Holiday Summer 2012

Bruton Mansions + one friend for Molly (a first for her) decamped to the wilds of Anglesey for what turned out to be a wonderful, wonderful week in and around Benllech.

Molly had a great time, and having a great friend around all week meant we had a much less stressful week than we had any right to, taking a near teen daughter away for a week.

All in all, quite magnificent. Thank you as usual to Sharon and David for having the good sense to buy a place in such a wonderful part of the country, and the generosity of letting us visit every so often.

Beach days - so much easier with 2 children - many more coffees consumed than usual.

All the usual things were done, although everything had a unique spin being a family of four temporarily rather than the usual three. That great relaxation involved with a week away, full of things you don't usually do; fish and chip suppers in the open air, playing pool in the Breeze Inn at the top of the hill, lazy days on the beach - well, days playing on the beach for them, sitting reading and trips to get coffee for Louise and I - we're not the best beach people. Lovely times.

Slate Caverns - rain doesn't matter when you're that far underground!

Welsh Mountain Zoo

Moelfre Lifeboat Day

Adventures along the Great Orme

As for days out, there were a few old favourites; Beaumaris, Llandudno and the Great Orme, and Molly's fave The Welsh Mountain Zoo (beloved by Molly and us all, fond memories of wheeling Louise's dad around the very hilly paths). But new this trip was a spectacular and hugely enjoyable visit to the Llechwedd Slate Caverns.


I never used to be all that convinced by Wales. Too many poor holidays there as a child perhaps. But over the last decade it's absolutely won me over, until it's become something quite wonderful, magical, and most importantly of all... peaceful.

I was thinking about things before the summer holiday and I actually came to the conclusion that my absolute, complete favourite place on Earth is here in Anglesey, and more than that I can pinpoint it to within about a half mile radius. It's HERE:

Moelfre Beach

Actually, it's specifically a seat, in the car park cafe, or on the wall overlooking the beach at Moelfre. I have no idea why, but I get here, and the stress, the worry, the troubles.... everything fades away, leaves me completely peaceful and relaxed. I could spend my time in Moelfre doing nothing but sitting, relaxing, occasional walks along the seafront, and I'd be completely happy.

Well, not quite true. I distinctly remember that Moelfre used to have a coffee shop a little way up that hill and to the left. It was wonderful, a perfect end to a day spent doing nothing by doing nothing in a coffee shop with cake. And it's gone. I was temporarily stunned, the day nearly spoilt.

Then I went and sat down on the car park wall again, and all was well with the world once more.

It's not perfect though. Every year they have a Lifeboat day, where the RNLI fundraise and put on a show. And we mistakenly decided to give it a go. It was hideous. Parking in a muddy field, worried I'd never get out (we nearly didn't, and frankly having a late 60s gent in a Jag get out and give the car a push was embarrassing), hideous numbers of people packing every available inch of space, nowhere to sit, very little to see apart from some overly monied tossers in boats having a lark. The only faint hope was that the Lifeboat would have some work when one of the numerous overgrown kids on jetskis they bought as mid-life crisis pressies lost control and plowed into a similarly mid-life crisis piloted speedboat. Alas, no such luck. We left early. Richard's mood awful. But EVEN that can't put me off Moelfre. I look forward to returning regularly.