Monday dawned wet and windy, and we headed up the coast towards Barmouth. The intention being to stop at some of the historic sites enroute, however the weather was so bad we simply drove all the way, alighting at Hendre Mynach Caravan Park for the 2nd part of our Welsh Adventure.
The weather did not improve, so after a quick walk on the beach (which was being pounded by the sea) we opted for fish & chips in the van and called it a night.
Weather wise, Tuesday was more promising. I kicked off with a run along the beach, then over the troll bridge into Fairbourne.
It’s a nice view, but running along the planks was nauseating; I suspect a combination of the slight bounce, and the sight of the water through the gaps in my peripheral vision 🤢
Later, we wandered up the promenade into Barmouth for a late lunch. We opted for the Lobster Pot and had fabulous Lobster Linguine with samphire, with a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio; it was delicious!
After lunch, we wandered around the town. We went in a fabulous shop called the Fat Buddha. a craft/clothes shop which had that wonderful smell of patchouli and a treasure chest of Nepalese made clothes; heaven! We both indulged in some goodies, whilst Pepper tried to steal several items.
We wandered back down the beach, stopping for a final drink at the Min-y-Mor hotel before returning to the van for an evening bbq.
The weather closed in again on Wednesday but it was still warm. Whilst Mark went for a bike ride, Pepper and I climbed up to Dinas Oleu, via the Welsh Flag viewpoint. The initial climb was quite challenging, but the view from the top was worth the effort. Pepper tried to murder me at the top as she wanted to look over the other side of the flag, but she was unsuccessful this time!
After visiting the flag, we walked over to the panorama viewpoint, stopping to explore the abandoned village of Gellfechan.
On Thursday, we continued our journey up the coast to Anglesey, our final destination of the week. Our home for the weekend was Bagnol caravan park, a lovely site in Treaddur bay, just a short walk from the beach.
The wind was once again fierce, which was not great for wildlife watching. I did capture a terrible picture of a pair of Golden Eyes on the pond near the campsite, but aside from that, the camera stayed mostly in its case.
Our intention had been to do some paddle boarding and kayaking here, but the strong winds and rough sea up persuaded us to try other activities! We did watch several groups of kayakers trying to navigate out of the bay, battling against the swell and we decided we had made the correct decision!
We confined ourselves to swimming; a cold activity, but worth it! Even Pepper put in a few strokes, despite not being a fan of swimming.
We had lunch in the wonderful Sea Shanty, before shopping for dinner in the lovely Stores; a wonderful artisan deli which was not there last time we came. I choose a “wine for friends” to go with dinner, discovering later I had failed in my choice… Who de-alcoholises wine?!
We stopped for a drink at the Seacroft and enjoyed the sun, before heading back to the van for the evening.
On the final morning, Pepper and I took a morning walk along the coastal path. The heathland was hiding numerous orchids, nestled in the heather, including this beautiful Heath Spotted Orchid.
Continuing along the path, I was super excited to see a pair of seals in the rough waves. I spent several minutes trying to take a decent photograph, before noticing that despite the rough sea, they were not diving, or indeed moving at all… I was watching a pair of buoys…!
My blushes were spared by a cormorant; the only bird I saw!
Returning to the van, we began the (always frantic!) pack up to return home, ending a wonderful road trip around the beautiful Welsh Coast. Until next time!
A Dull Woman's Van Life 
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