide habitat for butterflies

and migrant birds.

Lingering for longer? The western headland (Trwyn

Cemlyn) is a lovely spot for a walk. Look out to sea

for chance encounters with gannets, porpoises, and 

curious seals."

A closer look at the birds and their nesting boxes.  Their safety is protected by law, and there are serious fines for disturbing them or their nests.

It is impossible to describe the grandeur of these mountains overlooking the sea. 

If you look closely, the right end of this fence is just hanging out there in mid-air. And that first step is a doozy. I chose to climb over the left end of the fence.

There were three of these giant stone structures facing the sea like lonely sentinels.

A rather large lighthouse complex that I could see from miles away.

The further I went, the higher I climbed.  And the colder it got!  I was working hard, but if I stopped, the chill quickly moved in.  Especially since I had perspired through my T-shirt. If I put my jacket on, I immediately got too hot.

A look giving you a little perspective of the height, which is really hard to capture.

Another narrow trail.

And I am still going up. I actually went right over the top of the mountain, and there were several smaller ones.

Sheer drop.  Not a good time to trip.

Coming down - legs screaming for mercy.

In the distance, I finally see Church Bay. Woohoo.  It was a really long taxing day but worth every minute just to see the beauty of Wales.

I stopped in a little cafe that only served food until 4:00.  I was desperate for a Diet Coke.  A very friendly couple was sitting next to me, and he ordered the cheese-and-onion pie. It smelled so good that even though it was only 4:00, I ordered it too. OMG!  It did not disappoint.  This moved in pretty close to my favorite thing I have eaten on this trip.  The pie was full of cheese, maybe Gruyère? It was rich with a deep, full taste that made my stomach want to sing the hallajuh chorus.  And the onions were sweet and tender.  I don’t know what else was in there, maybe some eggs and cream, but I was in taste bud heaven. Oh, I almost forgot the flaky crust, probably made with lard or duck fat. Yum!  It came with a mixed salad containing lettuce, grapes, strawberries, pomegranate arils, and little tomatoes. It also had an apple-and-celery salad.  And some spiral pasta plus chunky fries. I am starting to think that if you have a colonoscopy in Wales, they serve chunky fries on the side.

So my taxi driver finally came to return me to my hotel, and I will start tomorrow from the same place. I wonder if they serve onion pie for breakfast.  LOL

Good Night 

and

God Bless!